Braking System Recommendation

[quiltlady]

We flat tow a 2014 CRV with our Class A Encounter. The braking system recommended by our RV repair/installer was a Blue OX Autostop which has not worked for us. It is a cable tied to the car brake pedal and it either keeps the brakes on all the time or not at all. There is no way to adjust it so that it is consistent. We need to replace it. Any recommendations of systems you have been happy with? Thank you.

[harley-dave]

We use a Demco Stay-N-Play Duo for our toad. Energizes the power brake system on the toad so it doesn't require much force on the pedal. Works great for us.

Dave

[computermonkey]

My two cents.
We us a BrakeBuddy Select II in a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. This has worked good for us. It was suggested by a shop that has installed several different version (not a dealer for just one). He claim this was the one they had the list problem with. No returns for issues. There was an incident where we where driving our Truck camper in road construction during a heavy rain storm. It was one lane. We where doing 55mph when all of a sudden traffic stopped (couldn't see a head) I had to hit the brakes hard. We stopped so fast I couldn't believe it. The suburban behind us almost ran in to the Jeep(following to close). Support has been awesome. Plus their support is US base.

[klutchdust]

One thing I learned about the ready-brake that was used on my 08 wrangler was the cable needed to be adjusted when both vehicles were on a flat and stable surface. I once adjusted it when the toad was in the garage and the MH was on a slight incline, oh boy.

Once it is adjusted I never had a reason to adjust it again. i simply lifted the cable to check the allowable slack and went on my way. When first installed I mounted a camera to record the brake pedal travel and drove around the neighborhood.

Now, your issue may be with the hitch sliding properly into itself. One of my ready-brakes had a slight weld chip inside the tube, they advised me to push the plunger down inside the tube to check travel and it worked flawlessly.

As far as the comment concerning the resistance of the tube sliding into itself. Surge brakes on trailers have been around for a very long time. We have a contractors trailer with a million miles on it that has been abused and it slides in and out just fine with little to no maintenance.

[Y-Guy]

quiltlady wrote:
...He was told the company is out of business ...

BlueOx is anything but out of business. They probably discontinued that product for reasons unknown to us. Could be sales numbers or other reasons, when it comes to that type of braking they have a competitor in the market. We’ll never know why the exited it.

But BlueOx is a big player in the Recreational towing world plus they have strong presence in the Agriculture and developed a towing line for the US Military.

[mike_brez]

DFord wrote:
That's strange, you can still buy the AutoStop:

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/blue-ox-autostop-p/bx88100.htm

Check out were it says avalibality...no longer available

[DFord]

That's strange, you can still buy the AutoStop:

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/blue-ox-autostop-p/bx88100.htm

[quiltlady]

Thanks for the feedback DH went to the dealer that sold us the autostop system. He was told the company is out of business and DH decided to go with a new Patriot system. Hope we have better luck with that one.

[Ava]

Roadmaster Invisibrake works great for me.

[quiltlady]

DFord. We too have the light on the dash that indicates when brakes are applied, that's how we know the brakes are not working correctly. We have adjusted the cable many times and still it is not consistent. Either the brakes don't apply when they should or do when they shouldn't. Maybe the cable is rubbing on something it shouldn't. It is easy to set up, but not working correctly.We have no slop with out towbar. We did not do the installation ourselves. At any rate DH has had it with this system since it is not working correctly. Looking at the RVI3,

[Tom_Barb]

we use one of these.

I bought it off e-bay for cheap. I have 2 would sell one.
they require some installation of the air line and quick disconnects.

[DFord]

The Blue OX Autostop operates similar to NSA's ReadyBrake which I've been using for well over 30 years now on several different vehicles. Once you get the connecting cable to the right length, it's the simplest and easiest way to get fully proportional braking on your towed vehicle. I love the way it works and the ease of getting ready to tow. I'd buy another one just like it in a heartbeat.

How much slop do you have with your towbar?

My ReadyBrake has a 12v LED that goes on the dash of the MH and runs all the way back to the towed through a connector at the bumper. It ties into the towed's brake light switch and lights up when the pedal is depressed. Again, it's simple and lets you know when the towed brakes are being applied. Highly recommended!

ReadyBrake also sells a ring that goes over the vertical bolt head extension so the connecting cable doesn't get looped around it. Also highly recommended:
https://www.readybrake.com/store/p34/Sling_Adapter_for_Blue_Ox_Towbars.html

[CA_Traveler]

Looks like a mechanical disaster to me since it expects the to tow bar to slide inside the MH hitch considering all of the friction involved.

For our 04 CRV a box brake got tiring with our more frequent stops but it worked well. The Invsibrake replacement requires no setup and works well.

The Jeep Air Force 1 also has no setup but it's air operated and I think requires MH air brakes.

Note: I've always had a hardwired MH cab light that indicates the toad brakes are on so that I know the toad brake is applied and released. I'd be skeptical of a wireless setup.

M&G might be a option and it's air operated.

Ready Brute has a lot of fans. It's also cable operated and I believe the hydraulic cylinder is behind the MH hitch and superior to the Autostop.

What are the Autostop reviews saying?