mockturtle
WA
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Joined: 05/31/2005
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I'm going to change my dinghy towing system soon and I'm considering US Gear's Unified Brake System. What is your experience with this tow brake? My main concern is ease and speed of hooking up and unhooking, especially since I have to do it by myself. My current system works well but is very cumbersome.
2000 Born Free 24RB Class C
6.8L Ford V-10 Engine, E450 Chassis
2002 Honda CR-V toad
Roadmaster Sterling A/T towbar
VIP braking system
Eddyline Merlin kayak
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rangerbuddy
USA
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Joined: 01/09/2012
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Based on advice from Ron Dittmer, I purchased the Unified system and had installed in my 2006 Liberty...am very happy with the decision.
It takes about 30 seconds to hook up the umbilical, and E-brake cables and you are ready to go (after tow bar and lights are hooked up). I looked up pricing throughout US and found a rvpartsoutlet.com in Tualatin OR the cheapest ($850).
Good Luck
Rangerbuddy
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rk911
Wheaton IL
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Joined: 05/30/2004
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we've been using the UTB on our jeep wrangler since 2003 and liked it so much we put the same system on o0ur 2010 jeep liberty. since 2003 we've only had two minor problems:
- we had to replace the round electrical socket on both the jeep and MH the blue umbillical cord plugs into. this was just normal wear and tear on the MH connector. like when a headlight burns out we replaced the connector on both the jeep and MH for good measure.
- the install of the piston in our 2010 jeep liberty had to be re-done so that the cable would run straight through under the driver's seat instead of up and over the hump under the seat. this was an installer issue.
but there's been zero problems with the UTB itself.
we had the power for the UTB connected to an unused pin in the blue umbillical cord which makes hooking and unhooking even faster. we've been customers since 2003 and it's like second nature now but essentially this is what i do:
- connect blue umbillical cord
- connect break-away cable
- connect safety chains
- connect towbar to jeep
- put jeep's txfr case in neutral/transmission in park
- double check all light connections
it takes me maybe 5-7 minutes to do all this. my routine is a bit slower with the liberty since i have to get down on my knees to see the connection points on the jeep as,unlike on our wrangler, the baseplate and electrical connection is mostly obscured by the front license plate.
we considered the BrakeBuddy and similar aux braking systems but didn't want to screw around installing and uninstalling it every time we wanted to use the toad on an ovenight stop or figuring out where to store it when we were at a destination. i also didn't trust a system powered by a 12-volt cigarette plug. the UTB is semi-permanently installed and out of the way. just connect it, verify your lights are working and drive off.
good luck and enjoy.
73,
rich, n9dko
www.bananaboatbytes.com
I know a guy who's addicted to brake fulid. He says he can stop anytime.
_________________________________
2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
'46 Willys CJ2A
'03 Jeep Wrangler TJ
'10 Jeep Liberty KK
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mockturtle
WA
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Joined: 05/31/2005
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rangerbuddy wrote:Based on advice from Ron Dittmer, I purchased the Unified system and had installed in my 2006 Liberty...am very happy with the decision.
It takes about 30 seconds to hook up the umbilical, and E-brake cables and you are ready to go (after tow bar and lights are hooked up). I looked up pricing throughout US and found a rvpartsoutlet.com in Tualatin OR the cheapest ($850).
Good Luck
Rangerbuddy That's good to know, since it is only about 100 miles from here. How much for the installation?
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mockturtle
WA
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rk911, did you change it over to your new vehicle or buy a new one? Since I might want to buy a newer RV at some point, I wonder if I can transfer it easily.
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rk911
Wheaton IL
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mockturtle wrote:rk911, did you change it over to your new vehicle or buy a new one? Since I might want to buy a newer RV at some point, I wonder if I can transfer it easily.
no, we put a second unit in our liberty. sometimes we tow the wrangler, sometimes the lib. i asked how difficult it would be to remove from the toad and was told it would be easier to remove than it was to install. virtually all of the hardware is in the toad so removing and reinstalling the RV parts should be realtively easy.
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Fleet Man
Western WA
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Joined: 08/27/2001
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mockturtle, not sure where you are in WA but check with Trinity Coach in Sumner, WA for price and installation comparisons too. We bought ours from them and had them install everything. Excellent service, fair pricing.
2007 Winnebago Journey 34H
Toad, '08 Ford Taurus X
Blue OX, Aventa
US Gear UBS
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Wayne Dohnal
Bend, OR.
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Joined: 03/09/2003
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I use the UTB in a Honda Fit. It was a real PITA to get the components into the tight spaces. The payoff is that's it's totally easy to hook and unhook, and I like being able to test that the dinghy brakes actually work using the manual control in the motorhome. The main downside I've seen is the horrendous parts prices, should you ever need them.
2009 Fleetwood Icon 24A
Honda Fit dinghy with US Gear brake system
LinkPro battery monitor - EU2000i generator
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Fleet Man
Western WA
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mockturtle wrote:Fleet Man wrote:mockturtle, not sure where you are in WA but check with Trinity Coach in Sumner, WA for price and installation comparisons too. We bought ours from them and had them install everything. Excellent service, fair pricing. Thank you. I'm about 20 miles south of Olympia and there is a business there that sells and installs the Unified system but I'm not sure if the price is competitive.
If you are referring to Brazel's, I can't comment on their pricing but I do know they do excellent work.
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mockturtle
WA
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Joined: 05/31/2005
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Fleet Man wrote:mockturtle, not sure where you are in WA but check with Trinity Coach in Sumner, WA for price and installation comparisons too. We bought ours from them and had them install everything. Excellent service, fair pricing. Thank you. I'm about 20 miles south of Olympia and there is a business there that sells and installs the Unified system but I'm not sure if the price is competitive.
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