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Topic: Help- US Gear no longer makes Tow Brakes (Read 360 times) previous topic - next topic
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Help- US Gear no longer makes Tow Brakes
I am probably getting a 2013 or 2012 Honda CRV in a month or so. I have been towing a 2004 Honda CRV behind my lazy days for 8 years now. Based on Mike Sylvester's and people on this board suggestions I had the Unified Tow Brakes by US gear installed and had no problems with it.

After several attempts of finding someone to install this type system I contacted US Gear and was told they have not made these since 2013.

So I have to find something else and would like something similar.  I don't want a box that I have to put on the floor and attached to the brake pedal I want an integrated system.

Any suggestions?  By the way US Gear's suggestion is Brake Buddy Stealth.

Thanks!
Pam
2008 MB
Re: Help- US Gear no longer makes Tow Brakes
Reply #2 –
How very unfortunate.  The US Gear Unified Tow Brake was a great unit for both our LD and our current coach until its most recent toad.

We went with an Air Force 1 from SMI for our current toad since our Foretravel has air brakes.  If we had a non-air brake coach and now found US Gear was no longer an option, we would go with that Stay n' Play mentioned above.  SMI's customer/technical support service is fantastic!  We had a weird problem with ours (turned out to be an installation oops) and their main tech, Logan, was incredibly thorough in helping us figure out what was going on and willing to go to bat for us with the installer if needed (it wasn't).  In fact, they asked who the installer was so they could provide them with "additional training".
Re: Help- US Gear no longer makes Tow Brakes
Reply #3 –
We chose the SMI Stay N Play Duo over the US Gear 8 years ago and have been satisfied with the choice. One of the things I didn't like about the Gear set up was the huge piston that had to be stashed generally under the driver seat. The SMI uses a much smaller one that attached directly to the brake pedal.

Jim
Re: Help- US Gear no longer makes Tow Brakes
Reply #4 –

You will find a lot of recommendations for the SMI system, many of us have used them for years.
They have good customer support. Our 12 year old unit has require only a few simple repairs.
Amazon.com: SMI 99251 Tow Brake System: Automotive

Another choice is Roadmaster's InvisiBrake.  It is a close copy of the SMI unit and cost about $100 less.
I have no experience with them.
Roadmaster Inc. - Tow Bars, Braking Systems & RV Accessories

A third choice is the Ready Brake, a cable operated, surge-type brake.
Supplemental Brake Systems
It is a lot cheaper but it doesn't fit a lot of front wheel drive cars.
It doesn't utilize the towed vehicle's vacuum brake booster and requires a much higher pedal pressure to stop the vehicle.
Both the SMI and Roadmaster brakes have vacuum pumps that maintain the booster's vacuum reservoir.
I would worry that with long term use, the Ready Brake's exceptionally high pedal pressure could damage the brake pedal mechanism or fatigue and crack the firewall, where the brake booster is mounted.
The heavier the tow vehicle, the higher the pedal pressure will be.

One option that I want with any toad brake is an indicator light that shows when the toad brake's are activated, preferably triggered off the toad's Factory brake lights.  If illuminated, it indicates that either the brake unit is activated or something has gone wrong and is causing the brakes to drag. It should light whenever the toad brake is activated.
If the brake unit is powered off the toad's battery, some way of recharging the battery needs to be incorporated.
A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is the other option I recommend. A toad can have a flat tire and give no indication of a problem until things come apart. 

Larry

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Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze