SMI vs. US Gear toad brake

John_Canfield · 08-01-2005, 12:29 PM

My buddy decided on the US Gear Unified Tow Brake (and he likes it) and I was leaning toward buying that one for the new Jeep Liberty toad.

I'm a lurker on the Newmar forum and some folks there were extolling the virtues of the SMI system. It looks pretty good, particulary the silent partner model which is wireless control to the toad unit. Also the brake actuator is a cylinder that mounts on the brake pedal arm and pulls on a cable dead-ended on the firewall. The SMI system looks pretty slick.

Comments?

--John

John_Canfield · 08-01-2005, 12:29 PM

My buddy decided on the US Gear Unified Tow Brake (and he likes it) and I was leaning toward buying that one for the new Jeep Liberty toad.

I'm a lurker on the Newmar forum and some folks there were extolling the virtues of the SMI system. It looks pretty good, particulary the silent partner model which is wireless control to the toad unit. Also the brake actuator is a cylinder that mounts on the brake pedal arm and pulls on a cable dead-ended on the firewall. The SMI system looks pretty slick.

Comments?

--John

Dave Smalley · 08-01-2005, 02:23 PM

John I have a SMI system. It works great very easy to hook up and test makes you feel safe. I did purchase a New m/h like yours and switched the system over had a little problrm but the hot line helped out till problem solved.

JanBCarter · 08-01-2005, 04:05 PM

John: We've just bought an '05 Liberty for a toad, so I've also been looking over auxiliary brake systems. The SMI units look like a very sanitary installation and stay away from clamping something onto the brake pedal which seems kind of mickey mouse to me. However I don't like the thought of messing with the TOAD brake system by cutting into the vacuum line either (for warranty as well as other reasons). I'll look for your follow-up comments with interest on this subject.

bobpie · 08-01-2005, 04:19 PM

you still clamp something to your brake peddle with the SMI (Mickey Mouse)

JanBCarter · 08-01-2005, 05:45 PM

Bobpie: Thanks for the input. If I understand it however the link is not something that is taken off and on to use the vehicle (as with the brake pro or others). It is a cable that pulls on the brake pedal when activated and stays attached during normal operation of the toad. When the driver uses the brakes in normal operation, the cable slackens when the brakes are applied. Please correct me if this assumption is not correct so we have the right info. Thanks

Fred B. · 08-01-2005, 06:02 PM

Jan,
I installed the SMI unit & it works great. Like the idea of just turning it on & off we go. I didn't cut the vacuumn line, I just pulled it off of the source, put in their Tee & a short length of vacuumn line with the check valve in it. If it took me a minute to uninstall the vacuumn set up I'm sure I would be yakking to somebody. (probably about how good this system is).

GreyDog · 08-01-2005, 06:55 PM

John,
It seems we are tracking on very similar gadget paths. I have the SMI unit. Before purchasing SMI, I evaluated numerous other solutions (including US Gear). I felt the US Gear was the best of breed because of the in the cockpit manual control. US Gear's solution is labor intensive and expensive to purchase and install. US Gear requires hard-wiring through the whole rig and toad.
SMI, on the other hand, can be self-installed. The manufacturer (owner) is an avid RVer and very accomodating. They were of great assistance during the installation process. Additionally, their after market support is excellent. The technology employed by SMI is both proportional and progressive...to actuate the system, two conditions must be present; brake application and inertial shift. There is no easier system to use while navigating the byways and highways of the North American continent.

John_Canfield · 08-02-2005, 02:41 AM

First poster Dave - welcome to the forum.

Thanks all for the comments about US Gear/SMI.

Jan -
It is a fact of life for toad braking that there is some rube goldberg engineering to actuate the brake peddle. Some push (the so-called brake in a box) and some pull via a cable (US Gear & SMI).

US Gear uses a cylinder that mounts under the seat or on the firewall and pulls the brake arm via a cable & pulley directly under the brake peddle arm. SMI uses a cylinder bolted on the peddle arm and pulls on a very short cable attached to the firewall. Both systems are intended to be permanently mounted.

I'm looking for a permanent mount system because I don't want to move a box around. Storage space is priceless, especially since we will be full-timing when we get rid of the stick house. We lived on a sailboat for a few years and every cubic inch of space was accounted for.

--John

ISLAPP · 08-02-2005, 04:33 AM

I am very happy with my SMI wireless unit. The box in the car wouldnt fit under my seat. The seat was just a tad to low to the floor. So I have it sitting on the floor behind the seat. If I need the space for passengers, it takes about 1 minute to move the box out of the way.
The control panel inside the motorhome gives you the ability to adjust the response any time you need it. For example, if you are on city streets where you dont need alot of toad braking, you use that setting. The is the setting I usually leave it in. It works fine for expressways etc. also. But the other weekend, we were in W. Va. on some pretty stiff down hills. I switched it to the latch position which gave me instant braking on the toad along with the motorhome to help keep the speed down on the downhill. That way the toad isnt "pushing" the motorhome down the hill.
I did elect to have a dealer instal the portion in the car. I installed the motorhome side of it. And I agree the mfg. is more than helpful with any questions you have.
Mike

Kiwi · 08-02-2005, 05:28 AM

John,
If you have a diesel pusher with air brakes, please don't exclude the M&G Engineering system from your evaluation/search.

The system is so simple, foolproof, and maintenance free that it is well worth a look.

Essentially it puts air over hydraulic brakes on your toad. Yet, the brakes do not apply with only exhaust brake activation.

