| Author | Message | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.154.177.14)
Rating: |
I am posting a post I had on the Mak's board and got no response. I don't have this done and do need advice on the towbar, brake system. I plan to use a folding "A" frame towbar because it is cheaper and has one less potential failure point, the adjustable arms. Looks like the simplest toad braking system is Blue Ox Autostop. Cable attached to brake pedal is pulled by the the forward action of the towbar against the hitch. Must be a lever or pully to reverse the direction of pull. Adjustment is with turnbuckle. Break away protection is provided by another cable that runs through a one way fitting like a camlock/camcleat on a sailboat and is loosely connected to the towing vehicle. If there is a breakaway, the cable pulls taught and locks taught in the one way fitting. Will need a weak link, I guess, maybe just light enough cable to snap when it bears all the load. What I envision is an towbar baseplate which has a large transverse bar roatating a partial turn in th same axis as the wheels. The tow bar would attach to two levers or arms attached to the bottom of the rotating bar, one one each side. On the top of the bar would be another "actuating" arm which moves in the opposite direction from the two bar attachments. A cable would be attached here, and through a turnbuckle to a loop around the brake pedal arm. The tow bar moves back, the upper arm moves forward and pulls on the brake, applying the brakes. A strong spring from the actuating arm would require enough stopping force to overcome the spring before brakes would be applied preventing brake application while just coasting. The cam for the break away could be made from a loose metal cam with teeth, pinned in a channel that the breakaway cable passes through. Breakaway cable goes to same brake pedal arm position or could attach to turnbuckle. Only necessary adjustment is to have a little slack on the car side and on the bus side of the cam. Cable could be coiled and taped in a coil to provide a little more clearance from bus before the breakaway brake activates. It will probably be a good idea to have a heavy tie wrap or something to hold the cable in place at he cam preventing vibration causing the cable to move and set while brakes are applied. This system would provide preadjusted braking any time the toad is towed by any vehicle, and the breakaway cable need only be attached to a point on the towing vehicle bumper, frame or hitch. I plan to have both our cars towable with driveshaft disconnects and toad brakes built on each car. Doing some of this myself makes sense. I'll take the final welding to a pro. For those that are considering Remco driveshaft disconnects, they are all the same. A used one can be welded up to a different driveshaft for $150. Yoke may need modification, but that should be easy for a bus nut. Check "Hitch Trader" for good deals and be patient. I paid $100 for one and $150 for the other. For commonly towed vehicles you can find a complete used unit for that price that is a bolt up for your vehicle. For a less common car you will need to have it attached to your driveshaft for $150 to $160. If anybody has done any of this already, please let me have the benefit of your experience. And I welcome brainstorming on the subject. Project is not started yet, though I do have the tow bar and two drive shaft disconnects. | ||
| jmaxwell (66.42.92.24) Rating: N/A |
Steve: Just an opinion. U start by stating you're keeping it simple and cheap and then describe what sounds like a cable, spring, and cam arm mess that would take a rocket scientist to assemble and adjust, keeping in mind that anything that needs adjusting in the 1st place eventually needs re-adjusting. And while you're at it, get an adjustable arm towbar of some type, believe me, they make life a lot simpler. I have seen 2 or 3 of the A frame Blue Ox's with broken welds at the swing brackets. Seems like the heavier the toad, the more prone they are to break. | ||
| Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat) (68.7.217.217)
Rating: N/A |
I did the Remco driveshaft decoupler thing, and I had a few problems. Now this was 15 years ago so things may have changed... First, the cable arrangement they had to engage/disengage the unit was totally mickey mouse and worked horribly. I ended up dumping it and just crawling under the car every time I wanted to engage or disengage, and doing it manually. Second, I had a professional do the driveshaft cutting and rewelding, and either he didnt' follow instructions, or Remco sold me a pile o' poo... it was balanced fine but only in one of the two positions it could lock in to. In the other position it vibrated so badly that I thought something was going to explode! Remco has specific instructions on how to weld and balance the things, which need to be carefully attended to. Otherwise you might end up as I did having to try it twice to get it right everytime you recouple. Other than that it was a good unit. Heh heh don't do like I did and tow your car 50 miles before you realize you forgot to stick your key in the ingition and unlock the steering wheel.... I did it just once and a two week old pair of brand new michelins was reduced to bare tread in a little over an hour... the wheels were not quite straight but quite locked...duh.... Gary | ||
| smoky (12.222.48.5) Rating: N/A |
why not buy a 4X4 such as a cherokee or s-10 blazer that already has a "N" posistion on the transfer case. my wife and I both have Jeep cherokees mine weighs 3050 lb and hers is 3275 lb either tows very nice Smoky | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.130.10.105)
Rating: N/A |
Smokey, I had a 4X4 that I never towed. SUVs are a little top heavy. I prefer a sedan on the highway so I don't have to drive by the seat of my pants to tell if I am going to roll. I like the sedans I have and am willing to do the disconnect to have the car I want with me. JMaxwell, it is simpler than it sounds in written description. Adjustment will not be a problem as long as the full range of action can pull the brake pedal almost to the floor. THe cable is adjusted to the pedal, not the calipers so it should need only an occasional tightening as the cable stretches. Gary, I will be having a shop in Ocala, FL weld it up. They do a lot of Remcos and have done my model car many times. I will ask them about the balance problem you refer to. I have to make up my own release cable and I was thinking of using a rod or heavier cable. After what you have said, I will. Thanks for the advice. | ||
| smoky (12.222.48.5) Rating: N/A |
I see, I've always owned A suv even when they were not considered trendy its what we're accustomed to. Its funny because whenever we ride in a car it seems so strange to sit so low smoky |
