TO BRAKE OR NOT TO BRAKE?

[Woody]

We are considering a Tahoe class tow car. Over the years we have towed vehicles up to 4500# and have never had brake buddy type stuff.

Now we are talking about a good bit more weight and want your obviously unbiased opinions (not about past stupidity) .

Recommendations?

[jack14r]

I think that it is an issue of how concerned are you about being sued if an accident happens,the bus will stop fine but in a court of law you are not legal without brakes on the toad.I have the M&G brake system on my truck and Saturn because of the chance of being sued if something goes wrong.

[Sid Tuls]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Tahoe. I just purchased a new one because it's so easy to tow. I'am going to put the M&G brake system on this one for all the reasons that the above post stated. I towed my last Tahoe for about 150,000 miles with no problems/with a roadmaster tow bar. I was able to put the one that was on my 07 to my 2011 with no problem. I made a call to Roadmaster and they were great to get information from!! I would recomend them in a heartbeat.

[Pete]

Tad, You can't beat the M&G. I mounts between your master cylinder and the vacuum chamber, and is simple to install. You must tie into the air brake line on the coach and once installed it is a simple quick disconnect air line to your tow car. M&G has reconditioned units guaranteed for 1 year, and will give you a credit toward another unit should you trade tow cars. What other company does that. I have it on 2 tow cars, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. I am considering a new 2011 Grand Cherokee, but have held off because I don't think M&G has a unit to fit the 2011. (that's how much I like the M&G)

[Mark3101]

I have a 2010 Tahoe that I bought for the express reason that it is easy to tow. My previous vehicle, 2009 Land Cruiser could not be towed. I have towed the Tahoe several times without brakes and I could feel it back there when I had to stop quickly. It was not too noticeable when just doing a normal planned stop. I did not worry about it too much, but figured it would make sense to have a brake setup from a legal and safety standpoint.

I just had the SMI Air Force One installed by SMI and it works as advertised. Very easy to hook up before each trip, and it has a built in brake-away which is an option for some other brands. I think that you would like a Tahoe. It is a very nice vehicle, and tows like a dream. Just make sure you get the two speed transfer case that has the neutral position in it.

I selected the SMI after I had talked to some owners who have them and got feedback on them. I know that others here have had equally good luck with the M&G and I think some have a Roadmaster as well.

[dmatz]

http://www.readybrake.com/state_laws.html

Above is a link to the laws state by state. They all do not require it. I do agree if you are in an accident and in court you would be wishing you did have the correct set up for that state. Many states also require break away.

[Gary Carmichael]

Tad, I tow a 2007 Tahoe with Air force one system, just hook up and go! no apparatus to put behind the brake its all stationary under the hood, love it! Gary

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If you had proposed to tow a Honda Element or a similar light weight car I would suggest you only consider the use of a braking system for protection against law suits. But a Tahoe sized toad is going to be around 5500 pounds and the reality is it will affect your stopping distances. The older coaches with drum brakes all around aren't that good at stopping as it is, and adding an additional 12% weight that those brakes have to stop means the difference between a 250 foot stopping distance and a 260 foot stopping distance (or more). With today's drivers willing to pass and then pull in too close for comfort you need all the help you can get. With a braking system at least you will not have the attorney for the guy you hit using the lack of one against you.

[Will Garner]

Woody,

I had the SMI AF1 installed at Sevierville TN April 2007. We tow a full size Ram 2500 4x4. It weighs in at 5800 pounds. I have not encountered any problems with my install. It is easily hooked up and later unhooked too. There is no taking the naster cylinder apart in your towed vehicle to put the M&G system between it and the vacuum tank. I found that M&G did not make a unit for my towed vehicle so I was forced to look elsewhere. SMI is located in Evansville, Indiana. I spent three years living in Evansville 1979-1981. The Saturday before last I had a tow hitch failure. The towed did not breakaway but if it had the AF1 would have brought the truck to a controlled stop since it come standard with a breakaway feature. The unit is very compact so finding a space for it under the towed vehicle's hood is no problem.

That's my 2 cents worth. Oh, regarding lawyers, the best defense is always a good offense. Carole and I try to keep a camera within arms reach at all times while on the road. It sure saved our bacon when that NE Princess sideswiped or entry door rub rail. The claims adjuster looked at our photos and the case was closed in our favor.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Tadd, I too have the SMI Air Force One on my Hummer H3.

Actually if I remember correctly, the Air Force 1 is the ONLY auxillary braking system that will work on the Hummer. I have been very happy with the set up for 2 years now. And the piece of mind of the break away is great too. Another good tow bar system is the " Blue Ox Aventa ". Something to check out !

Gary S.

[Loc]

We have a 2004 Tahoe with an M&G brake. We have towed it for 5 years with no issues at all with the M&G. I highly recommend them.

