Community Forums

Clods · 11-19-2015, 02:17 PM

We are looking at a 2007 Saturn Vue as a Toad. The motor home we purchased has a Ready Brake tow bar. It appears the Vue we are considering was previously wired for towing but not for the Ready Brake. Is the Ready Brake surge brake cable hard to install on a Vue ? Any insight would be appreciated.

Gary & Jann Merrill
2001 Monaco Dynasty 40

mel s · 11-19-2015, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clods

We are looking at a 2007 Saturn Vue as a Toad. The motor home we purchased has a Ready Brake tow bar. It appears the Vue we are considering was previously wired for towing but not for the Ready Brake. Is the Ready Brake surge brake cable hard to install on a Vue ? Any insight would be appreciated.

Gary & Jann Merrill
2001 Monaco Dynasty 40

Clods
Are you aware that to be safe and legal you need a "Ready Stop" in addition to the "Ready Brake" surge brake tow bar that came with your motor home?
http://www.amazon.com/NSA-RV-Product.../dp/B00IK56R4A
Mel
'96 Safari

Easyrider · 11-19-2015, 05:10 PM

The ReadyBrake cable should be relatively easy to install on your Vue. The ReadyStop cable will be even easier since the routing of the cable doesn't need to be as "bend free" as the ReadyBrake because it's basically a use one time (emergency) cable connected to your brake. The cable kits are both inexpensive and you already own the most expensive part which is the tow bar.

Clods · 11-20-2015, 07:24 AM

We know we need the Ready Brake kit that attaches to the brake along with our Ready Brute Elite but did not know we needed the Ready Stop also. Is that a law or a safety feature? Good to know it would be an easy install on the Vue, we haven't decided for sure on that car yet.

mel s · 11-20-2015, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clods

We know we need the Ready Brake kit that attaches to the brake along with our Ready Brute Elite but did not know we needed the Ready Stop also. Is that a law or a safety feature? Good to know it would be an easy install on the Vue, we haven't decided for sure on that car yet.

Clods
The Ready Stop is a "break-away braking system".

Some say a "break-away braking system" AND an "auxiliary braking system"... (or a "combination auxiliary & break away system").. is required by some laws somewhere??

However I know that some RVers don't bother with either... and chose to tow with no aux brakes.

Mel
'96 Safari

Clods · 11-20-2015, 10:09 AM

So as long as I have the Ready brake cable to the brake pedal in the vehicle I should be good?
Thanks for the input...

MSHappyCampers · 11-20-2015, 02:32 PM

Gary, I don't know anything about the Vue, but I don't think you will have trouble installing the ReadyBrake on most any vehicle. I sure like mine, so simple yet effective!

ronjhall · 11-20-2015, 03:48 PM

It was easy installing Ready Brake on my 2012 Captiva ( same as 2008-10) Vue. There are some good threads on iRV2 about installing the system. One of the best suggestion is to put a turnbuckle in the cable. This allows for easy adjustment of cable length.

Gene_ · 11-20-2015, 09:23 PM

Laws for braking systems vary by state. Sometimes you can avoid installing one if you know you won't be in those areas but there is still the safety concern.

Here's a great map on the laws stat by state (not sure how often it's kept up to date)
Towing Laws | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle

This post has some braking info and other good info about hooking up a tow vehicle.
Getting Your Toad Ready for the Road

Hope that helps.

britcon · 11-22-2015, 11:23 PM

Clods.....the install on the Ready Stop cable ( breakaway system ) is basically a copy of the Ready Brake cable. It is just a second cable mounted on the vehicle brake arm that runs to the front of the car. The cable threads thru a one way bracket mounted on the baseplate and ends in a loop. From there there is a second cable that attaches to the back of the motorhome. In the unlikely event that the car " breaks away " from the motorhome while being towed, the cable is pulled, locking down the car brakes to stop it from running away. Its a simple, inexpensive item that meets the letter of the law.

As an aside, do you know what Baseplate is installed on the Saturn ? The clevises on the end of the Readybrake arms are different for Roadmaster / Demco / Blue Ox baseplates.

mel s · 11-23-2015, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by britcon

Clods.....
do you know what Baseplate is installed on the Saturn ? The clevises on the end of the Readybrake arms are different for Roadmaster / Demco / Blue Ox baseplates.

britcon
You are correct.

However adapters are available from ReadyBrake, (and from other tow bar/baseplate manufacturers) which will make most any the tow bar compatible/usable with most any brand of baseplate.

Mel
'96 Safari

NITEHAWK · 11-23-2015, 10:16 AM

I installed the Readybrake myself on our 2006 Saturn Vue. Easy and simple to do.
You will need jack stands, a floor jack, heavy duty cable ties (NOT Harbor Freight!! they break), a 5/16" drill bit & drill for the hole right behind the brake pedal.
Route the cable from dead center below the license plate and then over on the driver's side of the frame. Keep all bends as large and gentle as possible.

DO NOT shorten the Readybrake cable until you have tested the length several times. Going down a driveway can cause the brakes to be applied when you don't want them to be.
I made a wiring harness from a three wire dropcord plus one wire for a ground. I drilled a hole for a 1157 bulb on the bottom of each taillight housing and then hot glued the sockets in place. Now, when I brake the coach the Vue brakelights & third brakelight come on in addition to my 1157 added lights. Sure lights up the back end of the VUE!!!
Just reread the threads above. I like the idea of the turnbuckle for adjustments.

Sweetbriar · 11-23-2015, 10:19 AM

The installation isn't difficult and no reason you can't do it in the driveway on a Saturday afternoon. You might have to remove the front bumper facial to run the cable. Just depends on how much room there is to work. Probably the most critical part of the install is drilling thru the fire wall behind the brake pedal. Drilling the hole is hard, not drilling into a wire loom, power steering line, brake lines and such is the hard part. Check and recheck where you want the cable to feed thru. I've done two installs, a 98 Honda Accord and a 05 Honda CRV. Both were simple and the hole placement was much of a problem.

Seen posted images where owners hid everything behind the front license plate that was hinged like a 70's car with the rear plate fuel tank fill point.

Clods · 11-24-2015, 06:49 AM

Thanks for some very interesting information. I hadn't replied because we have been out toad shopping. In the end we decided on a Jeep Liberty 4 wheel drive. We found one that is already set up for towing, but will of course inspect it to make sure it is installed correctly. The information on various forums here has helped a lot in our search.

Gary & Jann