rdalcanto
Salt Lake City
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Joined: 08/17/2008
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I'm doing some research on toads and brakes, and don't fully understand how this system works. If you are going down a steady 4-6% grade, and the engine on your DP is doing all the braking so that you aren't even touching your brake, will the brake buddy be pushing the brakes on the toad and riding them all the way down the hill? Or, will it only activate if you decelerate (for example from 50 to 30 because of traffic), and then let off the brake if you continue at a steady 30 without anymore brake pressure on the MH pedal?
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WTD44
Ca.
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Joined: 09/01/2003
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The toad brakes only activate when the motorhome brake activate, not on compression. However, I read lots of stuff about people frying their toad brakes anyhow. Personally, just my opinnion, if your motorhome has air brakes and your toad isn't all that heavy, you don't need them. NOW THIS WILL START THE WAR ALL OVER AGAIN I BET.
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Buck62
Charleston, South Carolina
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Joined: 04/28/2005
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The toad brakes should apply when you hit the motorhome brakes, but some braking systems are interia (gyroscope) operated where the slowing down of the motorhome will activate the toad brakes. Personally, I think you need a braking system with a break away. I have have a DP with air brakes and pull a Saturn Vue and can tell a difference in braking with and without the toad brake. It is better to be safe than sorry.
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Norm Payne
Livingston, TX
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Joined: 04/25/2002
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No, the Brake Buddy will not apply the toad brakes going down a mountain unless you step hard on the motorhome's brakes. I have used a Brake Buddy over 100,000 miles since 1999 and have never had a problem.
Norm
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CJ5 jeeper
Auburn, Ca
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Joined: 01/07/2008
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We tow a 2003 Explorer, and we have an older brake buddy. I have it adjusted to only come on when you have to use the brakes harder then usual. There are a lot of mountians in our area, and have never had a problem with it on grades.Last May bringing home our brand new motorhome we had the pleasure of watching a pickup sliding sidewise down the freeway directley in front of us. Between the disk brakes on the motorhome, and the brake buddy a very ugly situation was stopped short. Like the add says "I would not leave home without it".
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Phillerup
Fishing, USA <*(((><
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Joined: 10/15/2002
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I have one and believe in using Brake Buddy. It has come in handy a few times. I did not trust the remote light "alert" telling if it energized so I use a hardwire to a small 12 volt light in the dash to tell if it brakes....It does not activate anytime except when I need it as it has adjustments so you can find what you like for what you tow. Like the other guy said - I don't leave home without it....and not getting into different states laws -- but I think some states require it.....I never really researched it much though because I always have it on anyway.
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John & Angela
Full Timers in Canada, USA and Mexico
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Joined: 02/18/2003
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As per Norm your brakes will only come on if you step on your service breaks. We set ours a little tighter and we set them so they come on a little easier. One of our toad weighs 9600 pounds (see link in sig for a picture) and we tend to use the technique of letiing the exhaust brake hold us back to the 2500 RPM point, then reasonably hard on the brake to 1900 and then let it drift up again. It takes a reasonably steep hill to do this and for the most part the exhaust brake does most of the job. I don't believe a brake buddy is the best approach to toad braking but coupled with good technique it works for us...and has for 6 years and over 110000 KM on two motorhomes and two toads.
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John S.
Northern Virginia
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Joined: 03/22/2002
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I do not use one. I have had friends burn up their brakes. In fact at the last rally they pulled in adn we all were looking for the fire or what was burning. Found out it was the brakes as they had come on when he was going down the big grade with his retarder on. The retarder put on the brake lights and is air activated and it activated the brake. I asked him why he used one. We were leaving and there was no one on the road and we used the CB and were driving next to each other and I had him say stop and we stopped at the same rate. It is not scientific but I have 7k net CCC and weigh in at 42,000 pounds. I can put the jeep inside my unit so why put brakes on it..... I have a retarder and air disc brakes and they work very well. I can tell when the retarder is off but not if I have the jeep behind me. Now will I stop faster with a brake maybe but I could not tell the difference adn maybe we did not push as hard or what ever but he got to say brake and I reacted.
John
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Vet Man
Ct. & Florida
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Joined: 09/28/2003
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I over heated the brakes on my MH using a Brake Buddy. I was in heavy stop and go traffic for many miles and the BB does not activate until over 25-30 miles per Hr. I still use it but be careful, it can cause trouble.
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RayChez
Barstow, Ca. USA
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Joined: 09/13/2003
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I have a Brake Buddy and it only activates when you apply the brakes kind of hard. Just driving down a mountain and slowing the coach down with the Jake or Pac brake will not activate the Brake Buddy. It is equipped with a break away system that will set the brakes of the toad was to come lose. I like it, but there are other systems for coaches with air brakes that I would prefer. Brake Buddy is a very good company to deal with, and are not expensive if some mechanical problem occurrs with the Brake Buddy.
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