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Towing

Yahoo Message Number: 49164
Dee,

When being towed, make sure your ignition key is left on so that your air suspension will work, the driveshaft has been pulled, and don't even think of telling Coach Net what you think the problem is. If you have a Silverleaf and it tells you what the problem is, don't tell Coach Net. They will start telling you why your problem is not covered and you will be left on the side of the road. Been there, done that with Coach Net. Their lack of concern was mind boggling. No more Coach Net for me.

R. D. Vanderslice
06 Allure 470 31294
The Good Ship Lollipop

Towing

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54364
My EvenBrake unit is locking up all four wheels on our 07HondaCRV. The techs at Honda and Roadmaster say they never heard of such a thing. None the less, lock up occurs sporadically with no particular pattern other than it seems most likely to happen with first application of brakes after hook up and when it is necessary to "stab" the pedal. Roadmaster tech suggested pumping car brake pedal 6 0r 8 times before hooking up but to no effect I can see. We are towing wth an 07Inspire Cat 400. Opinions suggesting a fix would be much appreciated. Also, does anyone tow without a supplemental system? Talked to some truck mechanics who say the system is not needed at all and that it takes 3-4 hundred thousand miles to wear these brakes out to the point of needing a brake job. Bought the system to use with a 27' Itasca Sunova which made good sense at the time but not sure it is needed behind a coach this big. Thoughts? Logan 07Inspire52000

Re: Towing

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54371
My limited experience with supplemental braking systems is that they almost always can do the job with no power boost from the towed brake system. As a result, pumping the brakes on the towed is to exhaust any brake boost you may have after turning the engine off. You may be locking up because the brake system is set for "no boost" in the towed, and if there is still pressure in the towed system, it will be too much input.
I tow a SUV and coming through LA last week had an example of why I use a Brake Buddy - traffic was bumper to bumper, I was in the middle lane, and my lane had a panic stop. Nothing to do but to stop, could not go left or right. It all turned out well, but I was thankful the SUV was not pushing any harder than it had to.
Think if you have an accident, and someone is hurt. Their attorney states you do not have supplemental braking on the towed, so are negligent. Do you want the "system" to have that leverage, if it is a valid claim or not? I do not.

Jack Nichols
2003 Intrigue

Re: Towing

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54373
Logan: To brake or not to brake?? That is the question.
I must admit that I drove our coach for many thousands of miles with no toad brakes.
I had a Brake Buddy but could never seem to get it to work right so I stopped using it. I tow an '08 Honda CRV and when I returned home from a 12,000 mile trip (over an 18 month period) I had the Honda brakes checked because they seemed to be a bit rough. The rears were destroyed and had to be replaced.
I don't think the auxiliary brakes are noticeable through normal driving but I firmly believe that in an emergency stop situation they could save your life or the life of someone around you.
So last month I installed an Air Force One air brake system which so far seems to work great. That means no hot brakes in normal driving conditions. the Brake Buddy always left us with hot brakes and I couldn`t adjust it low enough to stop it.

`05 Inspire 40`DaVinci 51442

Richard Owen

Re: Towing

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54374
We have a 2007, 42ft, intrigue, 56,000 lbs. We tow a 2006 Camry, 2500 lbs. I was told by two rv dealerships that this coach wouldn't even know that the car was there and using a "brake buddy" etc, would not be worth the trouble. Are they right or wrong? Lee Smith 12099 intrigue

Re: Towing

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54375
Here is what an attorney friend of mine said.. he owns a CC.
The simple answer is .. in a breakaway.. you want the vehicle behind you to stop.
Just a thought.
Russ

05 Intrigue
11883

Re: Towing

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54376
Hi Lee S,

We tow a 5,000 pick up with a 36,000 coach with a ISL 400-2 emgine. The coach handles the same way with the toad as it does without the toad. I have had to stand on the coach brake several times, with stopping within 2 feet of what was in front of me one of those times. That time I was glad I had a US Gear Unified Tow Braking System. That is the difference to me.

Chuck & Mary B
SOB

Red Bluff, Ca.

Shelby Dog, Miss Kitty, Mr Lucky Cat

Re: Towing

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54377
First, check your own State's laws about towed brake requirements, most are 3,999 lbs but some are 1200 lbs. If you are legal in your own state then it is your decision. I tow a 5500 lb toad with the Roadmaster unit, The M&G is not available for my Dodge. I also tow a 32" stacker that weight 26K loaded it has air brakes, the coach actually stops faster with the stacker than it does by itself..

Mikee

Re: Towing

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54378
3,999 should have been 3,000 lbs... Bad Fingers...

Mikee

Re: Towing

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54379

Mikee, That makes scents, you are pulling an anchor>> Marvin #31459


From: "Mbaul@..." To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wed, December 2, 2009 1:01:58 AM Subject: Re: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Towing

First, check your own State's laws about towed brake requirements, most are 3,999 lbs but some are 1200 lbs. If you are legal in your own state then it is your decision. I tow a 5500 lb toad with the Roadmaster unit, The M&G is not available for my Dodge. I also tow a 32" stacker that weight 26K loaded it has air brakes, the coach actually stops faster with the stacker than it does by itself..

