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Old 10-23-2018, 04:37 PM   #1
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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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Old 10-23-2018, 04:54 PM   #2
TJ
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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
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Old 10-23-2018, 05:54 PM   #3
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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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Old 10-23-2018, 06:21 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim View Post
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
i have the roadmaster "invisibrake" unit, and the red LED is what i have....
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Old 10-23-2018, 07:24 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim View Post
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
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.
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