manholt Report post Posted January 15, 2018 Ken. That is the point. It would be Insanity to pull a trailer or 5'er without supplemental brakes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted January 15, 2018 I think there are many folks out there that just don't want to part with a few bucks when it comes to brakes, or many safety issues related to toads. Part of getting our new 24' enclosed ready for full time towing was installing a high quality brake controller in the coach, upgrading and adding sensors to my TPMS, and this week I am shopping for higher rated tires because I am just too close on my weight for the D rated 8 ply tires that came with it. So by the time I buy a new spare/rim plus a new heavy jack, I will spend between $1,400 and $1,500 so I can safely pull this new trailer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hayesfamily Report post Posted March 15, 2018 On 1/14/2018 at 7:47 AM, jleamont said: My main reason is breakaway safety. Should something break tow bar one of many hardware hitch hitch riser i don't want my car striking some innocent person, can you imagine if at 65 it crossed the highway and into on coming traffic? This coach I feel it back there upon braking before the M@G system, ever so slightly. The last coach was significant, yes it would push us until the Patriot box would engage, felt like we were rear ended. What Joe Said is "More the Reason" why you want toad braking. I towed a Saab 2017 miles on a round trip journey to Orlando from Maryland We traveled down 95 with some time on 85 and 26 and I have to be 100% honest, I didnt feel the car back there. I really didnt "Feel" it when I was braking and lets face it, It was 1000lbs less weight behind me then the Jeep that we typically tow. Did I need brakes on the dolly to stop the car and the coach --- NO. Would I have been up (*&^ creek if the car got loose as a goose on the highway - sued beyond your mind. I installed the brake Buddy Stealth system because I dont have air brakes and after looking at the other systems, should the toad become separated from the Coach and the umbilical chord disconnecting automatically hits the breaks. It was a simple break away Supplemental system combo that uses Quasi proportional breaking and it wasnt $2000 bucks. The 800 bucks and the 7 hours of installation was worth the peace of mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 15, 2018 Joe S. and Keon. Good for you! Safety first and foremost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hayesfamily Report post Posted March 15, 2018 On 1/14/2018 at 10:11 AM, wayne77590 said: Or, what's life compared to $1,100 or $1,100 compared to life. When you compare that to the 150K or even 15K you just spent on a coach ... its Nothing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gypsyken Report post Posted May 2, 2018 I understand, of course, that a coach towing a car that has a supplementary braking system has more braking power than a coach towing a car that does not have such a system does, but that does not seem to me to answer the question if such systems are not only helpful but so essential that they should be required. How did we get along without such systems for so many years before they became available? Were there more collisions due to inability to stop before they became available? Once a new system becomes available, the reasons that people should buy it will be emphasized--tire pressure monitoring systems are an example of that--and a person who has spent $1,000 for a supplementary braking system is unlikely to say that it really wasn't needed. I've towed a car behind my diesel pusher motorhome all over North America since 1993, never felt a need for a supplementary braking system, and since I register my vehicles in Texas and my Honda CR-V weighs less than 4500 pounds, I'm not required to have one in that state. Both the cost of a system and the inconvenience of having to activate and deactivate it have dissuaded me from having one. I haven't heard that any states inspect toads to see if they have required supplementary braking systems, and I haven't heard of people being cited for not having one, even if they are involved in an accident. (I was involved last year in an accident that I caused--though I really don't know how, unless my foot slipped from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal--in a state that would require me to have a supplementary braking system in my toad, and the police who wrote the accident report didn't even mention the topic.) My questions now are purely practical: (1) How risky is it to travel without a supplementary braking system in a state that requires them? How likely is one to be cited for not having a system in a state that requires them? Does it ever happen? (I'm not asking about what some people might consider to the "moral" aspect of this.) (2) What system is easiest and takes the least amount of time and effort to activate when towing and to deactivate when not towing? I assume that in order to drive the toad, the system must be deactivated or disconnected as soon as the toad is disconnected from the coach, and that requires significant time and effort for all the systems that I've read about. (3) What is the cheapest system? Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted May 2, 2018 The only time you will ever know if you need toad brakes is when you can't stop in time. Are you a gambler? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 2, 2018 I am not trying to be flippant, but if you are in an accident without one, try and explain it to the insurance company. That would be a good lawyer pot of gold. Good luck and I hope you never have to find out. Just my humble opinion. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 2, 2018 Mr. gypsyken, keeping in mind you are under oath. Is there anything you could have done to stop faster? Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 2, 2018 Unless the tow law got changed, it's 3,500# in Texas! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted May 2, 2018 1 hour ago, desertdeals69 said: The only time you will ever know if you need toad brakes is when you can't stop in time. Are you a gambler? Or, if you are involved in an accident and do not meet the laws of the jurisdiction where it occurred. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 2, 2018 Having used every brake system available over the past 40+ years, I now have the M & G system. Connect one air line to coach/toad and the brake away line. That's it....about $1,100+/- ! Makes no logical sense to me, to play "Russian Roulette", for the sake of safety and a couple of grand. You have not lived, until you have seen your own toad pass you, on the Interstate! Carl C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted May 3, 2018 Having brakes on the toad is a good way to CYA, if nothing else. I towed for years without them, and this MH, at 49k GVWR, doesn't really need them pulling a CRV...but I have them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nosticks Report post Posted May 3, 2018 Brakes and brake away device, period. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
