Supplemental Braking System

[RayandWendy]

Previous owner towed with no supplemental braking system (I know, not smart at all, and illegal). I'm looking at installing the Demco Air Force One system for towing my 2018 Jeep Wrangler.

Any opinions pro or con?

[carltonwd]

I have used M&G Engineering system for over 10 years on several coaches and tow vehicles. Great product, great customer service.

[Fattman-Litlboy]

We have towed our Wrangler for over 5-yrs, with no problems with Air Force One. I believe it's the best system, and was the only system approved for the Spartan Chassis. Spartans "Big-Mike" is actually mentioned by name in the Air Force One literature as the SME on it's installation.
Jim

[Dieselgem]

Originally Posted by RayandWendy

Previous owner towed with no supplemental braking system (I know, not smart at all, and illegal). I'm looking at installing the Demco Air Force One system for towing my 2018 Jeep Wrangler.

Any opinions pro or con?

I am using the SMI Airforce 1. It has been dependable and works as advertised. You won't know the Wrangler is back there but really comes in handy in a emergency quick stop. I am not sure if the Demco is made by the same company or not.

[RubiconTrail]

Same, same...Cornerstone and Rubicon and AF1. Five years on it now, works great.

[DavidH2]

Originally Posted by Dieselgem

I am using the SMI Airforce 1. It has been dependable and works as advertised. You won't know the Wrangler is back there but really comes in handy in a emergency quick stop. I am not sure if the Demco is made by the same company or not.

Demco bought SMI as I recall. We love our AF1 system, even moved it to our new toad in 17. Dont even know it is there......

[Rollin101]

Used the same AF1 unit since 2007. Have moved it to six different vehicles over that time. I also had the M&G for a year before that. The M&G worked fine, but I prefer the AF1 because it’s easier to install and doesn’t cost anything to move it to different vehicles. M&G is vehicle specific AF1 isn’t.

[LWBAZ]

Originally Posted by DavidH2

Demco bought SMI as I recall. We love our AF1 system, even moved it to our new toad in 17. Dont even know it is there......

Correct.

[LWBAZ]

Below is a write-up I did a while back in a different context, which may be useful to owners evaluating towed-vehicle braking systems. I don’t intend anything that follows as an endorsement of any particular braking system manufacturer or specific braking system, although I will share my experiences and opinions. As I’ve said many times, the worst towed vehicle braking system on the market (whichever one that may be) is still far better than not having one.

With those disclaimers out of the way, let’s consider the key differences between the various systems.

Dead Pedal Braking versus Power Braking

Some of the systems on the market energize the towed vehicle’s power brakes while others do not. Those that don’t obviously have to push harder on the towed vehicle’s brake pedal to provide any meaningful stopping assistance.

I haven’t owned a dead pedal braking system and don’t expect that I will in the future. I’m not implying they don’t work, just that I prefer braking systems that energize the towed vehicle’s power brakes.

Inertia Activation versus In-Synch Activation

Many towed vehicle braking systems, probably the majority of them, rely on an inertia (deceleration) sensor or surge detection to trigger activation of the towed vehicle’s brakes. Other systems tap into the air brake plumbing of diesel motorhomes and are able to apply the towed vehicle’s brakes exactly in synch with the application of the motorhome’s brakes. These systems also have the advantage of not applying the towed vehicle’s brakes at any time other than when the motorhome’s brake pedal is depressed.

Systems that rely on a deceleration sensor or surge detection have a potential issue with applying the towed vehicle’s brakes when the motorhome’s brake pedal is not depressed, such as when descending a steep hill. Most of these systems have circuitry or programming to mitigate this issue, for example releasing the towed vehicle’s brakes after a certain number of seconds of continuous application.

I’ve owned and used inertia activation systems and in-synch activation systems. While the delay associated with the inertia activated systems is very slight, it is nonetheless true that those systems cannot and do not apply the towed vehicle’s brakes quite as quickly as the in-synch systems. As such, I have a preference for in-synch systems. That said, there are several very good inertia activation systems on the market.

Portable versus Permanent

Some towed vehicle braking systems are portable and can easily be moved from one vehicle to another. These systems typically require little or no upfront installation work, but have the disadvantage of having to be put in place each time you’re ready to tow and removed each time you want to drive the towed vehicle. Other systems are more permanently installed. These systems require more time and effort upfront, but once installed the time to hook up for towing and unhook for driving is very minimal.

Portable systems are popular with motorhome owners who have more than one vehicle they wish to tow, since only one braking system needs to be purchased. On the other hand, most if not all of the manufacturers of permanently installed systems offer towed-vehicle-only kits, thereby allowing multiple vehicles to be equipped so they can interface with the braking system equipment on a single motorhome.

I’ve owned both portable systems and permanently installed systems. I’ve come to prefer permanent systems because of the reduced time and effort they require once installed.

Conclusions

In my opinion the best towed vehicle braking systems energize the towed vehicle’s power brakes, operate in synch with the application of the motorhome’s brakes, and are permanently installed, thereby minimizing the time and effort required to hook up and unhook.

One such system is the very popular Air Force One from SMI (now part of Demco). M&G Engineering also offers systems which meet those criteria. The BrakeMaster system from RoadMaster is similar, but does require an activation cylinder to be installed for towing and removed for driving.

SMI’s Stay-In-Play Duo is a very good inertia activation system that energizes the towed vehicle’s power brakes and is permanently installed, thereby minimizing hook up and unhook time.

Among the portable, dead pedal, inertia activation systems, the RVI Brake is one of the more popular and easiest to use. SMI has a somewhat similar system called the Delta Force. There are many others.

