Towbar confusion?

I'm certain this question has been asked a 100 times and if so I apologize.  I am getting ready to take my first long trip with my 03 Discovery and want to tow my 2000 Jeep Wrangler.  All of the tow bars look good and have similar features.  I am leaning towards the Blue Ox brand  What are the pros and cons of one brand versus the other?

Daniel G

You'll get a lot of opinions and biases, but Blue Ox and Roadmaster are both good brands. I happen to own a Roadmaster and am very happy with it, but I wouldn't suggest you don't buy a Blue Ox just because I have the Roadmaster.

Check that the brand you intend to buy has a baseplate available for your made/model/year of toad.

Also, make sure you add a "braking" system to the tow car, especially if you are traveling out West or in those states that have a law requiring a braking system.

Marsha~

I'm going to New Mexico.  Do they have such a law?

It may not be the law in all states, but many of us consider a towed brake an essential safety feature.

I will second half of what Tom Said, both Blue-OX and Roadmaster are good brands, Features vary from one to the other but I would not hesitate to recommend whichever one you like better.. I won't second Tom on owning Roadmaster though.. I have a Blue-Ox tow bar  (In Short, you have now heard from both sides, and we agree)

As to supplemental braking systems on the towed

Laws can be interperted either way I have seen many people who say "it's a car not a trailer"  Well.. I happen to believe it is a trailer when it's being towed. and thus needs brakes

However, that's not the law that counts here

IF, and I stress IF you have to stop suddenly (What's the odds of that, something like 100% or at least "Approaches 100%) Well,,,,,, If you have to stop suddenly then the use of supplemental brakes can make as much as a 30% difference in your stopping distance.  in short, 100' becomes 70' and if I'm 80' in front of you... That's going to be a BIG difference (Difference between stop in time and CRASH)

And if you run into me, or someone like me, and I find you did not have a supplemental braking system on the towed car... If I survive, my financial worries will be over, cause I"m asking for at least a million for reckless endangerment.


So, consider that when you price the supplemental brake system

Best, for tow vehicles without air brakes (And possible for those with) US-Gear Unified Brake Decelarator (Though there is another system that looks interesting)

If your MH has air brakes.. M&G is kind of interesting

Also most of us have towbars that are attached to the m/h, not one that rides on the front bumber of the bar when disconnected.

We have M&G braking system for the toad and love it.  We have Roadmaster and they're very good, but so is Blue Ox.

ArdraF

A toad brake system is an important improvement to your coach, regardless of how you read the law. And the lighter your coach, the more important good brakes on the toad or trailer become. That's because the weight of the toad is a larger percentage of the total and thus a larger part of what the coach brake system has to handle if the toad does not brake itself.

Most people do not realize that the coach brake system is designed to stop the coach GVWR only, not the combined weight (GCWR) of coach and toad.  And many gas chassis rigs specify that auxiliary brakes must be used if the toad or trailer is over 1000-2000 lbs, but few people read the manual to learn that.

Get a brake system - you will shorten your stopping distance dramatically in just about every case. A 30% improvement in stopping distance is a typical figure.

We used an M&G for six years but replaced it on our new CRV with an Air Force One that I like for two reasons, first that you can adjust the brake and also that you have  a visual light telling you when the toad's brakes are being applied.

If you don?t have a braking system on your toad and have an accident, be prepared to defend your decision in court. This could be a reason to assign blame even if not your fault. They will last a long time and I would not leave home without it.

Jeff said:

We used an M&G for six years but replaced it on our new CRV with an Air Force One that I like for two reasons, first that you can adjust the brake and also that you have  a visual light telling you when the toad's brakes are being applied.

Click to expand...

Same with us. Also prefer factory approved air brake line hookup.

You know.. When it comes to breaking systems sometimes all it takes is the right question.

Had a member in a different forum ask the right question.

Now: The belief is "I don't need aux brakes when towing a car because the law says TRAILERS over xxxx pounds need brakes and it's a car not a trailer"

Am I right.. Of course (I've read that many times) the member asked for the specific wording.

