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10-11-2014, 04:50 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SAN JOSE CA.
Posts: 19
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Ready Brake install
HI all
I'm ready to install a Ready Brake on my 1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic and I like to know if anyone else has the same setup. The info I need pertains to the cable that is attached to the brake petal and where it comes out at the front of the vehicle. I see a hole below the radiator just above the bumper and am wondering if this is OK or will the conduit get too hot and melt so the cable won't move or do I need to drill a hole in the bumper or below it. If anyone has the same setup and could post some pictures it would very much appreciated.
My motor home is a 30ft 1997 Bounder with a Chevy chassis with a 2" drop hitch and a Roadmaster Stowmaster tow bar, and this will the first time to install a permanent braking system on it.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Jim
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10-12-2014, 09:24 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,728
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The radiator will not melt your cable conduit. But contact with your engine or exhaust could. You'll want the cable end to be level and centered with the tow bar attachment points to your Jeep. Your drop hitch may or may not be needed. On our setup no drop hitch is needed but we have a different combination of RV and toad than you have.
__________________
Steve & Nancy 
2005 Itasca Sunrise 33', W20 Chassis, Ultrapower, Henderson Trac Bar
2012 Chevy Captiva Sport AWD, ReadyBrute Elite Tow Bar, Blue Ox Base Plate, Protect-A-Tow
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10-12-2014, 02:42 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SAN JOSE CA.
Posts: 19
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Thanks Steve for the response I was hoping for, the hole below the radiator is in the middle of the vehicle so it should line up with the actuator on the ready brake. The 2" drop hitch receiver levels my tow bar to the ready brake itself so it won't be binding when I need to brake.
Jim
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10-12-2014, 05:30 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: On the Road
Posts: 1,608
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Does the cable have to be centered on the tow bar? That could be a problem for what I want to tow. Thx.
__________________
2012 Nu Wa 363RSBDA
2016 Ford F-350 Dually 6.7
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10-12-2014, 05:40 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Round Rock, TX
Posts: 34
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The cable does not need to be EXACTLY centered, but it needs to be within a couple of inches of center. Otherwise, the cable will rub against the "guide" near the front end of the cable.
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10-12-2014, 05:42 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fort Worth
Posts: 1,630
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Here are the Ready Brake installation instructions. I followed them on my install and have been happy with the system for over 15K miles.
Installation_111129.pdf
__________________
2004 38DS04 Travel Supreme
Cummins 8.3 ISC 350HP CAPS
Spartan Mountain Master
2023 F-150 Towed
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10-12-2014, 07:58 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SAN JOSE CA.
Posts: 19
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Thank you all the posts, but it seems I'm the only one with this setup on a Jeep Cherokee Classic, everyone else is towing a Jeep Wrangler or some other vehicle, that's why I was hopping to get some idea of running the cable from the petal to the front.
Jim
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10-16-2014, 07:45 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Chasing 70 degrees in lower 48
Posts: 2,031
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I installed Ready Brake on a Wrangler without any problems. Couple of hints. I used 1/2 inch PVC conduit and a couple of 90 degree fittings to route cable along frame an over to center. I found cable was getting hung up on hitch parts so I welded a big thick washer on top of tow bar and routed cable thru it. In the beginning I is was not satisfied with the red LED telling me the arm was moving so I wired a flashing LED on back of mirror to the toad brake lights. Now I can see flashing light in rear view monitor and I know the whole cable system is working and the brake pedal is moving. One day I will wire toad brake lights all the way to the dash LED. BTW Ready Brake is about four years old, has over 40,000 miles of use and still works great. Used it on two different toads and two MH's.
__________________
Suzie & Chuck USNR USAF USCGA Challenger Owners Club 2015 37KT Challenger, Demco Commander tow bar, Ready Brake, Sewer Solutions, Safe-T-Plus 41-230, 5-Star tune, towing 2017 Ford Edge FWD 3.6L V-6 four down & 385 FastTrack kayak in the basement.
Summer - Creede, CO Winter - Okeechobee, FL
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10-17-2014, 07:47 PM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SAN JOSE CA.
Posts: 19
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I thought about using some type of conduit like PCV pipe or even 1/2"solid electrical pipe which I can bend myself since I have the tool to do it and even have the pipe already, as far as the cable interfering with the tow bar I won't have a problem with that since the cable is 2 inches above the tow bar.
