Seeking Tow Equipment & Vehicle Model Recommendation

[sheridany]

I have a roadmaster nighthawk towbar and roadmaster baseplate and it has served me well. I also have the RVI braking system which has been a fine system but there are too many components (tablet and a "command module") and they require power although not required necessarily. I like to know what my system is doing and that it is working given that it is wireless. I will move to an AF1 brake for simplicity on my next coach.

 

[Buly]

We tow the 2014 Honda CR-V (ours is AWD) as Buly does and it has worked well over some five years.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the 2014 CR-V was the last year you could tow four-wheels-down. The 2015 and later CR-Vs cannot be flat-towed due to a different transmission being used in them.

If we had to replace the CR-V, we'd be looking at one of the Jeeps or, possibly, a Chevy Colorado diesel p/u. Since LadyDi already has a 2020 Lincoln Nautilus that is flat-tow capable, we will be setting it up to replace our CR-V soon. If you are looking for a high-end option, that's another way to go.

For anyone with a 2019 or later (and the higher-end 2018s) Spartan-chassis Newmar, the Air Force One braking unit is the best choice, IMHO, because the coach half of the system is built in as the "Safe Haul" feature. You just have to install the "Toad" half in your towed vehicle and it is plug-and-play time. That's what we've done on our 2018 MADP that came with Safe Haul. And, you get true proportional braking on the towed vehicle plus no setup/takedown of a pedal actuator.

TJ

TJ, I like the Nautilus and would like to get one. See lots of them being towed. Maybe for my birthday?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

The coach wiring consisted of connecting the wires that are at the base of the steering column and installing a led light that shines at your feet which lights up when the toad brakes are applied.

We did a similar thing, but put a LED up on the dash to show when the brakes are applied. IIRC, we used the blue and black wires for the connection.

TJ

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

TJ, I like the Nautilus and would like to get one. See lots of them being towed. Maybe for my birthday?

They are a nice, mid-size vehicle but it is LadyDi's and she doesn't share it very much. She got it in January and because I couldn't get AF1installed in it due to shops being fully scheduled for months, it is still at the sticks&bricks with less than 800 miles on it. We're headed home next week, so it will start getting some use. It is a very comfortable car to drive/ride in.

TJ

 

[Buly]

The invisiBrake comes with that light standard. I know if my brakes work. Once it warned me that it was not, so I had to fix it.

 

[flyboy013]

We did a similar thing, but put a LED up on the dash to show when the brakes are applied. IIRC, we used the blue and black wires for the connection.

TJ

Yeah, I decided that the light at the feet wasn't the best place to be looking to verify if the toad braking system was working. I did a similar dash LED mounting. Mine was mounted in the plate of an unused button. May need to move it in the future if I decide to install a switch there.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Yeah, I decided that the light at the feet wasn't the best place to be looking to verify if the toad braking system was working. I did a similar dash LED mounting. Mine was mounted in the plate of an unused button. May need to move it in the future if I decide to install a switch there.

Very nice install! I would probably have used that location if I had thought of it. Easy place to mount the LED, convenient to the necessary connections and fully reversible. Glad I didn't put mine there, though, as I just used that location to install a dash camera on/off switch.

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

Flat towed a 2019 Cherokee Trailhawk for year one. Great car and zero issues, was just too small for our needs. If you’re traveling with larger kids or adults, or kids in car seats, go bigger. We recently traded in for a 2020 F-150 Supercrew and we love it and wish we’d done it sooner. Put a tonneau cover on it and all that bed space is extra storage. Everyone has tons of space and the interior is right on par with a well equipped luxury vehicle and boy howdy, that 3.5L twin turbo v6 ecoboost engine can put you back in your seat and turn your knuckles white real quick. Dead simple to set up for towing. The Cherokee had a confusing set of steps to follow and a tiny button that had to be pressed with a ballpoint pen.

We use the Air Force One for its simplicity, with a Roadmaster Nighthawk towbar and baseplate. The towbar is nice because it has integrated LEDs on the side. More Illumination after dusk is always better, though we try to get off the road soon after.

My Jeep setup was installed at *gasp* Camping World in VA. They did a great job.

I traded the Jeep for my F-150 while having my warranty work done in Nappanee. Dan’s was booked solid til November so I had the baseplate and wiring harness installed at Elkhart Hitch Shop, and the AFO installed at Cummins ONAN Elkhart. Both did excellent work though it would have been nice to do it all at one place. Elkhart Hitch doesn’t do AFO installs. Cummins said they would but it would cost me more than it should. They are an AFO dealer so they actually do those on the semi-regular. Baseplate installs they are less familiar with so it would have taken the tech more time, and since they charge a flat labor rate they said look elsewhere first. Nice that they were honest about it from the start.

 

[Desertboyz]

Is it shameful and flagrant to share a link to our Jeep Cherokee Limited/High Altitude for sale? Flat Tow Ready - equipped with a Roadmaster Baseplate, Invisibrake, and the Additional Jeep wiring harness assuring no dreaded "Death Wobble". Extended warranty to 2024 (Transferrable), plus 3 Prepaid Maintenance Services (Transferrable). We've enjoy this vehicle and it's been a fantastic Flat Tow vehicle but have a 2021 Jeep Gladiator on order.

