Stopped by local Camping World to ask tech guy if I needed brake system for towed vehicle.He looked up something on computer and said if car is under 3000 lbs(its 2700) i didn't need one in Florida . .Also said its legal in which ever state car is registered in(Florida) so Florida law overrules other state if stopped.Have any of you heard this or don't have brake system? I'm trying to get this right before I tow the car and run into possible problems.
Towed brakes
- Thread starter fred1845
- Start date
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Oscar Mike
Guest
The bigger question is, do you really want an extra 3,000# pushing you in an emergency stop without a supplemental braking system? Or down a steep grade? Common Sense dictates the need for a supplemental braking system in the toad.
In Nevada the weight limit is 1,500#. In Nevada there is no problem not having a supplemental braking system...until something happens, then the lawyers will take over in the event of an event and then the cost of a supplemental braking system makes perfect sense.
So in my opinion the short answer is yes you need a braking system in the toad.
In Nevada the weight limit is 1,500#. In Nevada there is no problem not having a supplemental braking system...until something happens, then the lawyers will take over in the event of an event and then the cost of a supplemental braking system makes perfect sense.
So in my opinion the short answer is yes you need a braking system in the toad.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
He is technically right about Florida requiring brakes if towing over 3000 lbs, but wrong about Florida towing law overriding another state. Reciprocity applies to your driver license and vehicle title & tags, but not laws governing the use of the other state's highways. That would be like saying you can use Florida's speed limits in another state.
Florida does not generally consider a towed car to be a "trailer", so law enforcement typically does not enforce trailering laws for cars under tow. Whether that practice would have any effect on a civil lawsuit that arose from towing the car is another matter, though.
The larger question is the one that John raised - the laws of physics rather than the laws of Florida. an extra unbraked 3000 lbs or so pushing you around increases your stopping distance dramatically, probably 20-50 ft, depending on your speed. Plus you should be obey the chassis towing limits of your coach, i.e. the GCWR (max combined weight of coach & anything towed) and the max weight the coach brakes are designed to handle (the coach GVWR). You really should have auxiliary brakes for most any towed car.
Florida does not generally consider a towed car to be a "trailer", so law enforcement typically does not enforce trailering laws for cars under tow. Whether that practice would have any effect on a civil lawsuit that arose from towing the car is another matter, though.
The larger question is the one that John raised - the laws of physics rather than the laws of Florida. an extra unbraked 3000 lbs or so pushing you around increases your stopping distance dramatically, probably 20-50 ft, depending on your speed. Plus you should be obey the chassis towing limits of your coach, i.e. the GCWR (max combined weight of coach & anything towed) and the max weight the coach brakes are designed to handle (the coach GVWR). You really should have auxiliary brakes for most any towed car.
grashley
Well-known member
Gary is absolutely correct on all points.
Utclmjmpr
Well-known member
The most importand question that you haven't answered is,,what are you towing WITH?? (My state deals with the problem this way,,you must be able to stop within 40 feet from 20 MPH with COMBINED WEIGHT.>>>Dan)
muskoka guy
Well-known member
The hitch isnt the last word on what your vehicle will tow. My mh has a 10000 lb weight distributing hitch installed on it. The coach is only rated to tow 5000 lbs.fred1845 said:
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Check the GCWR (max combined weight of coach plus anything towed) vs the weight of the coach. Chances are the difference between coach weight and GCWR is less than 8000 lbs, though maybe not a lot less. For the E450 chassis, it is typically around 7500 lbs. You should be OK, but check to be sure.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
I knew that. 
SargeW
Site Team
About 2 years ago while driving my MH pulling our 4 door Jeep, a semi pulled in front of me from a dead stop on a major freeway here in CA. I was traveling at 60 mph. Traffic was heavy and there was no place to go. I stood on the brakes on the MH (and the horn) and managed to stop mere inches from the back of the rigs trailer.
The short moral of the story is that you never know when you are going to need maximum braking. But without the ancillary brake system on the Jeep that day, the wife and I may not be here to tell the tale. No matter how much the toad brake system costs, it looks insignificant when you are sliding towards oblivion.
The short moral of the story is that you never know when you are going to need maximum braking. But without the ancillary brake system on the Jeep that day, the wife and I may not be here to tell the tale. No matter how much the toad brake system costs, it looks insignificant when you are sliding towards oblivion.
Ok. going with Roadmaster Invisbrake system.Is that a good system/choice ?I didn't see many cheaper ones in my investigations.Is it easy/hard to set up?I think i just set it once?Of course CW is charging me a mini fortune to install it,but have no choice since I'm mechanically challenged.Once it's installed we can go camping LOL .
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
You don't have to have it installed by an expensive RV dealer, especially a CW. Any halfway competent mechanic can read the instructions and install one. It's fairly labor intensive, so a guy that gets $60 or $75 per hour will save you a bunch vs CW's $100-$125 per hour. Ask at a local hitch shop or independent garage. You can buy the Invisibrake online for around $875.
The advantage of a permanent installation like Invisibrake, SMI Duo, etc. is that once it is installed and set up, it is "plug & play" thereafter.
The advantage of a permanent installation like Invisibrake, SMI Duo, etc. is that once it is installed and set up, it is "plug & play" thereafter.
