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Even Brake FAQ
There's a ton of reasons to add a supplementary braking system to your towed vehicle - or, depending on how much your towed vehicle weighs, two or three tons.
Safety is the number one reason most people add supplementary brakes. In an emergency, stopping distance is the critical factor between a close call and a two truck - or worse. Supplementary brakes take the load off your coach, and the coach and the car brake in tandem, taking significantly less time and distance to come to a controlled stop.
Supplementary brakes also relieve stress on the tow bar and the mounting brackets - a panic stop without supplementary brakes is a leading cause of tow system failure.
Supplementary brakes also reduce the chance of a catastrophic brake failure at the coach, as a result of sustained braking - for example, when you're driving down a steep grade in the mountains.
- Safety notwithstanding, here's another excellent reason to add supplementary brakes - it's the law. According to the American Automobile Association, 32 states, plus many Canadian provinces, now require supplementary brakes if the towed weight exceeds 3,000 pounds.
- And, another reason: some motorhome chassis manufacturers will void your warranty if you tow without supplementary brakes. Chevrolet will void your chassis warranty if you tow more than 1,000 pounds without supplementary brakes; Ford stipulates 1,500 pounds.
- Still another reason: supplementary brakes cut down on everyday wear and tear - on the tow bar and the bracket, and on the frame of the towed vehicle. So they last longer. And because they aren't braking for two vehicles, your coach's brakes last longer, also.
- Every other trailer on the road today has supplemental brakes - fifth wheels, travel trailers, semi-trailers - they all have their own braking systems. When you're towing a couple of extra tons, shouldn't you have a supplemental braking system to stop it?
It’s a self-contained, portable braking system that sits in front of the driver’s seat. It attaches to the brake pedal and does all the braking for your towed car proportionately to your motorhome.
Proportional braking is even braking — your towed vehicle’s brakes respond to your motorhome’s brakes, at the same time and at the same intensity.
When you brake the coach, a microporcessor inside Even Brake signals a magnetic valve to release a compensating amount of air pressure against the towed vehicle’s brake pedal, slowing the towed vehicle in direct proportion to the coach.
No. Even Brake’s ‘Terrain Sensing’ circuitry will not respond to an abrupt, up-and-down motion caused by a speed bump, pot hole or similar jolt or dip. In other words, it knows the difference between a bounce and a brake, and reacts accordingly.
Yes. Even Brake is completely portable, and after the initial installation, it only takes a minute or two to transfer it to another vehicle.
The brake pedal clamp is easy to attach and remove, and Even Brake plugs into the car’s 12-volt outlet for its power.
No. Even Brake’s exclusive ‘Power Save’ mode automatically protects against a dead battery — Even Brake warns you of a low battery in the towed vehicle with LED and LCD alerts at the motorhome monitor, giving you time to recharge the battery. If the battery’s current drops too low, Even Brake cuts power to the system (while retaining emergency braking power).
Other systems allow the battery to drain completely, forcing you to break out the jumper cables. But first, you have another problem — nobody makes 80-foot jumper cables. So you have to disengage your towed car and jockey your motorhome around to face it. Good luck!
Even Brake fits virtually all vehicles.
Installation, along with a brief overview given by your dealer, typically takes an hour. After the initial installation, it only takes a minute or two to disconnect or hook up.
Even Brake’s monitor gives you complete, continuous braking information — a glance at the monitor assures you that Even Brake is fully operational.
You can change braking force and sensitivity to fit your driving style.
And no matter what setting you chose for everyday braking, Even Brake will always respond with full pressure during an emergency stop. This is a critical advantage over ‘on-or-off’ systems, which will only brake at their pre-set level, no matter how hard you brake.
No. Anti-lock braking only works when the car’s power is on. Since the power will be turned off when you tow your vehicle, Even Brake will not interfere with your anti-lock braking system.
Even Brake is the only ‘brake in a box’ with proportional braking. It’s a better way to brake — better for your towed car and motorhome, your safety, and your peace of mind.
Even Brake comes with a host of exclusive safety and convenience features — continuous self-diagnostic testing, automatic low battery and brake protection, and constant braking information and system status, reported to you via a three-tiered motorhome monitor, are three exclusive features. Terrain-sensing logic and smoother, more responsive braking are two more.
It’s completely portable — you can set it up in a matter of minutes, and you can transfer it from car to car just as fast.
It’s designed better — its feet are set wide apart, to form a stable, solid platform, and its air cylinder is angled to the floor, for the same reason. A high-performance air compressor takes less time to charge — Even Brake is ready for the next stop nearly twice as fast as the leading competitor.
It’s made by ROADMASTER, the acknowledged leader in RV towing products. More people put their trust in ROADMASTER towing systems than in any other brand.
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