Thanks for the ideas and hints on the install, for some reason the Jeep Cherokees are a breed apart from the others, with very little room to install this sort of brake system.
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10-20-2014, 06:26 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 346
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ready brake
I just finished installing my ready brake on my 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, I had it on my 2011 Buick Regal and took it off when I traded it. I had to manufacture a few items to make mine work. First, where the cable comes in to the brake pedal, there is a hole about the size of a half dollar with a rubber membraine over it behind the carpet, no problem. In the engine compartment there is a 3/8" threaded stud right by that hole, don't
know what that is for but I'm glad it is there. I made a small plate that secures on that stud and drilled the proper size hole to accept the ready brake cable and secured it to the plate. I fished the cable conduit down to the the front under the rad. Nothing to mount it securely but plastic bumper. So where it comes out I made a bracket 1"wx7"Lx1/4" thick out of a piece of chromium steel I had and bent it in a shape of a "L", drilled a hole in the long end and took a bolt out under the rad and bolted the bracket to it. The other end I drilled a hole to accept the other end of the cable, cut a slot big enough in the plastic for the "L" to stick through, It is solid.
__________________
Sam
2001 Islander
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11-06-2014, 03:40 PM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SAN JOSE CA.
Posts: 19
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I finally installed the ready brake cable, when they say "two heads are better than one" they are absolutely correct, because my son came by and we both tried to figure out the best way to run the cable and we ended up running it without the conduit. We just ran it along the frame next to the engine mount and around to the front under the crankshaft pulley and out the front bumper and license plate. It seems to be working because once I attached the cable to the brake petal, I pulled on it and I can feel the resistance of the petal moving as if it's applying the brakes.
I also ran the cable for the ready stop along the outside of the wheel well and out to the Roadmaster base plate. Now it's a matter of hooking up to the motor home for adjustments and running the wire for the indicator light and I'll be set to go.
Thanks to all for the information and ideas that were given on this post.
Jim
__________________________
1997 30 Ft Bounder, 454 Chevy chassis
1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic automatic toad
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11-06-2014, 05:10 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,728
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Good to hear you got it done! I think you'll be impressed with the ReadyBrute. When considering the ReadyBrute it was one of those things that sounded almost too simple and easy to be true to me. But after reading from other's experience I decided to go with it and have no regrets!
__________________
Steve & Nancy 
2005 Itasca Sunrise 33', W20 Chassis, Ultrapower, Henderson Trac Bar
2012 Chevy Captiva Sport AWD, ReadyBrute Elite Tow Bar, Blue Ox Base Plate, Protect-A-Tow
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11-06-2014, 07:49 PM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,427
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MypetBella
I finally installed the ready brake cable, when they say "two heads are better than one" they are absolutely correct, because my son came by and we both tried to figure out the best way to run the cable and we ended up running it without the conduit. We just ran it along the frame next to the engine mount and around to the front under the crankshaft pulley and out the front bumper and license plate. It seems to be working because once I attached the cable to the brake petal, I pulled on it and I can feel the resistance of the petal moving as if it's applying the brakes.
I also ran the cable for the ready stop along the outside of the wheel well and out to the Roadmaster base plate. Now it's a matter of hooking up to the motor home for adjustments and running the wire for the indicator light and I'll be set to go.
Thanks to all for the information and ideas that were given on this post.
Jim
__________________________
1997 30 Ft Bounder, 454 Chevy chassis
1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic automatic toad
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Jim, how does the brake cable stay stationary when connected to the surge actuator? Meaning, by not having it trapped in the conduit and anchored to the bumper, how is it that you aren't just pulling a slack wire rather than the peddle? Make sense?
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11-06-2014, 08:45 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,728
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Rkh, the cable comes in it's own sleeve. The sleeve is flexible enough to bend but stiff enough to control the cable.
__________________
Steve & Nancy 
2005 Itasca Sunrise 33', W20 Chassis, Ultrapower, Henderson Trac Bar
2012 Chevy Captiva Sport AWD, ReadyBrute Elite Tow Bar, Blue Ox Base Plate, Protect-A-Tow
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