Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Toads and Motorhome Related Towing
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 01-28-2023, 03:16 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
givemeaboost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Great Falls, MT.
Posts: 102
NSA Ready Brake Questions

I put the NSA Ready Brake system on my coach and have the cables hooked up for my 92 swift and 91 Sidekick. I am trying to figure out how these would work for anything more than a panic stop. The way I see it the brakes on the toad will only work as long as there is pressure on the hitch. Well the toad weighs about 15% of what the coach does so it should slow down faster than the tow vehicle causing there to be no pressure on the hitch and therefore releasing the brake pressure. Would this work as a surge system until the coach quit slowing down ?


Ken..........
__________________
2000 Gulf Stream Palm Breeze 8325

91 Metro Convertible 91 Suzuki Sidekick and 92 Suzuki Swift GT toads
givemeaboost is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-28-2023, 04:52 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Cougarkid's Avatar
 
Freightliner Owners Club
Overland Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mid-Missouri
Posts: 889
I use the same system on our 42’ diesel pusher and a 2021 Jeep JLURD.
I added in a dash light, in the Rv, that comes on when the toad brake lights come on for monitoring. Be assured, the toad braking is pretty constant.
Just because the toad weighs less doesn’t mean it slows down faster. It wants to keep going as you are stopping. The braking is relative to how hard/fast you are stopping. There are times, in town, when I actually have to roll forward, at a red light, to get the toad brakes to disengage.
Yes, panic stopping is going to apply more braking, but overall you get assistance.
Hope this helps.
__________________
Mike and Carla
1998 42' Overland Larado Diesel Pusher
On the road - here and there - Full Timing
Cougarkid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2023, 06:02 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove CA
Posts: 1,618
It's been many decades since my last physics class but here's what I think: In the proverbial perfect world, a gradual stop with very minimal braking being applied would be very similar to towing without any braking system at all. The MH's braking force will be transferred to the toad via the tow bar without compressing the Ready Brake's spring enough to activate the toad's brakes.

Once you apply the brakes in your MH even a modest amount, the braking force is again going to be transferred to the toad via the tow bar, but, in this case, the the force of that transfer will be great enough to compress the spring mechanism in the Ready Brake causing your toad's brakes to activate. In any case, the amount of braking power applied by your toad will vary depending on what's needed to keep things in balance, it will be proportional. The Ready Brake will cause a heavier toad to apply more braking power than a lighter one in the same situation.

Ask yourself this, if it isn't going to activate except in a panic stop, would you be willing to sit on your bumper and stick your finger in the Ready Brake's mechanism while someone brakes your MH ever so lightly? I wouldn't.

My experience is the same as Mike's in that my indicator light goes on even in the case of light braking.
__________________
BobC
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
BCam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2023, 06:13 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Eastern outskirts of Dallas, TX
Posts: 4,469
For every action - there is an equal and opposite reaction.

So, for the force applied to the ReadyBrake (which is the weight of the toad) - an equivalent force is applied so as to slow the toad against it’s weight (force).

When coming to a hard stop - the light stays on, and the ReadyBrake engaged - because the toad can’t roll backwards (because the brake is applied), and unlikely the coach has rolled enough to relieve the pressure on the ReadyBrake.
Roll forward a few inches, ReadyBrake relieved, dash light goes off.

I like my ReadyBrake!

__________________
‘91 Ultrastar Champion‘02 Georgie Boy Landau 8.1l Workhorse
‘03 Jeep Wrangler TJ 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK toad
MrMark52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2023, 07:41 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
givemeaboost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Great Falls, MT.
Posts: 102
Thanks for the encouragement here. I don't have the wiring and dash light hooked up so I didn't know if it was constant. I guess I'll have to do that before RV season.


Ken.........
__________________
2000 Gulf Stream Palm Breeze 8325

91 Metro Convertible 91 Suzuki Sidekick and 92 Suzuki Swift GT toads
givemeaboost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2023, 03:58 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
jaydee325's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 695
How does this system work going down long grades using the engine exhaust brake? Any problems with overheating the brakes on the toad?
__________________
Bob & Kathy
2018 Newmar Ventana 4037
2019 GMC Canyon Denali Toad
jaydee325 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2023, 07:10 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Eastern outskirts of Dallas, TX
Posts: 4,469
The force weight of the toad against a spring inside of the ReadyBrake actuates the lever, and the lever is designed such that it’s ability to pull the brake cable is not linear (when the cable is properly adjusted with the correct slack between the toad and the ReadyBrake).

The harder the stop, the more the brake pedal is applied.

I’ve toad down grades using lower gears and foot off pedal (a gasser’s way of effecting an exhaust brake on a diesel) and not felt any issues with the toad. I’ve never noticed that “hot brake” smell around the toad when arriving at our destination.

I need to hook up the dash light from the ReadyBrake.
__________________
‘91 Ultrastar Champion‘02 Georgie Boy Landau 8.1l Workhorse
‘03 Jeep Wrangler TJ 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK toad
MrMark52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2023, 05:27 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Cougarkid's Avatar
 
Freightliner Owners Club
Overland Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mid-Missouri
Posts: 889
I have never had an issue using the exhaust brake on downhill runs. The toad brakes do not engage unless I brake to decrease speed.

BTW, I had to add a switch, at the brake pedal, for the monitoring light in the Rv. They sell one for my Jeep. It is NOT activated by the brake lights. Toad pedal movement activates the light. The exhaust brake (diesel) activates the Rv AND toad brake lights, so that is not a true sign that the toad brakes are being activated.

I used this same system (mine is older style, built into the tow bar) on our previous 2001 Jeep TJ before transferring it to the new 2021 JLURD.
__________________
Mike and Carla
1998 42' Overland Larado Diesel Pusher
On the road - here and there - Full Timing
Cougarkid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2023, 08:53 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
F4Gary's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Grapevine, Tx
Posts: 5,625
I have read (on here) that it takes about 300lbs of force to start compressing the spring in the ReadyBrake.
__________________
2004 Fleetwood Southwind 32VS W20 - SOLD!
ReadyBrute Elite towing a 2017 Ford Edge Sport
F4Gary is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2023, 11:54 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Cougarkid's Avatar
 
Freightliner Owners Club
Overland Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mid-Missouri
Posts: 889
My older style one has an adjustment in it. You can adjust the force required to activate it based on the toad weight. All it takes is a flat screwdriver.
__________________
Mike and Carla
1998 42' Overland Larado Diesel Pusher
On the road - here and there - Full Timing
Cougarkid is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
brake, ready brake



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
NSA Ready Brake vs other Brake Technologies LarryJB Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 143 03-11-2022 01:07 PM
NSA Ready Brute - 2019 Jeep Cherokee questions EricBenfer Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 2 05-30-2021 11:00 PM
Early Jeep Libertys and the NSA Ready Brake DaGrinch Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 8 06-14-2016 07:56 PM
NSA Ready Brake on a newer Honda CRV? deprived Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 25 03-26-2016 04:33 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:46 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.