Will my 2004 Alpine pull a Jeep JKU???

[LVRVLUVR]

pm me with results of no brakes... top secret

[Scatterbrain]

I drove halfway across country with no brakes on my toad before I realized the brakes on my dolly weren't working. I found out the hard way, on a 9% grade.

[tankcj]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

and will it do it with out brakes??? my coach weighs 26k and gcwr is 40k...i think

anyone have pics with a jku hooked to their MH

The problem is that since that weight is not over the braking axles you don't get the added 'traction' when braking. Towing 5k lbs is not the same as carrying 5k lbs when it comes to braking. But to be honest, legalities aside, that coach will barely know the difference for that amount of weight you are talking about.

For Az, independent brake systems are required when the gross weight is 3,000 lbs. or more. So what do you think is safer? a Toyota Tacoma towing a 2999 lb trailer with no brakes or a 26k DP towing 5k lbs with no brakes?

For what it's worth, I tow my JK on a car hauler with electric brakes ON BOTH AXLES. This so if I lose brakes on the coach, I can use the car hauler to slow the coach down....right?

[Skeetobite]

Last year I had the occasion to experience a short 15% grade of about 1 mile. At the very bottom of the grade was a 25 mph turn to the right.

It was as I neared this sharp corner to the right that I discovered I had forgotten to turn on the brakes in the Jeep. I could feel the Jeep pushing me.

Engine brake was on (and roaring). Air brakes in the coach were working fine, but without the jeep participating in the braking on this steep hill, I felt like I was going to shoot across the opposite lane in the corner. It was very difficult keeping the coach between the ditches, let alone the lines on the road.

Before everyone asks how fast I was going before I started down the hill, I'll tell you that I rolled over the top at about 15 MPH as it was on an unfamiliar twisting rural road in Canada. Mass plus Gravity = simple physics

I double check the brake switch every time now and after that experience I wouldn't tow anything without supplemental brakes and a clean pair of shorts on hand.

[CampDaven]

Hey Steve, if you were in my position approaching the girl on the bike, you may have traveled much farther than I did. She did not die because I had 2 more axels braking HARD.
The conditions were such that I would not have been at fault ONLY if LEGALLY equipped. I was. You ain't.
Are you opting for what you have on a guess that you are safe, or are you whimping (cheaping) out on being as safe as you CAN be?
Man up!
Otherwise, I think you are trolling.
Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

I drove halfway across country with no brakes on my toad before I realized the brakes on my dolly weren't working. I found out the hard way, on a 9% grade.

I have a 2 stage Jakcobs engine brake....don't think that little jeep is gonna push it around..

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Skeetobite

Last year I had the occasion to experience a short 15% grade of about 1 mile. At the very bottom of the grade was a 25 mph turn to the right.

It was as I neared this sharp corner to the right that I discovered I had forgotten to turn on the brakes in the Jeep. I could feel the Jeep pushing me.

Engine brake was on (and roaring). Air brakes in the coach were working fine, but without the jeep participating in the braking on this steep hill, I felt like I was going to shoot across the opposite lane in the corner. It was very difficult keeping the coach between the ditches, let alone the lines on the road.

Before everyone asks how fast I was going before I started down the hill, I'll tell you that I rolled over the top at about 15 MPH as it was on an unfamiliar twisting rural road in Canada. Mass plus Gravity = simple physics

I double check the brake switch every time now and after that experience I wouldn't tow anything without supplemental brakes and a clean pair of shorts on hand.

what motor is in your Fleetwood???..I'd almost bet when towing i'm close to what you are not towing...I should be about 1k under the 33k gvwr of my coach, and about 14k under my gcwr


without the one time on a 15% grade,,, do you even know it's back there,

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

I have a 2 stage Jakcobs engine brake....don't think that little jeep is gonna push it around..

It won't, but aux helps you by stopping sooner, and legally. Sorry you don't understand the physics. A little bit o wet and the toad swings to kiss yer tukis.
Are you gonna be a scofflaw? Sheesh


Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

[TBS-POPS]

I don't think anyone cares if you have a 6 stage jake brake, legally you have to have supplemental brakes on your tow vehicle if it weighs over 2500#. Plus break away capabilities. Jake is not going to do jack for you in a panic stop situation.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by TBS-POPS

I don't think anyone cares if you have a 6 stage jake brake, legally you have to have supplemental brakes on your tow vehicle if it weighs over 2500#. Plus break away capabilities. Jake is not going to do jack for you in a panic stop situation.

not everwhere



States with special requirements

Kentucky
Kentucky law does not specifically require brakes on any passenger car trailers, regardless of weight. However, vehicles singular or in combination must be able to stop within distance specified by statute.
Oregon
Combination of vehicles must be able to stop within legal limits.
Wyoming, Utah & Kansas
Requires any vehicle combination to stop in 40 feet at 20 mph.
Delaware
Every motor vehicle when operated on a highway shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement, and to stop and hold such vehicle and any trailer attached thereto, including 2 separate means of applying the brakes.
New Hampshire
Requires any vehicle combination to stop in 30 feet at 20 mph.
Massachusetts
Every trailer having an unladed weight of more than 10,000 lbs shall be equipped with air or electric brakes.
Missouri
Independent braking system not required except on trailers coupled by a 5th wheel and kingpin.
New Jersey
Every trailer and semitrailer must have brakes that can be automatically applied upon break-away from the towed vehicle, and means shall be provided to stop and hold the vehicle for adequate period of time.
North Carolina
Every semitrailer, trailer, or separate vehicle attached by a drawbar or coupling to a towing vehicle of at least 4,000 lbs, and every house trailer weighing at least 1,000 lbs, shall be equipped with brake controlled or operated by the driver of the towing vehicle.
North Dakota
Every trailer operated at a speed in excess of 25 mph must have safety chains or brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and to hold such vehicle and designed so that they can be applied by the driver of the towing vehicle from its cab, and must be designed and connected so that in case of an accidental breakaway the brakes are automatically applied.