This lead to seciton 257.1 of the Michigan complied acts, Section 257 is known as "The Motor Vehicle Code" and section one is the dictionary, well Definations, section.

Trailer is any vehicle WITH OR WITHOUT MOTIVE POWER designed to carry goods or passangers which does not have (all) it's weight resting on the towing vehicle.

(I added the upper case and the word all)

So a car, in tow, IS by law, at least in one state, a trailer, and thus by law MUST have brakes if it's over xxxx pounds. 

xxxx varies froms state to state, the most common is 2,000, texas is 4,000 some states are 1,500. 


And of course.. Then there is civil law.. where you have to explain to the judge why you showed such a reckelss disregard for the life and property of the person in front of you.. Not an easy task.

My biggest concern is the liability without a braking system.  I suspect your insurance would not be interested in paying any claims.

I switched from an (Apollo system) to Air Force one SMI (need air brakes for this system).  I prefer the progressive braking and I don't have to crawl under the dash to hook anything up.

The Air Force one paid for it self last year in WV by preventlng an accident.  I was in the right line when a vehicle pasted me and realized his exit was right there.  He pulled across in front of me and hit his brake.  I don't know if the Apollo or Brake buddy would have stopped me as quick as the SMI air brake system.

Russ, WB3FQI/6

While I agree that a brake system is needed,I will state again there is nothing I have seen in any insurance policy that I have seen that would allow any company to refuse to pay if you were at fault in an accident or refuse to defend you just because you are not using a brake or violating any other law.  The idea that a insurance company Can refuse to pay only because you are in violation of any law is found only in Brake manufacturers literature.  That said, your cancellation notice may arrive before the claim check ,though I doubt it.

Tony

Without in any way diminishing the importance of a braking system I agree completely on the insurance companies obligations to pay a claim. The exclusions that they will not pay for has never included failure to comply with MVRs as a ground for non-payment of claims.

Tony and Jeff of coarse you are correct, insurance companies cannot say you did something wrong so we do not have to pay for your accident, if this was true every claim would be rejected for any reason they could find. I am all for brakes on toads, but keep in mind loading your rig with a few thousand pounds of supplies/fuel/water etc, has the same exact effect on rigs braking and control as towing a similar weight toad with out brakes, but I never read about everyone keeping their rig as light as possible so it will stop better, just a thought.

Mark

There is a difference between sprung weight (weight supported by the suspension) and unsprung weight. The toad is all unsprung. When braking the coach, the toad without supplementary brakes is all inertia pushing the coach. It is easier to tow 4,000 #s than carry it.

I may have said this already.  But someone finally ask the right question

Under Michigan law. a car in tow, is a trailer

Thus at least in Michigan (And I very strongly suspect other states as well) a car in tow, *IS* a trailer, and in most states a trailer over xxxx pounds (IN Texas that's 4,000 pounds) MUST have brakes or it's illegal.  Many states' it is 2,000 pounds, I think I saw a 1500 or two in the list too.  Just so you know. (Been a while since I checked the list)

But the michigan defination of trailer is a vehicle, WITH OR WITHOUT motive power, designed to carry goods or passangers, which does not have it's weight resting on the towing vehicle (I would say "Fully Resting")

So my 4,000 pound car, on a flat bed tow truck = Cargo
My 4,000 pound car, 4-down behind my motor home = Trailer
My 4,000 pound car 4-down on it's own, = car

Sorry Bernie but I must disagree, sprung weight when talking about a vehicle is the weight above the suspension springs, unsprung weight would be the tires, wheels and axle. If you increase mass, or lets say add a 1000 pound wife in the coach a 1000 pound bike on the hitch or 1000 pound toad it will take the same amount of energy to accelerate it or to stop it once the mass is in motion. m= W/g , I will agree there wold be tiny differences due to rolling resistance and wheel inertia, but the inertia will cancel its self out during acceleration.