Community Forums

Farkey · 08-11-2019, 10:00 AM

I have clicked or read at least 25 threads and can't find the answers to my questions, so here I go.

I have a Blue Ox system and tow a 2005 Ford Focus standard transmission behind my 2002, 40' Monaco Diplomat Motor Home and I would like to know how/when it is capable to tell when the towed brakes are applied and how much they are applied.

Too many times on my last & first trip it seemed there was no braking from the toad.
On a sandy road I had to apply the brakes hard to a stop leaving a strip of dirt behind the MH's tires but nothing seemed to be behind thew toad.

So how do they work...I have an air hose from the MH to the toad that I changed to a new one in PEI, at a pneumatic shop.
Now should there be pressure or suction from the hose when MH brakes are applied and can it be adjusted to be either stronger, which I need, or weaker?

Also, there is a red light beside the parking brake that says, if the brake lights on the toad are on, this light will be on.....or something to that effect. But the red light has not come on ever.

So any & all comments, advice or direction is appreciated because I am a newbie.

Ljwt330 · 08-11-2019, 10:12 AM

From your OP, it sounds like you have a pneumatic braking system in your toad, but you fail to name the brand, something like Air Force One by SMI.

Please let us know the brand of brake system so direct help can be given. Some systems are adjustable, others not. Some are direct, proportional, progressive, others not. We need more information.

One key fact, the warning light on your dash has never illuminated. If properly connected, something is amiss as your toad brakes are, apparently, not engaging.

Farkey · 08-11-2019, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

From your OP, it sounds like you have a pneumatic braking system in your toad, but you fail to name the brand, something like Air Force One by SMI.

Name the brand of what? I only know it's a Ford Focus with power brakes and standard transmission, where can I find a brand name?

Please let us know the brand of brake system so direct help can be given. Some systems are adjustable, others not. Some are direct, proportional, progressive, others not. We need more information.

One key fact, the warning light on your dash has never illuminated. If properly connected, something is amiss as your toad brakes are, apparently, not engaging.

As to the warning light, would it be the black wire connection between MH & toad? If so then it has been taped up about 4 times because of dragging on the road.

I will either fix it or buy a new one.

Sbrownstein · 08-11-2019, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farkey

As to the warning light, would it be the black wire connection between MH & toad? If so then it has been taped up about 4 times because of dragging on the road.

I will either fix it or buy a new one.

Easy test when you have it hooked up again. Have someone step on the brake pedal in the TOAD and see if the dash light on the coach comes on. If not...you still don't have it connected right.

Once that works it is a relatively easy problem to see if, when and for how long the TOAD brakes are being applied.

Ljwt330 · 08-11-2019, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farkey

...From your OP, it sounds like you have a pneumatic braking system in your toad, but you fail to name the brand, something like Air Force One by SMI.

Name the brand of what? I only know it's a Ford Focus with power brakes and standard transmission, where can I find a brand name?

As to the warning light, would it be the black wire connection between MH & toad? If so then it has been taped up about 4 times because of dragging on the road.

I will either fix it or buy a new one.

Your Ford Focus did not come ready to accept an air line from a MH to apply its brakes when under tow. There has to be some aftermarket product to connect all of this together. You will likely need to do some investigating under the hood of the Ford or through the paperwork for the car.

As others have posted, the wire to the dash of the MH needs to be tested to see if a signal is being sent.

Victory Blue · 08-12-2019, 07:08 AM

As Ljwt330 already said, the brand of the auxiliary braking system installed on your coach and car are critical to know before anyone can give advice.

Do you only have a pneumatic hose connection, no electrical? Please clarify.

In the meantime, you may not need a light to check brake operation. If you have an Air Force One or similar built-in system you can stand next to the open car door with the coach engine running and have someone step on the coach brakes. If the system is working you'll see the car's brake pedal move downward in proportion to how hard the coach brake pedal is pushed. If the car's brake pedal doesn't move the aux brake system isn't working.

Sbrownstein · 08-12-2019, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victory Blue

As Ljwt330 already said, the brand of the auxiliary braking system installed on your coach and car are critical to know before anyone can give advice.

Do you only have a pneumatic hose connection, no electrical? Please clarify.

In the meantime, you may not need a light to check brake operation...

Agree totally, but the light is an absolute necessity when actually towing to continually verify brake system performance and functionality.

Crasher · 08-12-2019, 07:42 AM

As others have stated, you have not supplied enough information regarding your braking system. That air hose going to the car must be connected to some device under the hood like my "M&G System" or to a cylinder under the drivers seat. When you apply the coach brakes, it pressurizes the airline to activate the toad brake system. That assumes all components are installed correctly and not just an air hose going to the toad. More info is needed to respond.

Farkey · 08-12-2019, 10:23 AM

After some investigation by my neighbour and my self, it was discovered that there is a device that puts pressure on the toad brake pedal in conjunction with the MH pedal.