United States Towing Laws

0 lbs * Kansas
* North Dakota
Wyoming
1,000 lbs New York
North Carolina
1,500 lbs * California
* Idaho
* Nevada * Tennessee
New Hampshire
2,000 lbs * Mississippi
* Ohio
3,000 lbs * Alabama
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Connecticut * Dist. of Columbia
* Florida
Georgia
* Hawaii
* Illinois * Indiana
* Iowa
* Louisiana
Maine
* Maryland * Michigan
* Minnesota
* Montana
* Nebraska
* New Jersey New Mexico
* Oklahoma
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* South Dakota * Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
Wisconsin
4,000 lbs Delaware
* Rhode Island
North Carolina
4,500 lbs * Texas
5,000 lbs * Alaska
10,000 lbs Massachusetts



Canadian Towing Laws

910 kg (2,007 lbs) * Alberta
2,000 kg (4,409 lbs) * British Columbia
Independent trailer braking system required where licensed weight of a trailer (excluding tow dollies) exceeds 1,400 kg or over 50% of licensed weight of towing vehicle; not required with motorhome towing with towbar a motor vehicle weighing less than 2,000 kg that is also less than 40% of motorhome GVWR.
910 kg (2,007 lbs) Manitoba
1,500 kg (3,308 lbs) * New Brunswick
* Newfoundland
Required if vehicles cannot be brought to a stop within a distance of 10 meters at 30 km/h from the point at which brakes are applied.
0 kg (0 lbs) * Northwest Territories
1,800 kg (4,000 lbs) * Nova Scotia
1,360 kg (3,000 lbs) Ontario
1,500 kg (3,308 lbs) Prince Edward Island
1,300 kg (2,867 lbs) * Quebec
1,360 kg (3,000 lbs) Saskatchewan
910 kg (2,007 lbs) * Yukon

* Breakaway required above stated vehicle weight.


This information was collected from the Digest of Motor Laws 2006 and from a variety of third-party sources. While reasonable efforts were made to verify the information, Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation, its employees and agents do not warrant the accuracy of the information and disclaim all liability for any claims and damages of any nature that may arise from errors omissions. If you have any questions regarding state or local laws, please consult with the appropriate agency. (Updated Apr. 2007)


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[CampDaven]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0

[flandersdl]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

Pretty much know no one here si gonna speak up and say they have done it and done it for years...guess I keep on peep'n in the windows till I find some one that has toad brakes

I use the Brakemaster from Roadmaster. I haven't 2001 MiuntainAire and tow a Dodge Dakota and it is amazing the difference in how the coach stops when I have been in a hurry to leave and didn't hook up the airline between vehicles. I can actually feel the toad pushing the MH. Needless to say I stopped at the first possible moment and connected the airline.

I will NOT tow without supplemental brakes whether on a toad or a trailer and not just to be legal when I'm towing. Physics will tell you that mire weight equals longer stopping distance. It doesn't matter if the weight comes from the load in the coach or a toad. The supplemental brakes take some of the load of stopping off the coach and put it on the toad.

Economics is another reason for using a supplemental braking system. When you don't use it you are going to have to brake harder to be able to stop in the same distance as you would without the toad thereby wearing the brakes on the MH out faster. There is a huge difference in the cost of replacing the brakes on the toad over the MH.

Enough if my ranting and raving. The bottom line, as gas already been stated, is use a supplemental braking system.

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

Pretty much know no one here si gonna speak up and say they have done it and done it for years...guess I keep on peep'n in the windows till I find some one that has toad brakes

I towed the first year without brakes, Lighter towed than you, plus I have another set of brakes, so I never knew it was back there, without looking at the camera view.
Always in the back of my mind ...... What if this towbar fails. What if this car heads into oncoming traffic?
I have a SMI Airforce one towed brake now!

[LVRVLUVR]

it's pretty simple question... do you NEED brakes on the toad if you are under
your gcwr.'ing.....people don't have to be nasty..

there a lot of states that say you don't and a lot of states that just have to be able to stop in a certain amount of feet....

it was un clear to me because my coach is way way over powered compaired to most out there, and I have a 34' coach on a 44' chassis


I see tow trucks towing motor home wheels on the ground you think they hook up extra brakes???

they towed my 30'r front wheels up pulled the driveline... should I have told the driver it's against IRV
members rules????

simple answer to questions works and the ol' if it where me answers..

like I said... the coach is way way over built compaired to what you can buy today... and back in the day ,.. nobody used toad brakes...they came after comin sense was deleted