Mikee

In a message dated 12/1/2009 10:35:46 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, lsmithrno48@ yahoo.com writes:

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Re: Towing

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54382
We tow 4400 # behind our 42ft 400 ISL coach. It does slow me down going up hill. We use the Brake Buddy all the time. One major flaw with system is the apparent battery drain as it runs from the car electrical system and every time the brake comes on it takes juice to recharge the pressure system.
Several times we have arrived at a destination and found the car battery dead. Have come to conclusion that on the long down hill sections when the coach is using the exhaust brake, the Brake Buddy is also coming on. May need to check sensitivity of system.
Reading note about rear brake wear, I will run the vehicle by Les Schaub and have mine checked also.
My battery in the toad is four years old so that may be a contributing factor.

David 31383

Re: Towing

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54383
David,
I had the same problem on my Inspire. I don't believe the Brake Buddy we use is of real value other than in a breakaway situation. If these monsters we drive can't stop 4,000 pounds under normal conditions, shame on them.
I set the sensitivity at one light and have not had a problem since. However, if I'm going to be driving three or four days in a row, I do let the engine run for a period of time in between.

George

'04 Inspire 51061

Re: Towing

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54386
Regarding Batteries running down One of the pins in the 7 Pin connector for the trailer/toad is available to run a charging circuit to what is being towed. You would run off the coach battery ( probably 12 Ga wire ) to the toad battery. You should put a diode in the circuit so that the voltage only goes out to the toad. That should solve the run down batteries.

Ron Baran 09 Magna 7025

Re: Towing

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54392
I was not aware of the power available in the 7 pin connector, so ran a dedicated power wire from the house batteries, through a fuse, across the tow bar and into my towed for the Brake Buddy to take the stress off of my old towed battery. No issues with that since, though the power from the trailer connector would have been a more elegant solution.
I also keep my Brake Buddy at a one or two light setting, so it activates only in a relatively hard braking situation. I have the wireless gadget that lets me know when the Brake Buddy is activated, so can keep an eye on it that way. Towed is 5400 pounds without all the stuff I normally carry in there. That setup works for me.

Jack Nichols
2003 Intrigue

Re: Towing

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54395
Clarification ! On my 09 Magna CC did not run a 12V power supply to the female pin mounted on the coach, But there is a pin available, so you just run some power to that pin and when you plug in you can use that pin to supply power to the toad battery (remember the diode ) The male plug then can be tied into from the toad side , therefore there is no need for a separate wire. The reason for the post was to help those whose toad batteries are running down

Ron Baran 09 Magna 7025

Re: Towing

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54404
In determining whether to install an auxiliary brake device or not, one should take into account the possibility of the towed vehicle jackknifing into the coach in a panic stop or accident if it has no auxiliary brake.
This event would be more likely to occur if the road were wet or slippery.
The ABS in the towed vehicle should prevent it's wheels from locking up.

We have a Roadmaster Evenbrake in our CR-V and it works very well.

Charlie

Re: Towing

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54405
This last summer my Tow brakes failed do to operator error. I was forced to drive from CO. back to CA without tow brakes. My system is a US Gear with proportional control. The trip back I indeed had an emergency stop. My lack of help almost did me in, and there after I slowed down and kept twice my usual distance. The help from the tow is really only needed in an emergency, but when it is needed it is important to have. Wet weather is another issue that tow brakes are necessary, as well as snow. In the case of the later, you can then just use the tow for fine control on snow laded roads, if you option to do so.
However, there is nothing that takes the place of the jake. In fact on steep mountain roads without the tow brakes I just left it in low and used the throttle as my control. Slower but effective, my maximum downhill speed varied from 30 to 42 mph with use of the throttle only, and no tow brakes.
Anything will work, no brakes on a tow will work, but then again how much value do you put on your life, and the grandkids that may be riding with you. To me there is no option, get the best tow brake you can get for your setup.

Jim Spivey Allure 2006 31432

Re: Towing

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54415
Hi David,

Three suggestions you might want to consider. Run a 14 GA fused charge lead from the positive post of the MH chassis battery to the toad battery to keep the toad battery charged while in transit. There is usually a spare lead in the light harness cable used between the MH and toad. Run a 12 VDC wire from the brake light switch lead on the toad to a portable 12 VDC light that you can place on the dash of the toad so you can see when the toad brakes are applied through your back up camera. If your toad braking system applies the toad brake, the light will light. You will also see when the toad braking system applies the toad brake when not activated. I wired a diode matrix block on our toad braking system to keep the toad from braking while using the engine/PAC brake.

Chuck & Mary B

Red Bluff, Ca.

Shelby Dog, Miss Kitty, Mr Lucky Cat

Re: Towing

Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54417
I would use a fuse at each end instead of a diode in case the wire got grounded. Better protection. IMO

Chuck & Mary B

Red Bluff, Ca.

Shelby Dog, Miss Kitty, Mr Lucky Cat

Re: Towing

Reply #20 –
Yahoo Message Number: 54423
Mikee, tell me you are not exceeding your CC GCWR with that stacker, LOL!

Rich 2002 Magna