Brake Buddy required or just good practice?

[Honkity Hank]

I am considering towing my wrangler behind the 345 but am concerned with the extra load on braking that it will place, and it appears that some states require brakes for a towed vehicle over a certain wt. That said does anyone have a recommendation on brake assists.

Thanks

[lewster]

Hank,

Most states now REQUIRE an auxiliary braking system in a towed vehicle, along with a break-a-way device that will lock the towed vehicle's brakes in the event of a separation. The weight limit varies a bit, but most states are now at 2000-3000lbs. I would use one anyway, even if there was no requirement, as the strain on your MoHo's brakes will surely overheat them much faster and cause a dangerous fade condition.

Lots of product on the market now. Some use a direct connection to the Moho's hydraulics, some use radio control, and some are directly connected to the master cylinder of the toad. Prices and features vary greatly.

Just be very certain that the installer is well versed in the intricacies of the unit that you choose, and that hey have a lot of experience in setting them up. I would avoid Camping World at all costs, as I have heard more than a few horror stories about their installations! This is not an option where you should look for a bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Honkity Hank]

I was thinking of the brake buddy classic http://www.brakebuddy.com/products.html

looks like it is very simple to install.

any thoughts?

[lewster]

One thing to be wary of is the draw that this will have on your toad's battery. I have known people who run down the car's battery on a regular basis using a product like this. This is no reflection on the item, just a head's up that you will probably need a 12VDC line hooked to your toad thru the 7-way plug to keep the battery charged.

Trailers use this line on a regular basis, and I've done a few cars like this also. I've also created a separate charging system for the car's battery that is powered from the coach's inverter, but that gets rather complicated and messy. The 12VDC charge line is the simplest solution to not running down your battery.

[kmpro]

I have used the Brake Buddy in my Toad from the time they first appeared on the market. Unit has been foolproof as far as I'm concerned. Yes, it uses 12V power to operate, but that is mostly when you start it up and it gets to operating pressure. I learned to get it up to pressure with the engine running, then the 12V is not a problem. I tow 4-down, so I stop about every 200 miles or so to start the engine and circulate trans fluid, this also charges the battery. I have never experienced a dead battery with my Brake Buddy.

[choctawmel]

I have the 'Road Master Even Brake'. It was a pain to wire in Electronic Control to the toad brake switch. I had to rewire and add a hot 12 volt plug because the stock cigarette lighter plug worked with ignition on only. I haven't had any battery problems.
I got it because of my concern of liability if I had an accident. With my luck: I'd rear-end someone, the police would sight me for not have operating brakes on the toad, my insurance company would leave me high and dry because I wasn't towing legally.
It works well, and I have peace of mind.
mel

[ScrapIrony-2]

Braking systems notwithstanding, you really need to consider beefing up the standard -issue hitch on the moho...there is a thread on this...a couple of braces welded to the chassis would alleviate concerns about towing something as heavy as a Wrangler...the price for this should be less than your deductible...
We lost a toad because our braking system locked up the toad's brakes while doing 60mph on IH35 north of Waco...impressive display of sparks, flying-flaming tires, and a temporary closure of both sides of the interstate while the FD put out the ensuing grass fires in the median and on the shoulders...not recommended procedure...at least we can laugh about it, as no one was hurt/injured, and all it cost was a toad...oh, yeah, might want to check your insurance for WHAT policy covers the toad while being towed...m

[Pomfritz]

[QUOTE=ScrapIrony-2;824295]We lost a toad because our braking system locked up the toad's brakes while doing 60mph on IH35 north of Waco/QUOTE]

Was this because of the aux system? If so what we're you using when this happened?

[Robfike]

I looked at all of the options, and went with the NightShift tow bar system. Their tow bar has a surge brake system built in. You add a small cable from the tow bar to the toad brake peddle. In this way you have proportional braking in the toad. There is more to it than that, but you get the idea. We tow a 1976 Porsche 912E behind our 1986 345, and have for 3 years with great success.
Also DO have the hitch beefed up on the 345. It is way too light for really anything. We had ours beefed up in Elkhart, Indiana. Do a search on my name as we did a thread on the project.
Good luck, Rob