Towing 4 Down

[NooTrucker]

Cable is inside a sheath from front of car to brake pedal. Does not affect brake feel when driving. But some people do unhook cable at pedal when driving just to keep cable from kinking or something. I have ReadyBrake on my CMax and my New Ranger and have found them to be very reliable and effective. On my installations, I did not use their inner cable, replacing it with 3/32” stainless cable. If you don’t do that, at least thoroughly lube the inner cable’s full length before inserting it in the sheath.

I've decided on the entire Ready Brute syten, and am trying to decide whether to install the system myself or pay a dealer to install it (they quoted $1,607 to install the baseplate, wiring, braking system, breakaway and dash light). Where exactly do you drill the hole in the firewall for the sheathed brake cable? I haven't inspected my truck yet, but am wondering if there is plenty of room to drill the hole and install the cable through the drywall and engine compartment.

Why did you use a different cable than NSA supplies with their braking system? Do you have the Ready Brute Elite tow bar in addition to the Ready Brake system. Did you install it all yourself?

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[Jmckinley]

Is the $1607 just labor or does it include all the components? If just labor, that’s a lot of money. On the Ranger you could do it yourself without a lift in your garage easily in a day. Check etrailer.com for component pricing for comparison to what the dealer is charging. My Ranger baseplate, for example, was ~$400.

I’m using a Roadmaster fixed bar. All that telescoping stuff is just asking for reliability problems. Fixed bar is ~$200.

As for inner cable, they NSA supplies a galvanized cable. In time the coating wears off, then the cable will rust and start to stick. There’s plenty of force to apply the brake, but not much force available to release so toad brakes will eventually not fully release and then you have problems. If you don’t go to stainless, be sure to lube the hell out of the inner cable before inserting it into the cable housing at installation. Check it often to be sure it moves freely.

ReadyBrake is a good company and stand behind their products. Call them if you have problems. They’ll take good care of you.

 

[NooTrucker]

The $1,607 is just for labor. The dealer wants $2,100 for the parts, which is $300 higher than the package price listed on NSA's own website. Etrailer doesn't have all of the same parts, but their prices are similar to NSA's website prices. I want to go with everything from NSA, rather than piecing together different brands. I don't want to pay the dealer a higher price than the NSA website. I also think their labor total is high.

Where exactly do you drill the hole in the firewall for the sheathed brake cable? I haven't inspected my truck yet, but am wondering if there is plenty of room to drill the hole and install the cable through the drywall and engine compartment. If the breakaway system is installed, it looks like you need to drill two holes through the firewall.

 

[Jmckinley]

I’ll try to take a photo of where I brought the cable through the firewall. Lots of room in engine compartment to work, just a long way off the ground. My C Max hybrid, however, was a bear. Very crowded in there with the extra added hazard of big orange 400 volt wires running around. Drilling into one of those would have been very unfortunate.

 

[RoadtripsOfUnusualSize]

This thread has been great reading. We sold our Jeep Liberty toad this week and upgraded to an almost new 2019 XLT (only 141 miles). I've got the Blue Ox baseplate and LED diode wiring kit on order now from etrailer. I'm also picking up a breakaway module and round-6 wiring socket for the front. Reading valuable info here, I learned about 12v plug timeouts and ordered a 12 volt outlet that will be wired to the battery. I'll be reusing my Patriot II braking system and existing tow bar bits and bobs.

We are full-time RVers, active hikers, and paddlers. The Ranger will be more capable than our Liberty was as we bounce around in wilderness areas. Thanks for all the great info people have contributed to this thread.

www.youtube.com/c/roadtripsofunusualsize

 

[Bsenecal]

This thread has been great reading. We sold our Jeep Liberty toad this week and upgraded to an almost new 2019 XLT (only 141 miles). I've got the Blue Ox baseplate and LED diode wiring kit on order now from etrailer. I'm also picking up a breakaway module and round-6 wiring socket for the front. Reading valuable info here, I learned about 12v plug timeouts and ordered a 12 volt outlet that will be wired to the battery. I'll be reusing my Patriot II braking system and existing tow bar bits and bobs.