While the array of towed-vehicle braking systems on the market can be rather overwhelming, all of them can be classified and evaluated based on the criteria outlined above. No one braking system is right for every motorhome owner, but understanding the characteristics of different systems will go a long way toward making an informed decision.

For more info on the systems mentioned above:

SMI Air Force One – https://www.demco-products.com/rv-towin ... -force-one

M&G Engineering – http://m-gengineering.com/

RoadMaster BrakeMaster – http://roadmasterinc.com/products/braki ... ake_m.html

SMI Stay-In-Play Duo – https://www.demco-products.com/rv-towin ... n-play-duo

RVibrake – https://rvibrake.com/

SMI Delta Force – https://www.demco-products.com/rv-towin ... elta-force

[txcpl]

There are many options out there. We chose the M&G original system. They now have a second system which operates similar to the Air Force one, I believe.

Do your homework and choose the one that yes fits your needs and likes.

[Gary.Jones]

Nice summary Larry....

I have been using an Air Force One system now for 6 or 7 years on three coaches. I am VERY impressed with the system. I bought it after initially using no toad braking system for about a year on my first coach (a Monaco Dynasty tag axle). I experienced a panic stop produced by some driver spiking their car brakes in an intersection and making a sudden and unexpected stop directly in front of me. I knew what the coach could do in a serious stop and I "could feel" the toad pushing the coach forward additionally in this stop. I was able to avoid rear-ending this car by a couple inches, but I immediately had an Air Force One system installed. I have used that system since on all three.

I am very impressed with the system. It connects in well less than a minute and is essentially carefree in its operation. Nothing to adjust once first installed. Does the job. Handles the toad nicely. Could not be more satisfied and would buy it again in a minute if I needed to start all over for some reason. Worth every penny.

The AF1 also has a simple and effective breakaway toad brake system, which is mandatory IMHO

Gary

[Cruzer]

We've been using the original M&G tow brakes on a number of Jeeps over the years with great results. Unfortunately, that system won't work on the newer JL series Wranglers or the JT Gladiator because the ABS motor is in the way.

So, for my Gladiator I had to look at another option. I looked closely at the AF1 but also at the new M&G 2.0 system. Both units operate pretty much the same in that air pressure from the coach actuates the air cylinder on the towed vehicle. Both units do this proportionally so that the towed vehicle brakes are applied in direct relationship to the coach's brake pedal application.

The differences lie in how each system locates their components to achieve this. The AF1 uses a cable that attaches to the firewall and pulls against an air cylinder mounted to the brake pedal arm. The M&G 2.0 systems places a small air cylinder in the engine compartment and runs the cable assembly through the firewall and attaches to a bracket on the brake pedal arm. I found that the AF1 unit was a bit on the large side and it got in the way of my foot when reaching for the brake pedal. The M&G had a smaller bracket which did not get in the way. I also preferred M&G's method of connecting the cable housing directly between the air cylinder and pedal bracket. The AF1 requires screwing the cable anchor bracket to the firewall and connecting the cable between that bracket and the air cylinder mounted on the pedal arm. I just felt there was less potential for failure from a bracket coming loose.

Keep in mind that either of these systems require an initial adjustment of the cable to prevent excessive slack. This is a one-time thing but if you have power adjustable pedals you can't use them unless you adjust them with the pedals in the full up position and make sure you always keep them in that position when towing.

Both systems are popular and are quite effective at supplying progressive braking for your towed vehicle.

[LWBAZ]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

I experienced a panic stop produced by some driver spiking their car brakes in an intersection and making a sudden and unexpected stop directly in front of me. I knew what the coach could do in a serious stop and I "could feel" the toad pushing the coach forward additionally in this stop. I was able to avoid rear-ending this car by a couple inches.

Gary, we had a somewhat similar experience. Our first motorhome was a 1999 Fleetwood Bounder, 32 feet long, Ford V-10 engine, no slides. We didn’t tow a vehicle behind that coach because it was fairly easy to drive it to Walmart or wherever else we needed to go while traveling.

When we replaced the Bounder with a 38 foot Alfa SeeYa we bought a Saturn L Series sedan to tow. For that vehicle I opted for an SMI “brake in a box” system. It worked well, with the most significant downside being that it had to be put in place to tow and taken out to drive the car.

Not long after we started towing the Saturn we were on Interstate 20 on the west side of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, cruising along peacefully when all of a sudden the traffic ahead went from 60 MPH or so to dead stop. I jumped on the brake pedal for all it was worth and we stopped about two feet from the car in front of us. Absent the braking system in the Saturn, I suspect we would have been at least two feet into the car ahead rather than two feet behind.

Traffic cleared and we continued on. As I thought about what had just happened, I assured myself that it wouldn’t have been a super-serious accident if we had hit the vehicle in front of us. But then I started thinking about the potential repercussions – having to stop on the side of the road, call the police for a report, exchange insurance information, potentially get sued for whiplash, etc. And I thought about how much stronger the case against us would have been if we hadn’t installed a legally required supplemental braking system in the Saturn and that information came out in court.

At that moment the braking system in the Saturn became well worth every penny I paid for it.

[voltdoc]

AFO since 2010, same system on three coaches and two tow vehicles. It just works. Only problems in the 10 years are a failed snap shackle spring on the breakaway cable and a leaky pressure protection valve on the coach side AFO unit. Both were easy fixes covered by SMI. On my tow (Honda Odyssey) the air cylinder on the brake pedal arm is completely out of the way and totally unobtrusive.