Blue Ox 2013 Dinghy Towing Guide - Manual (Page 26)

Dinghy Braking Systems
I
f you’re like a lot of motorhome owners,
you’d probably like to put a bumper sticker
on the back of your towed vehicle that
reads, “It’s a motorhome thing. You wouldn’t
understand.” Because only motorhome own-
ers realize the benefi ts of dinghy towing — the
freedom to travel anywhere without having to
break camp. But when you’re shopping for the
necessary equipment to tow a vehicle behind
your motorhome, don’t stop at the tow bar and
baseplate. A supplemental dinghy brake system
— designed to apply the brakes in the towed
vehicle when the coach’s brakes are applied —
should be considered a necessity as well.
Anytime you tow something and apply the
brakes, that towed load is going to push on
the coach, extending its stopping distance.
For that reason, some chassis manufacturers
specify that towed loads in excess of 1,500
pounds should have independent brakes and
safety breakaway systems.
The fact that dinghy brakes are not always
required by law in all states is inconsequential.
Many state and local governments are either
unfamiliar with the practice of dinghy tow-
ing, or simply have not considered it, but that
doesn’t mean towing without supplemental
dinghy braking is a safe practice.
Fortunately, there are a number of dinghy
braking systems on the market. Some are com-
pletely portable (easily transferable from one ve-
hicle to another) some are semi-portable (can be
used in another vehicle with some exceptions)
and some are permanent (require modifi cation
to coach and/or dinghy and therefore can’t be
transferred from one vehicle to the next).
This year a couple of new systems were
introduced to the market. The BrakeBuddy
Stealth is the latest from Hopkins and it can
be installed in an inconspicuous place virtually
anywhere in the dinghy vehicle. From Danko,
the RViBrake2 is the fi rst unit to have a tire
air pressure monitor as part of the package.
Refi nements from Roadmaster and Blue Ox
continue to make braking devices more effec-
tive and user friendly.
The popular systems on the following
pages — those from Blue Ox, BrakeBuddy,
Roadmaster and RViBrake — generally have a
signifi cant edge in ease of installation. Use of
a dinghy-braking device saves wear and tear
on your coach’s brakes, while providing the
confi dence of state and provincial compliance
and safe travels.
More complete and better than ever
by Chris Hemer
26 | 2013 GUIDE TO DINGHY TOWING www.motorhome.com
P24x34-2013_dinghy_guide_accessories.indd 26 1/25/13 3:59 PM