We are full-time RVers, active hikers, and paddlers. The Ranger will be more capable than our Liberty was as we bounce around in wilderness areas. Thanks for all the great info people have contributed to this thread.

www.youtube.com/c/roadtripsofunusualsize

Congratulations on the almost new Ranger. My wife and I are looking to join the full-time RV club in less than 3 years when we retire. We have a 2019 Ranger and plan to install the same baseplate from Blue ox in the spring to tow behind our 2018 Jayco Precept v-10.
I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
Brian

 

[RoadtripsOfUnusualSize]

Question for you towers. I'm starting my (Blue Ox) components installation tomorrow. I've got to find a front bumper location for both the 6-pin socket and the breakaway module. But, right in the center of the bumper is the Adaptive Cruise and the Pre-collision radar sensor. It's a black 6" x 6" block mounted vertically. I'm worried about putting my tow pieces near that sensor and interfering with its operation. For those of you who have mounted items in that area, how did you work around that radar sensor? I could mount these pieces under the bumper, but that gets them much closer to the road surface.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Question for you towers. I'm starting my (Blue Ox) components installation tomorrow. I've got to find a front bumper location for both the 6-pin socket and the breakaway module. But, right in the center of the bumper is the Adaptive Cruise and the Pre-collision radar sensor. It's a black 6" x 6" block mounted vertically. I'm worried about putting my tow pieces near that sensor and interfering with its operation. For those of you who have mounted items in that area, how did you work around that radar sensor? I could mount these pieces under the bumper, but that gets them much closer to the road surface.

Hi John,

I packaged my connectors and wiring to fit my Alfa Diesel Pusher anywhere I needed for a clean in stall. Breakaway swith is left and above the ACC module...Have towed with this set up for about 2000 miles...no issues with the tow or with the Ranger on its own with the stowed wiring.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

 

[Pvsaint]

I used a piece of aluminum angle iron and attached it to the bolt that holds the bumper.

 

[RoadtripsOfUnusualSize]

I used a piece of aluminum angle iron and attached it to the bolt that holds the bumper.

Wow. You're right next to that sensor. Any issues with the operation or performance of your adaptive cruise functions? Thanks for the photos of your setup.

 

[RoadtripsOfUnusualSize]

I got the charge line run today and now have an RVi Towed Battery Charger under the pickup's hood. The connection is successfully run from the motorhome's dash fuse box, 32' to the 7-pin hitch socket, through the coiled umbilical, to the battery charger and battery.

I tried to start the next project of running the breakaway cable and 12v power port, but I absolutely could not get through the firewall. Very frustrating. But, I read some threads here about how people have done it and about a tool that helps. So, I'll tackle that on another day.

RVi Toad Battery Charger Plus

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I got the charge line run today and now have an RVi Towed Battery Charger under the pickup's hood. The connection is successfully run from the motorhome's dash fuse box, 32' to the 7-pin hitch socket, through the coiled umbilical, to the battery charger and battery.

I tried to start the next project of running the breakaway cable and 12v power port, but I absolutely could not get through the firewall. Very frustrating. But, I read some threads here about how people have done it and about a tool that helps. So, I'll tackle that on another day.

RVi Toad Battery Charger Plus

Hi John,

I ran 8 wires of 16 gauge through the large electrical grommet to the left of the steering column below the ABS module. Not all that hard.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[RoadtripsOfUnusualSize]

Hi Phil. I plan to tackle that firewall task again this weekend. Confidence is low, but I really need to figure this out. My Patriot II braking system requires it.

 

[Pvsaint]

Wow. You're right next to that sensor. Any issues with the operation or performance of your adaptive cruise functions? Thanks for the photos of your setup.

No problems with the ACC. I use it regularly really like it.
For going through the fire wall I use this tool to go through the rubber grommet on the side of the wiring harness.
Wire Insertion Tool - Piercing

 

[TimmyB]

It takes me about 5 to 6 minutes of extra time, so in retirement...no biggie! and no bolt holes in the floor pan.

Phil, I also use the portable system, Patriot II from Blue Ox. I'm glad to see you and some others doing this without issue. I do have a couple of questions about the battery issues. First, when I had my baseplate and wiring put in my Explorer by a VERY experienced and reputable shop in Florida, they put in a trickle charge line from rv to the Explorer so that the battery would not become fully drained while towing. When I told them the Explorer requires me to disconnect the battery after placing the transmission in neutral, they said nah, no need to do that. Well, after I left there, I panicked and said I'm not going to screw up my transmission, so I bought a portable jump starter with a 12v cigarette lighter plug for my braking system and disconnected the battery every time. Was this necessary in this vehicle?

Secondly, since the 12v plugs in the Ranger Limited time out, could I continue to use this power pack or should I run a hot wire as you did?

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