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Old 04-17-2021, 10:15 PM   #1
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Toad Brake for a Hydroboost

Hi folks, four months into Class A ownership, it's time to get our tow rig dialed in. So far, trips without a dinghy have been fine, but bikes and scooters will only work in particular camp situations. Plus, we need to have an escape vehicle if any roadside stranding occurs.

Our 05 Newmar Dutch Star M4023 came with a tow bar and brake system (Roadmaster Falcon 2 + Invisibrake) that were set-up on a Jeep Wrangler. I thought I was "good to go" once I ordered the vehicle-specific base plates for our 2005 Lexus GX 470 (glorified Toyota 4Runner), but a phone conversation with Roadmaster Tech Support revealed that the Invisibrake is no-bueno for our hydroboost braking system on the GX. They didn't explain why, but my understanding is that without the power steering system pressurized, our rig essentially has manual brakes, requiring a bunch of pedal force to affect braking; probably outside of the force that can be exerted by the Invisibrake servo. I have barked the vehicle with the engine off and it's a firm press, but it works, so I'm wondering if there is a system with enough leverage to do the job, or if I need to find a way to pressurize the system while towing - idling the engine doesn't seem practical, and if I don't get accosted by tree-huggers just for driving the coach, running the toad engine ought to do the trick!

A thread search has left me scratching my head about tow braking systems for hydroboost vehicles. Since the GX (and probably the 4Runner too) were made with both hydro and vacuum boost depending on model year, I have had difficulty finding the exact info I need. So, apologies for asking a question that has surely been addressed on this forum, somewhere. I just need a steer toward that spot in the archives! What systems will work with a hydroboost vehicle?
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Old 04-18-2021, 04:12 AM   #2
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https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdf/25-4805.pdf


Q: If I have standard hydroboost InvisiBrake won’t work. What do I do?

A:Essentially you have a “dead” brake pedal. BrakeMaster, the 9700 and Even Brake are designed to work in vehicles with a dead brake pedal. We recommend you install one of these.
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Old 04-18-2021, 10:01 AM   #3
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Old 04-18-2021, 08:04 PM   #4
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The Brake Buddy also works with a, "Dead Pedal."
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Old 04-19-2021, 03:07 PM   #5
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Thanks to everybody that gave me ideas.

I'm going with RVi Brake since it has tremendous installation ease, significant force for the dead pedal and I found one on the irv2 classifieds for a great deal. I'll probably use their Tire Patrol TPMS also; I like the shared controller.
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