General Boards > General Discussion
Towing
John 'Bo' Achord:
I just purchased a Beaver Contessa 2008 w/400 Cat about 6-months ago. I am in the process of purchasing a 2011 Honda CR-V front wheel drive to pull behind the coach. I plan on purchasing a Blue Ox Allandin Towing System.
Can anyone give me some feed back on this system and also tell me if I need to purchase the Blue Ox Patriot Braking system or is the coach big enough to handle the dinghy when braking ?
Richard And Babs Ames:
http://www.fmca.com/ FMCA posts towing laws by state. A towed trailer (toad) under a certain weight limit does not require a supplimential braking system. Very important to have one from a liability standpoint if it weighs over the state requirement.
As long as you do not exceed the GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight rating) of your Contessa you will be OK. When you get over it and still under the CGVW (Combined Gross Vehicle Weight rating) you might consider one. http://www.rvsafety.com RVSEF has a good topic about the GVW GCVW definitions and weights.
Their are a lot of opinions about what supplimential braking system is best but we personally do not like a system that uses the toad's battery to activate and they can be a pain to set up.
John 'Bo' Achord:
Richard , Thanks so much for the info. This will be very helpful. I will resd the topic about hte GVW/GCVW.
Joel Weiss:
This topic engenders lots of emotional discussion about once a month on virtually all of the RV forums. IMHO I wouldn't be without a supplemental braking system regardless of state law issues. As one person posted on a thread about this a few months ago, you no doubt have >$100k invested in your MH and probably >$25k in your toad plus all your possessions and, of course, your family. Therefore, why would anyone quibble about a safety investment of <$2k?
As a retired physics teacher, I will agree that >90% of the time all of our coaches will be safe with toads that do not exceed the MH tow rating. However, I can easily describe scenarios in which the safety margin is greatly reduced or vanishes completely. FWIW, I think that's what insurance is for, to protect against what people call "low probability of occurrence, high impact" events.
BTW, we have a ReadyBrake system integrated into a ReadyBrute tow bar. You can also add it to any other towbar. It is relatively inexpensive and simple and has worked well for us for 15,000 miles.
MarcRodstein:
I am in strongly favor of supplemental braking for everyone. No matter how well (or poorly) your coach/tow car combination can stop with coach brakes alone, nobody can argue that it will not stop better if the tow car brakes are assisting. That extra bit of braking power could save a life.
Imagine a panic stop where it takes 200 feet to stop with coach brakes alone. Now imagine that it takes 195 feet to stop with an aux brake added, and imagine a toddler on a bike located 197 feet from where you start braking. These figures are made up but the principal is clear as a bell. A foot or two could mean a life. Would you want it on your conscience that you saved a grand and killed somebody?
Not me!
Marc
Wellington, FL
2003 Beaver Monterey
US Gear Unified Tow Brake
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