Towing

sherman12 · 10-28-2016, 11:33 AM

A question I have not yet seen on this or other forums is: How many class A owners out there tow a toad either four down or on a dolly, with out brakes on the dolly or supplemental brakes in the toad? No need for the safety conscience RV'ers to get all excited and admonish anyone for even the thought of doing so, or the premise of the question itself. As I talk to other campers during the season it seems there are many class A owners out there who feel the rig they drive, whether diesel or gas, comes equipped with brakes made to stop the gross combined weight rating of their rig and they are under that amount.

RVnut · 10-28-2016, 11:48 AM

Oh this is a loaded question so we tow a toad 4 down but I will send a private answer..

waiter21 · 10-28-2016, 12:07 PM

I've owned two dollys, my old roadmaster didn't have brakes. The axle broke a couple years ago, so we replaced it with a Acme dolly, it has surge brakes.

I've towed two different vehicles four down, neither one has brakes. We take extra steps to reduce the risk of break-away.

kenandterry · 10-28-2016, 12:26 PM

I know two people who had....an incident shall we say....where they did NOT have auxiliary braking for their toads. Quite the discussion followed for the investigation into their claim where they eventually found they were not covered for claims.

Here's the info you need to know....lawyers and insurance companies do!

Towing Laws | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle

JBP · 10-31-2016, 05:29 AM

I did for a short time. After a close call started running with Brake Buddy and Garmin dash cam. I found that the aux braking helps a lot in traffic. I also feel like I have done everything possible.
Also remember it is the law to have a braking system on the tow in many states.

sherman12 · 10-31-2016, 07:59 AM

No expert here but isn't the towing laws and regulations nation wide based on the law of your home state? How in the world would any traveler, whether in a RV, 18 wheeler, VW bug pulling a trailer etc. be able to ebb and flow with regulations and restrictions as they travel from say NY to California? Maybe the truck crowd has Federal Reg's to follow but other wise I don't know how it would be possible.

f5moab · 10-31-2016, 08:50 AM

From a discussion with an Idaho State COP if you pull a trailer across the state line into Idaho, you must be legal per Idaho laws; that include brakes, length, number of items towed, etc.

Do they have the personnel, time or inclination to stop every non-commercial trailer traveling through the state...NO. (Except for boat inspections, they do not stop people with travel trailers to check for brakes, but they might if stopped for another violation such as speeding, lights, etc.)

However, if you get involved in a serious accident, you can bet a checkoff list will be used to make sure that you, and the equipment driven and towed followed ID laws.

As for checking state laws while traveling...that is true for many laws such as tow speeds (usually posted), length allowed and number of trailers towed (usually not posted), radar detectors, etc.

Jim G · 10-31-2016, 08:56 AM

I used to tow a car on a dolly with no supplemental brakes. Then once about 800 miles from home a person cut in front of me on a busy interstate and hit the brakes. There was no way to avoid a crash other than apply the coach brakes as hard as I could. I felt the anti lock kick in and came within a few inches of hitting the vehicle in front of me. The next day I bought a Brake Buddy. I should have known that there is a reason why almost every state requires a supplemental braking system and also a breakaway brake in case the towed vehicle comes loose from the RV.

youroo · 10-31-2016, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim G

I used to tow a car on a dolly with no supplemental brakes. Then once about 800 miles from home a person cut in front of me on a busy interstate and hit the brakes. There was no way to avoid a crash other than apply the coach brakes as hard as I could. I felt the anti lock kick in and came within a few inches of hitting the vehicle in front of me. The next day I bought a Brake Buddy. I should have known that there is a reason why almost every state requires a supplemental braking system and also a breakaway brake in case the towed vehicle comes loose from the RV.

Thanks,Very Good Post!

Youroo!!

JBP · 10-31-2016, 10:29 AM

This subject always generate a great deal of conversation no matter what side you're on. The sister site irv2 also had this on it several times and responses got very lengthy and sometimes heated. But it's a good thing to discuss periodically so thanks for bringing it up.

ResQfrog · 10-31-2016, 11:14 AM

Try looking at it this way. Just because Ford, Chevy or Dodge-Ram says you can pull a 10,000lb trailer as long as your gross combined weight is under such lbs, it does not mean you do not need additional brakes on the vehicle being towed.

sherman12 · 11-01-2016, 09:37 AM

Not to dispute f5Moab, but my brother was a regional supervisor for the NYState DOT truck safety program with a territory covering roughly half of upstate New York. Unless the state trooper's he was working with, or local municipal police departments personal, were trained in safety requirements and reg's, the standard cop knew very little regarding towing regulations for any type of vehicle with a tow. He had a real hard time trying to convince the local "Joe's Lawn Care" types of what they needed for their trailers loaded with commercial mowers and equipment.

jjSpeedwagon · 11-01-2016, 10:03 AM

It's pretty pitiful that most people have such a hard time figuring out right or wrong or need some kind of law to tell them what to do. What ever happens on the highway you will have to live with for the rest of your life.

Bobbyba · 11-01-2016, 04:44 PM

I tow a toad and have a supplemental braking system on my toad. Would never leave home without it.

DaGrinch · 11-01-2016, 05:36 PM

We just visited this very thing just a couple weeks ago on this thread. It had to do with using an auxiliary braking system. One unfortunate person said he didn't use an auxiliary braking system OR a breakaway brake.

Just briefly, I'll paraphrase here what I said in that thread - Why would you put yourself in the situation of having ANY type of liability in case of a wreck?

And I agree 100% with jjSpeedwagon!!!

mogman · 11-12-2016, 11:15 PM

We towed an MG midget , at 1800lbs, with no supp braking or breakaway. In Florida the A frame hitch broke on the chassis weld and the MG took offsideways. It was held by the safety chains------ luckily we were doing 15 mph at the time. Our new toad, a 2003 Dodge Dakota is 4200 lbs and has full Blue ox brakes, breakaway and 5400lb safety chains. Wont leave the driveway without them.

Bluepill · 11-13-2016, 12:32 AM

And there will always be people who do not wear seat belts, even when it's the law.

Not much to discuss, really.

BillMFl · 11-13-2016, 09:54 PM

My tow dolly has surge brakes and a break away connection that can activate them. In my opinion the braking ability of a 38 ft gasser is just barely adequate in a panic stop mode. There have been times, even when not towing, when I just barely was able to stop in time due to a sudden red light or coming over a hill to see dead stop traffic ahead. Diesel pushers have air brakes. We don't so every reasonable caution should be taken.

gmann32 · 04-02-2017, 08:44 PM

I tow a Ford Flex 4 down! With a brake buddy! Would not leave home without it!

CaptainJustice · 04-07-2017, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherman12

* * * As I talk to other campers during the season it seems there are many class A owners out there who feel the rig they drive, whether diesel or gas, comes equipped with brakes made to stop the gross combined weight rating of their rig and they are under that amount.

I stop MUCH more quickly WITH the toad and its brakes. If the people you talk to "feel" their rig is so equipped, I would ask "wouldn't you like even more stopping margin?"

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