Troubleshooting Roadmaster Even Brake Locking up the Brakes on Towed Vehicle

Question:

I have a Winnebago Tour 40foot diesel towing a Honda Fit manual transmission and have been using an Even Brake. I have had a number of occurences of the brake being applied on the Toad and then not releasing. Typically this has occured when I do fairly hard braking in the RV like being cut off by a car, etc. In general, the car is so lite that the brakes do not even come on much when being towed normally. The issue has created enough problems that I really hate to use the Even Brake unit. I am probably switching my Toad to a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel and thinking I probably need to go with an alternate type of system. Any thoughts?

asked by: Gary A

Expert Reply:

What you are experiencing is due to the Roadmaster Even Brake # RM-9400 having an inertia sensor built into it. The inertia sensor will detect deceleration and apply the brakes in proportion to how hard you applied the brakes in your RV.

I spoke with my contact at Roadmaster and he informed me that what is happening in your situation is not uncommon. Since the inertia sensor will apply the brakes really hard when you apply the brakes hard in your RV, if you do not come to a complete stop or start to accelerate again the Even Brake will think that you are still needing to stop so the brakes will still be applied. You will need to accelerate again to get the Even Brake to let off the brake.

One of the great things about a supplemental braking system that is portable, like the Even Brake, is that it can be transferred between different vehicles. Meaning that it can be used for many years to come.

If, however, you would rather go with a different supplemental braking system for a Jeep Grand Cherokee then I recommend going with the Air Force One # SM99243 since your Winnebago has air brakes. Many systems use the coach's brake lights to trigger the braking of the toad. With air brakes this can cause false braking because the RV's brake lights come on with the exhaust brake and you won't want the Jeep to brake in this situation. The Air Force One does not use the motorhome's brake lights so you won't have this issue.

Also, if you can let me know what the year of your Grand Cherokee is (or what it will be) then I can give you some recommendations on other equipment that you will need to flat tow your Jeep.

expert reply by: Jon G