General Boards > General Discussion
Towing
william thorup:
John, I have a 2008 Contessa Westport 42...pretty sure the C9 engine is rated at 425hp. I tow a Fort Sport Trac flat without a breaking system unless in States requiring it or in the mountains where I will use a Brake Buddy. It has worked for me. I normally to a Tandem Tow Dolly HD with a Honda Goldwing, Yamaha FJR and the Sport Trac. The Tow Dolly has surge brakes. So far so good. I have not had any difficulty stopping and have about 32000 miles. My last RV was a 40 foot London Aire and I put 99,998.2 miles on it before trading for the Beaver. Those miles, towing several dingies with only the Break Buddy..including a trip to Alaska. I have mixed feelings about breaking systems unless you have a means to know when it is breaking.
Bill Thorup
2008 Beaver Contessa Westport 42
Joel Ashley:
John, let me also extend a warm welcome to the BAC. There is no question you need to get an auxilliary brake. As the other fellows have said, the savings in stopping distance may save a lot more than the system costs you. And include the extra wear and tear on your expensive coach brakes that will be minimized.
I also use Roadmaster's Brakemaster because it is easier to deal with than the box type of units, and has statistics that indicate it is one of the most capable in matching toad braking power to the coach's. The down side is its semi-permanent under-the-hood installation that's more difficult to transfer if you buy a new toad.
That said, Roadmaster just came on the market with a whole new auxilliary brake that needs no add-or-remove actions when you hook and unhook your toad; just remove the towbar, get in, and drive... or connect the towbar and that's all. It's called Invisibrake. I think it is not a difficult initial installation either. It is pretty revolutionary, and you should check it out at Roadmaster's website. It and the Brakemaster are not particularly inexpensive, but worth it in a lot of ways. http://roadmasterinc.com/products/braking/invisibrake/index.html
Joel
Gerald Farris:
John,
If you are not confused yet, I would like to add another option. First of all, I would not consider towing without an auxiliary brake for the toad. The one that I use is made by M&G. The M&G brake is a straight air cylinder that mounts permanently between the master cylinder and the brake booster. The only hookup is plugging in an air hose. I have been using the same M&G brake (on two different Grand Cherokees) for 130,000 miles over nine years with no problems. I love the system.
Gerald
Bill Sprague:
--- Quote from: Gerald Farris ---John,
If you are not confused yet, I would like to add another option. First of all, I would not consider towing without an auxiliary brake for the toad. The one that I use is made by M&G. The M&G brake is a straight air cylinder that mounts permanently between the master cylinder and the brake booster. The only hookup is plugging in an air hose. I have been using the same M&G brake (on two different Grand Cherokees) for 130,000 miles over nine years with no problems. I love the system.
Gerald
--- End quote ---
That is the one I tried to buy, but they wouldn't provide the hardware for a Ford Edge. Something on the firewall gets in the way. Second choice was the air cylinder that pushes on the brake pedal made by Roadmaster.
Gil_Johnson:
The problem with the M&G system is it will not fit in many new vehicles. The all air alternative is the SMI Air Force One. I have no complaints and it too only requires you to connect the air line to the coach to make it work. If you're wondering, even though it gets it's air from the coach, it has a small air storage tank so it can support "break-away" braking.
Your Ford Edge may be similar to my new Explorer I'm configuring now. The Explorer has separate brake and turn signal bulbs/LEDs. So far I’ve been challenged to find a 2 wire to 3 wire converter. All I’ve found is 3 wire to 2 wire. If you have yellow turn signal lights on your Edge, how are you wiring them?
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