Now that I have discovered this, I will dig deeper into the amount of pressure exerted to the toad brake and how to adjust it. Because when locking the brakes up on the MH on a gravel road, the toad does not "lock up".
There is a Reese controller under the dash that lights up when the MH brakes are applied and it has an adjustment that I will see how it works. But for now we are taking our young grand daughter on a wee camping trip this week. About 25 miles down the road.

I have uploaded a picture of a similar device that I have on the MH.

Sbrownstein · 08-12-2019, 10:37 AM

That is a standard brake controller designed to power electric trailer brakes. You will find that it applies a variable DC voltage to the blue wire on the 7 Pin connector. It will light up when the RV brake pedal is depressed regardless of whether there is anything connected to it. Maybe someone else will chime in here but I have never seen this type of system used to apply TOAD brakes but have often thought that it would be a potential method if a suitable receiving and pedal actuator were manufactured.

Ljwt330 · 08-12-2019, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farkey

After some investigation by my neighbour and my self, it was discovered that there is a device that puts pressure on the toad brake pedal in conjunction with the MH pedal.

Now that I have discovered this, I will dig deeper into the amount of pressure exerted to the toad brake and how to adjust it. Because when locking the brakes up on the MH on a gravel road, the toad does not "lock up".
There is a Reese controller under the dash that lights up when the MH brakes are applied and it has an adjustment that I will see how it works. But for now we are taking our young grand daughter on a wee camping trip this week. About 25 miles down the road.

I have uploaded a picture of a similar device that I have on the MH.

What your picture shows is the brake controller for an electrical braking system, though it can be wired to indicate braking action from any towed car. It does not appear to control the braking action of the toad as you have a pneumatic system which is controlled by the air brakes of your MH, as far as I can determine.

We need to know, or see a picture, of the device that connects to the brake pedal as that should give a clue as to the brand/manufacturer of the braking system. Typically, the air from your MH brake is applied directly to the device in the toad, activating the brake pedal at the same time and by the same degree as the pedal in your MH. There should also be a set up in the toad that allows the pedal to be fully depressed if the air line between the MH and toad breaks or the toad breaks away from the hitch.

Enjoy your short trip, be safe, and report back when you are able.

evilwrench · 08-12-2019, 01:12 PM

Look under the hood on your toad and see if the added parts on your brakes look like the stuff offered by this company. https://m-gengineering.com/products/mg-2-0-system/

Sbrownstein · 08-12-2019, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilwrench

Look under the hood on your toad and see if the added parts on your brakes look like the stuff offered by this company. https://m-gengineering.com/products/mg-2-0-system/

Looks like the power components of the Invisibrake as well. Start at the barke pedal and see if there is a cable attached...

rmueller · 08-18-2019, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farkey

I have clicked or read at least 25 threads and can't find the answers to my questions, so here I go.

I have a Blue Ox system and tow a 2005 Ford Focus standard transmission behind my 2002, 40' Monaco Diplomat Motor Home and I would like to know how/when it is capable to tell when the towed brakes are applied and how much they are applied.

Too many times on my last & first trip it seemed there was no braking from the toad.
On a sandy road I had to apply the brakes hard to a stop leaving a strip of dirt behind the MH's tires but nothing seemed to be behind thew toad.

So how do they work...I have an air hose from the MH to the toad that I changed to a new one in PEI, at a pneumatic shop.
Now should there be pressure or suction from the hose when MH brakes are applied and can it be adjusted to be either stronger, which I need, or weaker?

Also, there is a red light beside the parking brake that says, if the brake lights on the toad are on, this light will be on.....or something to that effect. But the red light has not come on ever.

So any & all comments, advice or direction is appreciated because I am a newbie.

I had this same concern...here's how I completely solved it.

I have very bright led indicator that flashes when the brake unit is receiving a signal to apply the brakes (this varies by manufacturer - call them if its not in the manual). This indicates the MH wiring is doing it's thing properly. I have the SMI unit, it specifically has a signal available (it's not just the brake light coming on, its a combination of the brake light plus the inertia switch).

Second, I have an independent plunger switch (Etrailer has mounting brackets for various vehicles and the switches - call them they might have something for your vehicle). This switch touches the brake pedal arm, when it moves the switch closes. I run the charge line 12v from the MH through this switch to turn on a second very bright led panel that attaches to the visor in the vehicle. The switch is only hot when the umbilical is attached between the toad and MH...not needed otherwise.

If you can't install a secondary plunger switch, be careful if you think you can use the vehicles OEM plunger switch...many vehicles actually cut the power to this switch after a few minutes of the engine being turned off. Do lots of testing if you go this way.

If the light on the visor in the toad is on, and I don't have the MH brakes applied...something just went wrong and the brakes are jammed on.

The third indicator is my TST-507, if the temp goes up on one toad axle and not the other; that's another indication of a possible braking issue.

I played with several bright LED strips...not all of them show up in bright sun in the backup cam. I ended up with an orange/yellow 6 LED strip I got from Amazon for the first indicator and a 12V Amber White Eergency Visor Strobe Light I also got from Amazon for the second indicator...this one is really bright and it does flash so it will get your attention.

As they say, safety third...

Ron