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Need a device

tarnold
Explorer
Explorer
What can be had to show when my brake lights are activated on my toad. My ‘kit” came with an led and a lot of wire to splice into the brake wiring and run to the front of the motor home. Don’t want to have to keep unplugging each time and running any more wires. So what can send a signal about 40 ft and let me know?
19 REPLIES 19

Bobbo
Explorer II
Explorer II
tarnold wrote:
Op here, been camping for a few days and no service. Some good points above. What I’m after is knowing when the towed brake pedal is being depressed and releasing. I know that when I press the MH brake, the toad lights will come on, has 4 diodes installed. Had a mental lapse this last trip and adjusted the brake cable WITHOUT having the arms extended all the way after just hooking up. When we took off the arms extended tighten the brake cable and activated the toad brakes, and drug it 100 feet on gravel driveway before getting out to chec everything again. An indicator would have alerted me to this.

Read my post immediately before this post of yours. That is EXACTLY what I did, and exactly WHY I did it. The hot wire to the third brake light is not activated by your MH brakes, only by the car's brake pedal. If the car also has a trailer power connector to tow its own trailer, you can choose to hook to that. It also is not powered by the MH brakes.
Bobbo and Lin
2017 F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab w/Max Tow Package 3.5l EcoBoost V6
2017 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB

tarnold
Explorer
Explorer
Op here, been camping for a few days and no service. Some good points above. What I’m after is knowing when the towed brake pedal is being depressed and releasing. I know that when I press the MH brake, the toad lights will come on, has 4 diodes installed. Had a mental lapse this last trip and adjusted the brake cable WITHOUT having the arms extended all the way after just hooking up. When we took off the arms extended tighten the brake cable and activated the toad brakes, and drug it 100 feet on gravel driveway before getting out to chec everything again. An indicator would have alerted me to this.

Bobbo
Explorer II
Explorer II
When I installed the ReadyBrute Elite tow bar between my (previous) Class C and towed car, I bought their indicator light. It had me run from a hot wire under the dash to the light, then a LONG wire to the back of the RV where there was a connector. The other side of the connector went to GROUND. The tow bar had a matching connector that just grounded the two wires together when the tow bar activated the brakes. I was unhappy with that because I wasn't interested in when the tow bar brakes activated, I wanted to know when the car brakes activated. A subtle point, but an important one to me. I put a 12v normally open relay between the towed car's third brake light hot wire and ground. Then I ran a long wire to the front of the car and installed a matching connector, and made a 4-ish foot long jumper to go from the front of the car to the back of the RV. After that, if the brakes on the car DIDN'T activate, I knew it (because the light did not come on). Or, if the brakes got locked on and dragging, I knew it (because the light stayed on).

Once installed, it was absolutely no problem. Connect the jumper wire at both ends and it was done.
Bobbo and Lin
2017 F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab w/Max Tow Package 3.5l EcoBoost V6
2017 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB

bucky
Explorer II
Explorer II
I'm curious why we wouldn't trust our brake lights. Most MH tail lights are wider than a probable toad and therefore visible to following vehicles. We don't go hooking up mirrors and what all to our everyday trucks and cars. A light that comes on just because the pedal is moved proves nothing.
Get a HF or where ever magnetic trailer light harness that plugs into a 4 way as a secondary if wanted. They are 25' long and extensions are available if needed.
Puma 30RKSS

travisc
Explorer
Explorer
Road master makes a small transmitter and receiver I installed with my deacon stay and play, I’m happy with it

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Roadmaster/RM-9530.html
Winnebago Access 24V

RichB3125
Explorer
Explorer
My AF1 system came with a wireless beeper that activates with the toad brakes. At a light, it was annoying to have the beeper on but I found that I can ease off the brakes and the toad brakes release before the coach brakes. You can miss a light on your dash but can’t miss the beeper. It is loud enough that I buried it in my overhead cabinet.

Rich

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you wnjj, obviously you think outside the box a little. wa8yxm didn't read the OP's follow up when he said he really can't see his towed.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II

wnjj
Explorer II
Explorer II
wa8yxm wrote:
D.E.Bishop wrote:
Go to Ebay and search for wireless trailer lights. I foun one "buy it now" for $45.


