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11-13-2019, 03:31 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 155
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Ready Brute Brake Cable
Those of you with the Ready Brute Elite tow bar or using the Ready Brute surge brake.....is there a way to hide the unsightly loop at the front of the vehicle? Has anyone figured out a way to hide it? Does the loop get pushed out every time you hit the brakes?
I have two options reference braking for my Toad (JLU Wrangler). I can use a Brake Buddy Classic which was given to me or I can use the Ready Brute brake and it's associated cable. I love the simplicity of the Ready Brute, but I dislike the loop.
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2009 Discovery 40X
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11-13-2019, 03:39 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 2,748
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Someone on here rigged up a system where he could easily disconnect the cable from the brake pedal and coil it up out of the way. As I recall it involved drilling a hole in the brake pedal arm and using a clevis pin. Maybe a search would find the post.
I have the ReadyBrute and yes, the cable does move when the pedal is pushed and it is visible from the front of the car. Doesn't bother me though. Sometimes people ask me what it is and what it's for. I just tell them we tow the car behind our RV and it's for the braking system.
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Burns & Diane
2005 Winnebago Aspect 26A/2012 Subaru Impreza toad
Illinois! - Where the politicians make the license plates......
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11-13-2019, 08:03 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by baraff
Someone on here rigged up a system where he could easily disconnect the cable from the brake pedal and coil it up out of the way. As I recall it involved drilling a hole in the brake pedal arm and using a clevis pin. Maybe a search would find the post.
I have the ReadyBrute and yes, the cable does move when the pedal is pushed and it is visible from the front of the car. Doesn't bother me though. Sometimes people ask me what it is and what it's for. I just tell them we tow the car behind our RV and it's for the braking system.
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That was me. I had the Ready Brake system about 10-12 years ago and, I myself, thought that some of the ways Ready Brake wanted you to install and or, hook things up was pure caveman. So, I revamped the system to my liking. What I did was actually very simple. After routing the cable through its housing from the front bumper to the inside of the vehicle, I then determined the length needed at that end of the cable, to form a loop in the cable.
Inside that loop, was a steel screen door roller wheel. It's about an inch or so in diameter and, has a 1/4" hole in the middle of it for the normal bolt that would go through it if, it was on a screen door. When I say "form a loop", by that I mean I have the correct swage tool for crimping on ferrules and making loops in various sized cables. The next thing I did was drill a precise hole in my brake arm that, I could install a 1/4" pin. I pressed that pin in there with a giant C-clamp and a socket. Kind of a horizontal press.
The pin had a small hole in its tip that was cross drilled. Now, when it came time to hook things up for towing, the wife would reach under the floor mat, un-curl the Ready Brake cable and slide that screen door roller onto the pin, in the brake arm. Then, she'd install a small "lynch" pin (in the cross drilled hole) to keep that roller on the 1/4" pin, DONE!
Now, when not towing, she'd pull that lynch pin, pull off the roller and coil that Ready Brake cable under the floor mat. That took all of about 8-10 seconds. Now, you don't have that Ready Brake cable actuating each and every time you applied the brakes in your toad. And, you don't have that giant, ugly looking clamp mechanism clamped to your brake arm. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better.
I also thought the way Ready Brake want's you to "adjust" the actuation cable between the coach and toad, is also CAVEMAN. So, I again, devised my own system. I purchased a Stainless Steel, Marine turn buckle and, built my own link-cable with VERY EASY ADJUSTABLILITY. If and when, that cable needed adjustment, which was every so often, it was incredibly easy. I pulled the tiny hair pins from each of the turn buckle ends, and that would allow me to spin them to either tighten, or loosen the cable. That adjustment, would take me about, oh, maybe 10-15 seconds or so. Then, replace the tiny hair pins that keep the turn buckle from self adjusting while being towed.
Waaaaaaay back when I created all this, I spoke with the Ready Brake reps at the annual Quartzite RV event, held in January, about my alterations. They were very, very receptive but, they said my methods of application, would drive up the cost and, they said they have to keep the cost down as far as possible. Oh well, it was a vast improvement for me and really wasn't all that much in cost.
Scott
__________________
2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
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11-13-2019, 09:40 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 155
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I don't mind the brake attachment as much as the loop at the front of the rig. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to deal with that. The Ready Brute Elite 2 comes standard with a turnbuckle for fine tuning, so maybe they did listen to some of your ideas.
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2009 Discovery 40X
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11-13-2019, 10:16 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dgreen1069
I don't mind the brake attachment as much as the loop at the front of the rig. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to deal with that. The Ready Brute Elite 2 comes standard with a turnbuckle for fine tuning, so maybe they did listen to some of your ideas.
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Well,
Since the loop on the front is the ONLY way to attach the actuation cable, gonna be pretty tough to either disquise it or, loose it 'till you need it, just in the interest of not seeing it while it's not in use. About the only way is to minimize it by retracting the cable 'till it's up against the bumper or bracket or whatever you have. But, as I stated, that cable is actually traveling back and forth, every single time you apply the brakes in your toad, while you're driving it. I didn't care for that because, I'm the one that has to fix stuff when it wears out prematurely and, I could have prevented that. So, I disconnected it from the brake pedal to alleviate any EXTRA wear and tear.
