9700 features. Roadmaster RM3477

Why do towed vehicles

Towing and Suspension Solutions

need supplemental brakes?

Safety

Safety is the number one reason most

people add supplemental brakes to their towed vehicles. In an emergency, stopping distance is the critical factor between a close call and a tow truck — or worse.

Supplemental brakes take the load off the motorhome, and the motorhome and the towed vehicle brake in tandem, taking significantly less time and distance to come to a controlled stop — about 33% less distance, in a study by ROADMASTER

(see the chart to the right).

It’s required

According to the American Automobile

Association, most states — plus many

Canadian provinces — now require supplemental brakes if the towed weight exceeds 3,000 pounds (see the map on the next page).

Motorhome chassis warranty

Workhorse will void your chassis warranty if you tow more than 1,000 pounds without supplemental brakes; Ford stipulates 1,500 pounds.

Wear and tear

Because they aren’t braking for two vehicles, your motorhome’s brakes last longer.

Test data — motorhome: 34-foot 1996 Winnebago Adventurer, Ford Superduty chassis with a 460 gas engine; GVWR: 17,000 pounds; brakes: hydraulic four-wheel disc. Towed vehicle: 1995 Oldsmobile

Aurora; GVWR: 4,690 pounds (actual test weight: 4,110 pounds). Braking pressure: 80 pounds of force directed to the brake pedal representing a “hard stop.”

Safety First!

Supplemental brakes take the load off the motorhome, and the motorhome and the towed vehicle brake in tandem.

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