These do NOT answer the Original poster's need

These are for telling the person tailgating you he should be standing on his brakes.

O/P wanted to know when the car's brakes were active (he's in front of the car)

Like I said a Switched light powered by the brake light switched lead (And then a toggle switch to shut it off when driving) on the dash. Use a 1136 LED equivlent (a very very bright led) so you can see it in the rear view.. (I have a led strip that backs up another sensor on the car and sadly I can't always see it due to sun wash so make sure it is BRIGHT.

I don’t think the wireless trailer lights care if they send the signal backward or forward. He can put a trailer light near the motor home driver’s area and “tow” it with the car he’s towing. In other words when the car “steps on the brakes” it lights up the “trailer” lights for the motor home driver.

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
D.E.Bishop wrote:
Go to Ebay and search for wireless trailer lights. I foun one "buy it now" for $45.


These do NOT answer the Original poster's need

These are for telling the person tailgating you he should be standing on his brakes.

O/P wanted to know when the car's brakes were active (he's in front of the car)

Like I said a Switched light powered by the brake light switched lead (And then a toggle switch to shut it off when driving) on the dash. Use a 1136 LED equivlent (a very very bright led) so you can see it in the rear view.. (I have a led strip that backs up another sensor on the car and sadly I can't always see it due to sun wash so make sure it is BRIGHT.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
Go to Ebay and search for wireless trailer lights. I foun one "buy it now" for $45.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II

way2roll
Nomad III
Nomad III
When we had our MH I just installed the light that came with the ready brute elite kit. I used a Blue Ox extra light kit mounted in the lens so I was running the wire anyway. It's really not that hard and you are unplugging the lights anyway, one more wire made no difference.
2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
I have seen folks argue with this but there are basicaly two different types of towed light systems. One uses the main "Service" lamps activated via a diode pack that is often under the dash. the other is used different bulbs for towing and driving..

The brake light switch (Which is usually under the dash) has two leads. one is "hot" (12 volt battery side of ignation switch) only thing between it and the battery is a fuse.

The other side is switched (Goes to the diode pack if you have one via the turn signal switch OR to the brake lights via the turn signal switch)

Tap this wire.
lay an LED assembly on the dash (Secure it)
Where your Back Up cam can see it clearly.

OPtion 2:
Upgrade the flat 4 or 6 pin connector to a 7 use the additional pin
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

Ava
Explorer
Explorer
My Roadmaster Invisibrake has a wire that connects to the cold side of the brake pedal. When the brake pedal activates, it turns on an LED on my motorhome dash but only if the pedal physically moves. I think you could wire a simple version of that as well.

Community Alumni
Not applicable
I have a Jeep Wrangler with the M&G Engineering brake system, that system has a way to hook up a signal light when the brakes are applied. A safety light for when and if the break away is activated.

The signal light was installed in the Jeep, a good LED light that attached to the visor worked like a champ. When I hit the brakes I could look back, via rear view camera, and see my signal light come on, life was good.

Then one day I was stopped at a stop light in Layton Utah where I and other cars were stopped including the PD Officer that swooped in behind me with lights on, WHAT THE?? Then I saw the smoke coming from the Jeep I did managed to get to the side of the road and after 2 PD officers a Fire Engine and an Ambulance (I guess us old guys have a habit of falling over during extreme stress).

Long story short the Jeep fire went out when I stopped (front Brakes). The break away was pulled when I left Charlies's Service and applied the brakes I was looking forward and in heavy traffic and the lighting was not good for me to see the light in the Jeep. Bottom line the light was not a good way to see when the brakes were applied, you are not looking back all the time.

The fix was to run the light, a bright red LED, to the dash and redo the electric wiring from the MH to the Jeep. Now when the brakes are applied by me or the break away I know it now not in a few minutes when I can look.

The Jeep was still towable with no break away and was repaired, Hubs, brakes and calipers and some related parts, under $1000.00.
The cost to install the signal light was a lot less.

Your call but it is better up front where you can see the light when it comes on.
JimR

ps I did not have a heart attack so the ambulance went hone