Walt

tomsm · 08-02-2005, 10:15 AM

John,
I agree with Walt. Unless you've already investigated and eliminated the M&G system, you really should look into it. Some of most knowledgeable posters like Cruzer and Joe-K have had positive things to say about it. You do have to accept Freightliner's CYA statement, but in MHO, that's all it is.

The system uses zero electronics (nothing to fail) and doesn't move your brake pedal. In fact, nothing is installed inside the toad. The actuator is between the vacuum booster and the master cylinder.

If you should decide on the M&G, the shop that installed mine is fairly close to you. It's a small one-man shop, but Pete does a very professional job. Here's a link

John_Canfield · 08-02-2005, 11:46 AM

Tom & Walt,

M&G has a very loyal following and the unit has simplicity on its side for sure. I'm just very very reticent to tee into the Freightliner air brake plumbing. I realize it is a very small risk, but nonetheless it is still a calculated risk the the M&G won't have a catastropic failure which affects the coach braking. I just can't get past this fear...

--John

3huskies · 08-02-2005, 01:16 PM

Jan,
I use the Brake Buddy and there is nothing mickey mouse about it's clamping system at all. Very easy to connect and disconnect and rock solid and no screwing with the mh brake system. There is a reason it is the most popular system out there...reliability. There is also no problem storing it. It's basically a 1'square box.

MKCROSS · 08-02-2005, 03:52 PM

John,

I chose the US Gear Unified Tow Brake, and I must say I'm very happy with it. Installed it myself, so I know the job was done right. I have only one umbilical to hookup. I like the fact that nothing is visible inside the Honda CRV. Also like the ability to adjust the system from the cockpit of the motor home, and the LED indicators show me the system is hooked up and how much braking power is being applied. I can't think of any disadvantages.

LouRobin · 08-02-2005, 03:58 PM

John
I have the US Gear Unified Tow Brake, it has proven to work easy and well. It should for the price I paid. I am not mechanical and had it installed in my Itasca Sunflyer, uninstalled, and reinstalled in my Ultimate Freedom..whew by the time I paid for all of that the wife tells me we can NEVER trade motorhomes again...we can't afford to transfer the tow brake !!!!!!!!!
Works well, but it sure seems there is major competition out there that gives it a run for the "money" when it comes to installationS !!

Kiwi · 08-03-2005, 10:30 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John_Canfield:
Tom & Walt,

M&G has a very loyal following and the unit has simplicity on its side for sure. I'm just very very reticent to tee into the Freightliner air brake plumbing. I realize it is a very small risk, but nonetheless it is still a calculated risk the the M&G won't have a catastropic failure which affects the coach braking. I just can't get past this fear...

--John </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I had the same fear so did nothing for a year. Then I got a hole in my air bag the size of a pencil (twice the size of the air brake line). I just hissed and hissed, but the bag stayed up. This is because the compressor has sufficient excess capacity to handle a continuous leak of this size with no adverse effect on air bags or braking.

Now, the brake line is not continuously being fed. It only gets a squirt of air when the brake pedal is pushed. So, you could totally lose the fittings and have an open hole, with no loss of brakes on coach.

The system is so simple and so effective that it is really worth looking into. I have talked to so many people with the box, or cable or cylinder system that wish they had it to do over again.

Nothing is installed or rigged up in the driving compartment. The air cylinder that extends the master cylinder is of superior quality machining. It could be a part built to NASA specs.

If you were closer, I would ask you to poke a blank air fitting in the back of the coach then we could drive around with the thing leaking at 100%. There would be no loss of pressure on the rear tank.

AND.... should you lose all of the rear tank, you still have the front...

Thousands of people have this system and love it. I have talked to so many that have maladjusted inside the car contraptions. Some have smoked their toad brakes due to poor adjustment.

With M&G there is no calibration or adjustment. Air is air.

Walt

John_Canfield · 08-03-2005, 03:06 PM

Walt (& Tom),

You guys have pretty much removed the fear I had about using the coach's air for toad braking. Thanks for taking the time to explain the benign nature of the M&G system.

Since I worked past that fear, I went on to other M&G installation matters. It appears that there is a battery clearance issue with the Jeep Liberty when the doohickey is installed between the brake cylinder and the booster. So that is something to be dealt with. Then break-away provisions need to be made.

The M&G is a system that I would not attempt to install myself - so we would have to drive the coach and toad separately to that place Tom recommended. (Mind you, I'm not against writing a check for that kind of job!)

Like Tigger said: think think think think think think

--John

CalTex · 08-03-2005, 06:53 PM

John, I had my M&G system installed by M&G. Fortunately they are only about 20 miles away. It took them all of 20 minutes to install the unit on my Tahoe, another 10 to put the connector on the coach. After a year of use, I have no doubt that it is the easiest unit to use, plug in the air hose, connect the breakaway and you're ready.

DriVer · 08-03-2005, 08:17 PM

Check my "new" signature. Review to follow! I met Peter here in Casa Grande one of the owners of the SMI's™ Vacuum-Assisted Braking System, and I was sold hook line and sinker.

At the event I am participating in, SMI started off with a bunch of units perhaps 15 or so and going into the 2nd day of the event the pile is shrinking remarkably.

I asked Pete a question that is keeping within my techee curiosity and I asked, "Which version of the SMI are you currently building?". He quite candidly told me, "We're still on version #1 because we haven't found anything that needed improvement."