Supplemental Braking

First off I want to thank everyone for all the good pros and cons of towing with a dolly. I finally decided to buy a Honda CRV to pull behind my MH. I got a roadmaster even brake to use in the toad and the first time I went to use it after pulling it home from the dealer it would not operate. took it back to the dealer the next business day and it worked fine! I had let the unit sit in the back of the honda in 95+ heat the day before towing. come to find out that it will not operate when subjected to that kind of heat. something to do with the air bladder in the unit. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I'm wondering if the Brake Buddy system has the same issue.

Rich Henry
Greenville SC

HI and welcome I to am from SC Anderson... Im a hoe skip and a jump from Piedmont and Greenville I cant answer your question as i just purchased my MH and I am still getting use to driving it....But someone here will. Just wanted to say hi.

Rich,

I have a unit similiar to the Brake Buddy that is made by SMI. It has the box that you set in the floor in front of the driver's seat and hook to the brake pedal. The box holds a vaccuum compressor that pushes the car's brake pedal when I hit the brakes on the motor home. I've used this unit in all types of weather and parts of the country without a problem. Matter of fact I have used it in both my last two motor homes and toads. My only gripe with my unit, as it is one of the older SMI models, is that it has to be hard wired in both the motor home and the toad. This is a very technical and time consuming process. When I traded coaches and toads I had to wait until I saw my vendor again (at a Monaco rally) to get the units wired for the brake. SMI has since come out with a plug-n-play unit.

I'm surprised that the brake that you bought is heat sensitive considering how hot it gets in a closed up vehicle, which is the case when you are towing.

I have a Brake Buddy Vantage and use it with a 2008 CRV. I've had the opposite problem - I left it in the car overnight when the temperatures where in the low 20's and it kept applying the brakes and running sporadically. After that, I put it in the RV the night before using it when it's cold out and haven't had a problem. It works fine in cold weather as long as I haven't let it sit out unused in the cold.

Actually, the even brake system, according to the info in the owners manual, says it will not operate properly in very cold weather either. The camping world service manager recommended that I should keep it in the motor home when camping which is what I'll do from now on.

Rich

Actually, the even brake system, according to the info in the owners manual, says it will not operate properly in very cold weather either. The camping world service manager recommended that I should keep it in the motor home when camping which is what I'll do from now on.

Rich

That surprises me. My older SMI unit looks, from the exterior, very similiar to a Brake Buddy. I never take mine out of the toad. When traveling it stays hooked up even when we stop overnight unless, of course, we actually need to unhook the toad for any reason. When it is disconnected it rides in the back of our HHR. Even now, while sitting at home in our stick house, the SMI is in the back of the HHR. Never have had a problem with it not working due to it being cold. Guess the two units are very different if you take the covers off.