2016 JEEP CHEROKEE LIMITED/HIGH ALTITUDE 4 X 4

2016 Jeep Cherokee Limited/High Altitude Package White/Black Leather *** 35,045 Miles *** Great Condition! READY TO GO! - ROADMASTER BASEPLATE; INVISIBRAKE; AND ADDITIONAL JEEP WIRING HARNESS (NO DEATH WOBBLE!) V6 with 9 Speed Automatic...

rvforums.com

 

[CaptainGizmo]

The AF1 system also has an LED array that is stuck to the back of the TOAD’s rear-view mirror. This is activated by a micro-switch on the actually brake pedal air ram. So, you have an absolute way of knowing that the brake pedal is being pulled, not just a brake light coming on.

When brakes are applied, the red LED array is easily seen in the Rear camera monitor.

 

[MapNerd]

Is it shameful and flagrant to share a link to our Jeep Cherokee Limited/High Altitude for sale?

I don’t think so, as long as there are no issues with it and/or you are upfront with a potential buyer with any there are. Maybe also post it in the classifieds.

 

[flyboy013]

The AF1 system also has an LED array that is stuck to the back of the TOAD’s rear-view mirror. This is activated by a micro-switch on the actually brake pedal air ram. So, you have an absolute way of knowing that the brake pedal is being pulled, not just a brake light coming on.

When brakes are applied, the red LED array is easily seen in the Rear camera monitor.

So this is where having an experienced installer is helpful. The AF1 system comes with a LED strip that can be placed on the toad’s rear view mirror such that you can see it via the coach’s rear camera (assuming glare isn’t a problem). At Dan’s they instead used the wires that run from the base of the coach’s steering wheel to the toad electrical connection to install the LED strip to shine at the drivers feet. While this is an improvement, the mod that TJ and I did improves on that such that you get a single LED that’s mounted on the dash.

Bottom line is that installers that are familiar with the system being stalled will generally do a better job as they know the various ins and outs. Another takeaway - these forums definitely help you apply lessons learned from others.

 

[MapNerd]

So this is where having an experienced installer is helpful. The AF1 system comes with a LED strip that can be placed on the toad’s rear view mirror such that you can see it via the coach’s rear camera (assuming glare isn’t a problem). At Dan’s they instead used the wires that run from the base of the coach’s steering wheel to the toad electrical connection to install the LED strip to shine at the drivers feet. While this is an improvement, the mod that TJ and I did improves on that such that you get a single LED that’s mounted on the dash.

Bottom line is that installers that are familiar with the system being stalled will generally do a better job as they know the various ins and outs. Another takeaway - these forums definitely help you apply lessons learned from others.

Perhaps I am misunderstanding but I’m not sure that is as surefire an indicator as the intended install. It might be easier to see the indicator, but if I am understandig correctly it sounds more likely to indicate the tow vehicles brakes are active when they might not be.

The way the LED reed switch works on the AFO is that there is a magnet attached to the rear of a piston, inside of the the air cylinder mounted near your tow vehicle’s brake pedal. When air is sent into that cylinder by the operating unit, the air pressure pushes that piston out of the cylinder, depressing your brake pedal. As that piston is forced to extend outside of the cylinder, the magnet mounted inside the cylinder to the rear of the piston moves away from the rear of the cylinder where the LED reed switch is mounted, and towards the brake pedal. The reed switch is activated when the magnet moves more than 0.010” of travel away from the reed switch, or just under an 1/8” (see page 25-26 of the Demco AFO install guide for more details). This means that the LED reed switch is activated by a mechanical process that almost completely eliminates any chance of false indication, save a few very specific circumstances that are easy to test for and easy to remedy if found.

The point I’m making is that it sounds like this mod may have circumvented that mechanical process in favor of tapping into the electrical wiring harness that sends the brake light signal to the two vehicle, in order to have a light inside the coach which is easier to see. While I can understand why one might do that, you should be aware that it may be more prone to indicating false positives (indicating brakes active when they aren’t), or positive negatives (indicating brakes inactive when they are) in the event of an electrical issue.

More likely though, I’m not understanding your post correctly.

 

[flyboy013]

Instead of the reed switch powering the LED mounted on the toad’s rear view mirror, the signal is sent via an unused pin in the coach/toad connection and up to the base of the steering wheel where the rest of the 7 pins terminate. The dash mounted LED is then connected to that otherwise unused wire.
We still have the benefit of knowing when the toad brake pedal is activated, the LED is just remotely located near the driver as opposed to having to look for the light in the rear view camera.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Instead of the reed switch powering the LED mounted on the toad’s rear view mirror, the signal is sent via an unused pin in the coach/toad connection and up to the base of the steering wheel where the rest of the 7 pins terminate. The dash mounted LED is then connected to that otherwise unused wire.
We still have the benefit of knowing when the toad brake pedal is activated, the LED is just remotely located near the driver as opposed to having to look for the light in the rear view camera.

You beat me to it! We used the same setup as @flyboy013.

TJ