[Larry W]

Two summers ago our jeep came loose from the coach. The break away worked so no damage was done to anything but the tow bar. Most of that damage was done because the tow bar was dragging on the payment util we got stopped.

[Yankee802]

We have a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee without a braking system. I've been told by so many people that being it's farily lightweight (3660lbs) I don't realy need an aux braking system. I would prefer to not only be legal but protect myself from liability. I would prefer something unobtrusive and incognito, nothing I have to attach to the brake pedal, something simple where I just have another cable to attach from the coach to toad. Any suggestions? Any of the vendors at the rally going to have these?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I have the Brakemaster, which is air operated off the bus braking system. It does attach to a mounting plate on the floor and the brake pedal, but once you have that stuff installed in the Jeep, putting in and taking out the brake actuating device (basically and air cylinder) only takes about a minute.

It was my choice because I can use it in multiple vehicles although the MG and Air Force One are better systems, but unfortunately are permanently installed in the toad.

[Kenneth Brewer]

I would appreciate a short meeting being arranged with those who wouldn't mind showing one representative of each system, (I have never towed a car), but only if there are more interested than just me. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes per?

[gershwin]

http://www.readybrake.com/state_laws.html

Above is a link to the laws state by state. They all do not require it. I do agree if you are in an accident and in court you would be wishing you did have the correct set up for that state. Many states also require break away.

Confused if your state has a max of 40 and you have a 45 can you not register?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Apparently that is not an issue. Originally the laws were interpreted as meaning only buses could be 45 feet in 1993 or 1994. But soon Newell and than all high end motorhomes were producing 45 footers so the states don't enforce their own laws.

[Kenneth Brewer]

Confused if your state has a max of 40 and you have a 45 can you not register?


There are/were six remaining states that have a registration limit of 40'. Two these (I am not sure about the rest) are NJ and Md. I am not going to say it has not been done, but in my case, for NJ, I made an official inquiry through the DMV for a ruling/statement. The official answer, on a state department letterhead was: up to but not over 40 feet. No. At the time I was contemplating a 47'3" Newell (yes, they made a very few over 45'). That is why I made the inquiry. NJ and NY were 2 (CA was the third) of the 8 states that were restricting to 40 feet. NY changed when the then Gov. Pataki administration was reportedly asked to review/relent - related to an upcoming FMCA event. NY changed, CA changed, NJ did not. But often DMV officials at state inspection sites do not know about certain issues. That does not absolve the owner (like the IRS). State inspection of large diesel RVs was subsequently changed to private contractors licensed by the state, because the state facilities could not handle the weight and sizes.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

BUSES can be 45 feet. That is federal law, but states may restrict where they can go. Where the problem begins I think is when an owner of a 45 foot motorhome conversion draws attention to himself: speeding, tailgating, hogging the fast lane, etc.

You can bet your first born child that Prevost service in NJ doesn't restrict its work to 40 footers because 45's aren't allowed.

[Kenneth Brewer]

BUSES can be 45 feet. That is federal law, but states may restrict where they can go. Where the problem begins I think is when an owner of a 45 foot motorhome conversion draws attention to himself: speeding, tailgating, hogging the fast lane, etc.

You can bet your first born child that Prevost service in NJ doesn't restrict its work to 40 footers because 45's aren't allowed.

In conjunction with what Jon said; I refer to getting a non-commercial private vehicle (RV) over 40' registered, otherwise no real problems I have heard of. (Side note: as far I know, NJ turnpike will not accept tow dollies). MD was unhappy with the feds and ticket/ticketed combined lengths over 55' and, as well, 102" widths on non-federally regulated roads (often bridges). Interstates and ICC routes were tolerated because they had no real choice other than harassment, since they were fed regulated.

If you were caught, by being obvious in ways that Jon mentions, you had hassles. People were escorted to interstates or other fed roads, with or without ticketing, and followed. There was a parallel effort years ago by some state or municipal authorites to block double or triple semis leaving interstates until ICC routes caught up with the road listings, especially when new truck terminals/stops were built.

[Seabyrd]

Has anyone used or know anything about the SMI DUO STAY IN PLAY ??
I have seen some good reports in the past but has anyone used it ?? or know anything about it ?
Still looking ... our problem is we change vehicles to tow & always have more than one... & don't want one of those on the floor in the towed things !!

[Kuhlsport]

I just completed the install on my Air Force One system. Installing the TOAD components on my RAM was very straightforward, but did take up more time than I originally assumed. For a neat and secure install, you need to take your time and plan out your runs for wiring and tubing. The toughest part was getting the bus in the air and choosing the correct air lines to tap into. A friend, who is a heavy truck mechanic, helped me a ton. We put the drive wheels on his ramps, aired up the suspension and secured the chassis with jack stands. Without him, I would just not have had the confidence to cut into the air lines. We were able to find a nice compact location in the passenger side compartment above the drive and tag wheels to mount everything.