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10-23-2018, 04:37 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 14
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Roadmaster Brake Monitor is AWFUL!
Installed Roadmaster towbar & brake system on C-Max ENERGI earlier this year AT ROADMASTER IN VANCOUVER WA. Roadmaster didn't add a separate power line to keep C-Max battery alive when towing and battery flatlined (said it wasn't needed!). When C-Max jump-started, the sending unit woke up "backwards" - said it was ON when OFF, so receiving unit screamed the remainder of the drive home. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT ROADMASTER. Roadmaster knows that if the monitor unit loses power, it will relearn "off" as whatever it sees when power restored. In order to start the C-Max, the brake pedal must be depressed, so that's how it re-learned backward. The fix? Find an obscure fuse under the hood and pull it (with C-Max running) then reinstall it. I complained and asked them to put in a NEW unit, but the new units won't be built until the old units are sold. And the monitor receiver that sits inside the rig plugs into the cigarette lighter and is Velcro'd to the dash - a kluge of an installation if there ever was one! Roadmaster convinced my husband that the monitor was MANDATORY - but when I asked them to confirm publicly on FB exactly which states say "mandatory" I hear...........NOTHING FROM THEM. The monitor system is such a kluged hassle that I wish we had never purchased the monitor (the tow bar and brake system work OK). Anybody else out there have this problem? And anybody out there know which states might have a "monitor" requirement? Roadmaster is completely silent on this matter.
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10-23-2018, 04:54 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest Washington State or Western Montana, depending on the season.
Posts: 3,473
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A towed braking system is required (aka "mandatory") in most states, but I can't imagine any state specifically requiring a monitoring system. Now, from a driver standpoint, having some kind of indicator that the brakes are working is certainly desirable. That can be achieved in a variety of ways. A lot of folks just install a small LED indicator on the coach dash and use the trailer brake wiring harness to carry the signal.
TJ
__________________
Jim (W7DHC), Diane & Mini Schnauzers, Lizzy & Ellie
2018 Mountain Aire 4047
2014 Honda CR-V 2020 Lincoln Nautilus "toad" w/AF1
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10-23-2018, 05:54 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Charleston, WV
Posts: 3,467
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The monitor I have for my Even-Brake unit will not work over the distance I now have on my 44' long coach (it worked fine on my previous 36' coach). I got tired of the unit screaming that the toad had broken away, and as there is no repeater available, I just don't use it.
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John and Mary Knight
2015 Newmar Ventana 4311 - wheelchair accessible
2015 Cadillac SRX Luxury AWD
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10-23-2018, 06:21 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Northeast CT
Posts: 1,202
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim
A towed braking system is required (aka "mandatory") in most states, but I can't imagine any state specifically requiring a monitoring system. Now, from a driver standpoint, having some kind of indicator that the brakes are working is certainly desirable. That can be achieved in a variety of ways. A lot of folks just install a small LED indicator on the coach dash and use the trailer brake wiring harness to carry the signal.
TJ
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i have the roadmaster "invisibrake" unit, and the red LED is what i have....
__________________
2018 Dutch Star 4326 K2 SOLD
2020 LTV Unity 24RL
Doing my part to help control the flying insect population......
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10-23-2018, 07:24 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Fulltime, Formally SF Bay Area
Posts: 632
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim
A towed braking system is required (aka "mandatory") in most states, but I can't imagine any state specifically requiring a monitoring system. Now, from a driver standpoint, having some kind of indicator that the brakes are working is certainly desirable. That can be achieved in a variety of ways. A lot of folks just install a small LED indicator on the coach dash and use the trailer brake wiring harness to carry the signal.
TJ
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Not true. While the companies that make the braking systems would like you to drink their cool-aid, many states such as California, do not require a braking system on a tow car. CA has requirements for trailers, but clearly distinguishes between a trailer and a tow car (toad).
That said, I believe that they are very important and should likely be required for no other reason than the issue of the car separating from the motorhome. Large diesels, especially those with a tag axle with additional braking, have ample braking for a toad. However, if it were ever to come loose it then becomes an uncontrollable missile capable of deadly damage.
__________________
Ken C
2018 Dutch Star 4052 Spartan
2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
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