Scott
__________________
2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
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11-14-2019, 06:05 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by baraff
I have the ReadyBrute and yes, the cable does move when the pedal is pushed and it is visible from the front of the car. Doesn't bother me though. Sometimes people ask me what it is and what it's for. I just tell them we tow the car behind our RV and it's for the braking system.
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Yep. I cared for 5 minutes. It's a toad
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Mark and Deborah
2018 Tiffin Open Road 34PA
Kernersville, NC / Naples snowbirds
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11-14-2019, 06:35 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 5,309
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Paint it to match your bumper or flat black. Perhaps go buy a bottle of Crown Royal based on the color of the bag. Use the bag with draw string to cover it. Show folks you have good taste in whiskey and if the bag falls off or wears out, just go buy another bottle. Sounds like a win-win to me! Added bonus is after drinking the Crown you’ll care a lot less about.
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Tom
2016 Newmar Bay Star Sport 3004
2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport Willys
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11-14-2019, 10:55 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,788
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I have mine set to exit thru the lower grill work below the front plate of a Honda Accord and the cable extends out about 12" away from the grill to meet the bar cable. The extra makes it easy to loop the cable back into the grill to hide the end loop.
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2006 Hurricane 31D built on a 2006 Ford F53
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11-14-2019, 01:54 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 155
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetbriar
I have mine set to exit thru the lower grill work below the front plate of a Honda Accord and the cable extends out about 12" away from the grill to meet the bar cable. The extra makes it easy to loop the cable back into the grill to hide the end loop.
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This was one of my thoughts....leave enough extra cable that I could make a loop and hide it.
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2009 Discovery 40X
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11-14-2019, 02:57 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 155
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRE UP
Well,
Since the loop on the front is the ONLY way to attach the actuation cable, gonna be pretty tough to either disquise it or, loose it 'till you need it, just in the interest of not seeing it while it's not in use. About the only way is to minimize it by retracting the cable 'till it's up against the bumper or bracket or whatever you have. But, as I stated, that cable is actually traveling back and forth, every single time you apply the brakes in your toad, while you're driving it. I didn't care for that because, I'm the one that has to fix stuff when it wears out prematurely and, I could have prevented that. So, I disconnected it from the brake pedal to alleviate any EXTRA wear and tear.
Scott
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I love your solution but don't think I want to drill through my brake pedal.
Here is the standard installation:
Here was your solution (I hope you don't mind me borrowing your images from 2014):
I wonder if I could combine the standard way of mounting the cable with your improved way. My thought would be to weld a 1/4 or larger pin to a plate that would be mounted to the side of the brake pedal. The result would be very similar to what you did without the need to drill the brake pedal. Thoughts?
One more question - Are you using the emergency breakaway system also? Where did you put that cable?
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2009 Discovery 40X
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11-15-2019, 10:03 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dgreen1069
I love your solution but don't think I want to drill through my brake pedal.
Here is the standard installation:
Here was your solution (I hope you don't mind me borrowing your images from 2014):
I wonder if I could combine the standard way of mounting the cable with your improved way. My thought would be to weld a 1/4 or larger pin to a plate that would be mounted to the side of the brake pedal. The result would be very similar to what you did without the need to drill the brake pedal. Thoughts?
One more question - Are you using the emergency breakaway system also? Where did you put that cable?
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First off,
I want to thank you for publishing those pics. I try, TRY to be organized and have and post pics, if and when I need them, to help with an explanation or present my point(s). But, as much as I try and be organized, things just get lost. Anyway, well, waaaaaay back when I first did this and showed the pics, even before '14, there was a few that were absolutely positive that the brake arm was gonna fall off and there would be a mass collision on a freeway someplace due to a 1/4" hole drilled in a brake arm and there would be hundreds of thousands of people killed.
Well, pretty sure that hasn't, never will, and CAN'T happen. Those brake arms are pretty strong stuff. I don't consider myself an Arnold Schwarzenegger in terms of strength. But, I have STOOD on those Jeep brakes a time or two for emergency stops etc. and, well, the brake arm is still intact and doesn't appear to have deviated one thousandth of an inch, from its original form.
But, that's up to each individual to decide if they like, or don't like what I did. To me, it was a very, VERY simple solution to MY issues with the R/B installation/application process. Obviously, many out there in toadville, don't think there's any problems or issues with R/B's install techniques and, do as they are instructed to do. It's their toad, so, have fun.
Anyway you'd like to mount that R/B cable that satisfies you, well, again, it's yours so, make sure you're happy when it's all done. Good luck.
Scott
__________________
2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
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11-20-2019, 07:51 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Morrisville, PA
Posts: 349
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__________________
2015 ACE 29.3
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11-20-2019, 07:55 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 155
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mousemate1
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Any idea on how the cable sheered? Do you still like the system or have you lost confidence? How many miles did you have on it before it failed each time?
I like your connection. How did you attach that connector to the cable (brake pedal side)?
__________________
2009 Discovery 40X
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