Community Forums

BernieCheryl · 06-03-2018, 01:06 AM

Dear Folks:

I love traveling in our Class A Motorhome. After working out all the bugs in the RV, we only have one annoying problem. It involves the dinghy braking system.

We have an Rvibrake2 system. Like many of yours, it has a pneumatic pad that attaches to the brake pedal of the toad. It communicates via RF with a controller mounted in the RV that senses when the RV is braking which sends a signal to the unit in the dinghy that causes it to press the dinghy's brakes. I suspect most of your systems operate in the same way.

Here is my annoying problem. We periodically lose power (just for a second or less) from the RV to the braking system. The 12v is supplied via a cable from the RV to the dinghy, which terminates in a cigarette lighter plug into which the Rvibrake2 is plugged.

The problem is that when the momentary power outage occurs, the Rvibrake 2 needs to be reset (Press the magic button on the unit three times). This means that we have to pull over and go back to the dinghy and go through the reset procedure. It's a pain in the

.

It's occurred to me that, if we had a system that didn't need to be reset on powerup, the momentary loss of power wouldn't be a big issue. Does anyone have a braking unit that doesn't need to be reset each time?

I realize the momentary power outage is the product of a loose connection somewhere (likely the cigarette lighter connector, or the connecting cable between the RV and the dinghy, which also powers the dinghy's brake lights and turn signals). However, I've had several RV techs search for the loose connection with no success. They always say it's fixed and then it turns out they haven't fixed it.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

sdennislee · 06-03-2018, 01:26 AM

https://www.demco-products.com/rv-to...mental-brakes/

I use the Air Force One, no need to reset anything after loss of power. They have other systems as well.

Santa_Claus · 06-03-2018, 05:18 AM

Connect a charge cable from the RV to the toad, then power the brake from the car battery. That way, the brake will never lose power and the coach will keep the car battery from draining.

Winemaker2 · 06-03-2018, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santa_Claus

Connect a charge cable from the RV to the toad, then power the brake from the car battery. That way, the brake will never lose power and the coach will keep the car battery from draining.

That's the way I use our RVi3 system and never a problem once it's set up.
[emoji106]

txcpl · 06-03-2018, 06:06 AM

You might try what Santa Claus said, which is better than spending $$$. Should that fail to solve the problem, you probably need to look at a new brake system. My suggestion is the M&G braking system, which works using the coach air brake system. Everyone has their favorite system, just be sure to do your research.

Good luck in your quest.

Gidyupgo · 06-03-2018, 10:55 AM

Sounds like a loose connection. We use RVI3. No problem whatsoever with a (fused) dedicated 12v plug straight from battery

BernieCheryl · 06-03-2018, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santa_Claus

Connect a charge cable from the RV to the toad, then power the brake from the car battery. That way, the brake will never lose power and the coach will keep the car battery from draining.

Would this eliminate the need to pull fuses from the toad before towing? It sounds like it would.

BernieCheryl · 06-03-2018, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BernieCheryl

Would this eliminate the need to pull fuses from the toad before towing? It sounds like it would.

Also, why don't they wire the brake system up like this in the first place? I realize you may not know.

dennis45 · 06-03-2018, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BernieCheryl

Would this eliminate the need to pull fuses from the toad before towing? It sounds like it would.

That mostly depends on the make/model of your toad.
I tow a Honda CR-V and do not remove any fuses although Honda says it's necessary. Their reason was to reduce battery drain because the OEM battery was undersized to start with.
After upgrading the OEM group 51 battery to a larger group 24F I no longer have dead battery issues or the need to pull fuses.

BernieCheryl · 06-03-2018, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

That mostly depends on the make/model of your toad.
I tow a Honda CR-V and do not remove any fuses although Honda says it's necessary. Their reason was to reduce battery drain because the OEM battery was undersized to start with.
After upgrading the OEM group 51 battery to a larger group 24F I no longer have dead battery issues or the need to pull fuses.

I'm pretty sure the reason to remove the fuses is to prevent battery discharge, though I'm not certain. By the way, the car is a 2016 Chevy Malibu.

**Lt Dan** · 06-03-2018, 01:26 PM

If your Chevy has a 12v power plug that is hot with the ignition key off, you don't really need a charging wire. I had an RVI2 in our Jeep for three years and it never ran the battery down, even towing for three days in a row without starting the Jeep. The compressor only runs for a short time when needed and that's after several braking stops. You could easily run a 12v lighter type socket directly from the battery that you could plug into.

sdennislee · 06-03-2018, 02:16 PM

Looks like you got a good answer from Santa Claus, but......

Should you decide to buy new the other advantage to SMI Air Force One is nothing to do beyond connecting the toad to the coach. No box to mount/put in and take out each time. AFO is mounted in the engine compartment of the toad, totally out of sight out of mind. Simply Connect the air hose and power cable at the front bumper and away you go.

Gidyupgo · 06-03-2018, 03:12 PM

.... well, was gonna post a picture, but...

BernieCheryl · 06-03-2018, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdennislee

https://www.demco-products.com/rv-to...mental-brakes/

I use the Air Force One, no need to reset anything after loss of power. They have other systems as well.

I see that the Air Force One uses the "air" from the motorhome's braking system. I have a gas motorhome (the typical Ford V10 package) which I believe uses hydraulic brakes, so I assume the Air Force One won't work. Am I correct?

And by the way, everyone, thanks for your responses. I suspect I'll see if I can get a line installed to keep the toad's battery charged, and then hook the Rvibrake 2 to the car's battery.