We are about to begin our 1st "real" trip in a few weeks and this is the 1st time we'll have a toad (always carried the Harley in the past). I've been reading and considering the varying points of view on this thread attempting to reach some decision on what (if any) breaking system we will use.
Dick s: Thanks for your anaylis of the components and their likely failure possibilities. That helped me put things in perspective.
Joel W: I tend to agree with the KISS priniciple and like the surge brakes with simple cable mechanism. This would be themost likely way I'd go, except for the lack of breakaway prevention. As I tend to agree with Dick, that the odds of that happening on a reguarly inspected tow setup are within (my) acceptable limits - I may still go this route.
It is interesting to me to find that the few states (like Florida) where we happen to reside require breaks on towed vehicles when states that have real mountains like CO, MT, etc do not. Add to this the insanity of the triple tows you see here in FL on a daily basis, including cars being towed by ropes on the interstate and you have to wonder if there is any intelligence in this state.
We have yet to hook up the Grand Cherokee, but when it is delivered I will take it out for some test tows to deterime the effect on my PT's acceleration and braking.
I'm not sure what some of you refer to as a "Panic stop" as most times a car cuts in front of me and then slams on their breaks pretty much qualifies as panic to me. I try to mainain a minimum of 3 car lenghts (approx 60') per 10 mph of my coach velocity. Anyone that disturbs my buffer zone make me get uneasy as this 32,000 lb sled does not stop worth a damn compared to a passenger vehicle.
The GC weighs 5400 lbs so it does represent about 17% additional mass to stop. Will this be a linear breaking addative, meaning I will need 17% more distance to stop? I'm not sure what the stopping rate is. Perhaps I should go out to one of the old abandoned lots and test this. Hmm, I may do just that.
Another point that concerns me about the various systems out there was well put in an earlier post that talked about the lack of precise, engineering type information on exactly how much pressure (stopping power) these various systems acutally provide. I've read about every web page I could find on the subject and not one manufacturer provides any specific data in this area. While they all discuss the merits of their special, proprietary technology - none tell you they will provide
? pounds of force, or
% stopping power, etc.
In the end, I guess each system works to some extent and each has it's inherant weaknesses. Reading the ongoing discussions and real life experiances - That's what makes this forum so valuable. At this point, I think we may tow here in flatland for a bit and then decide a few hundred miles down the road if we need to address suplemental breaking.
J