This article is about the top five flat tow braking systems that I can recommend for your RV.

And of course, braking is one of the most important and major parts of flat towing. So you need to get it right!

And without a braking system for the towed vehicle, all the braking pressure is put on the tow vehicle up front instead.

Now this can actually work okay under most circumstances. But what if you get into hard braking situations where you really need as much braking as you can get?

Well, the towed vehicle’s braking system can easily become overwhelmed.

And that’s when you’ll appreciate having another braking system back there in the towed vehicle.

There are several different kinds of flat tow braking systems too. And we’re going to talk about that in this article.

Also, we’re going to cover the top five that I can recommend for your consideration.

Table of Contents

• Flat Tow Brake #1
• Flat Tow Brake #2
• Flat Tow Braking System #3
• Flat tow Brake #4
• More About Inertia Braking Systems
• Flat Tow Braking System #5
• Don’t Forget Safety
• Conclusion

Flat Tow Brake #1

So let’s start with the systems that are permanently mounted into your towed vehicle first.

And number one would be the Invisibrake made by Roadmaster.

Roadmaster is well known in the flat towing industry for producing quality products.

And the way it works is it detects when the brake lights are being activated in the tow vehicle up front.

When that happens, it applies the brakes back in the towed vehicle as well.

Now there’s a lot of great reviews for Invisibrake online. And that means that lots of people are loving it.

The reviews say that it’s very reliable in real world use. And it generally costs right around $1000 to buy the braking hardware.

Now that may seem like quite a bit of money. But most of these permanently mounted braking systems are going to be in that cost range.

But here’s an important point. Any of these permanently mounted braking systems is probably going to require having someone professionally install it.

Of course, if you’re a really good mechanic you might be able to do it yourself.

But most RVers are probably going to need to have it installed instead.

And if so, then you need to add the cost for the installation to the cost of the whole system. Then see if it will still fit into your budget.

Flat Tow Brake #2

Now let’s move along to our flat tow braking choice number two. It’s made by Demco, and it’s the Stay-In-Play Duo.

And it’s very similar to the Invisibrake system. Because it also senses when the brake lights are being applied up front and then applies the brakes back in the towed vehicle.

But Demco goes one step further. And they also install an inertia sensor in the towed vehicle as well.

Now inertia sensors basically work when the vehicle lurches forward.

So when the tow vehicle puts on the brakes, the inertia sensor picks up on that. Then it applies the brakes back in the towed vehicle too.

So you actually have two systems working for you with the Demco Stay-In-Play Duo. And that’s kind of nice.

But even though it gets great reviews, it can be very complicated to install.

So you will most likely need some professional installation with this braking system too.

Flat Tow Braking System #3

Now let’s move on to the permanently installed flat tow braking system number three.

Again, it’s made by Demco, and it’s called the Air Force One.

This one is a little bit different in that it ties into the air brake system of the tow vehicle.

So it’s really targeted for motorhomes with with air brakes. Most likely diesel pushers.

Happily, there are many online reviews from satisfied users of this system too.

And they say that it works very well and is very reliable. But it’s also complicated to install like the other permanently mounted systems.

So that means that you’ll probably need some professional installation on it as well.

Flat tow Brake #4

Now let’s move on to our fourth flat tow braking system. And that is a totally different type of system altogether.

It’s an inertia braking system. And it’s what many people think about when they think about putting brakes into a towed vehicle.

So the one we’re going to recommend here is the Blue Ox Patriot 3.

Now let’s talk about the way these auxiliary inertia braking systems work.

First of all, there is nothing that is hardwired into your towed vehicle’s brake system.

Instead, you’ve got a box containing the inertia brake that just sits on the floor.

And usually you put it right in front of the driver’s seat in the towed vehicle.

The box has an arm that goes out and attaches to the vehicle’s brake pedal.

And it also has an inertia sensor in the box. So when the tow vehicle lurches forward as the brakes are applied, it mechanically applies the brake on the towed vehicle as well.

This all happens without being connected to the tow vehicle at all.

And once again, there are lots of people that are very happy with the Blue Ox Patriot 3.

More About Inertia Braking Systems

But I have to say this though. And that is that these inertia brakes work very well in many cases.

But they’re not as reliable as the permanently mounted units. Although, Blue Ox seems to do a very good job with theirs.

But some of their competition is not nearly as reliable as they are.

So if you want an inertia braking system, the Blue Ox Patriot 3 is a very good choice.

And one of the best things about it is that it doesn’t take a lot of installation.

Also, you can easily move it from one vehicle to another. And that’s unlike all the permanently mounted units that don’t allow you to do that.

With them, you’re probably going to need to buy a new system for every towed vehicle that you get.

But with the Blue Ox Patriot 3, you can just take it and move it to another towed vehicle. And in fact, it’ll fit almost any vehicle out there.

Now one drawback is that it does cost more initially to buy. In fact, it’s right around $1500.

Instead of about $1000 for most of the permanently mounted units.

But keep in mind that you’re not going to have any installation costs on top of that.

Flat Tow Braking System #5

Now let’s move on to flat tow braking system number five. And it’s a very different kind of brake.

It’s the NSA Ready Brake. And it is very unique. Because it works entirely mechanically.

It slides into the hitch on the tow vehicle first. Then there’s a cable that runs from it all the way up to the brake pedal in the towed vehicle.

And there it wraps around the brake pedal. So when the brakes are applied up front, inertia naturally shifts forward.

Then the NSA brake pulls the cable and puts the brakes on manually in the towed vehicle.

So it’s a very simple, very low tech, braking system that just simply works well.

And let me tell you, there’s a ton of happy people with the NSA Ready Brake system. There’s lots of positive reviews for it online.

In addition, it’s also fairly portable. So it’s not going to be a one-off type system like many of the permanently mounted ones are.

On top of that, the really good news is that it’s the least expensive of all the options I’ve mentioned.

In fact, it can very often be bought for somewhere between five to seven hundred dollars. And that’s a real deal!

All right, that’s the five flat tow braking systems that I feel that I can recommend for you.

Just follow the links that I have provided to get more information about them.

Don’t Forget Safety

Now my final point is this. When you get a braking system for your towed vehicle don’t just get the system itself.

You will also need to make sure that it has an automatic breakaway switch too. And what do I mean by that?

Well, what happens if that towed vehicle somehow disconnects from your tow vehicle? And believe me, that has happened on numerous occasions.

So you do not want the towed vehicle just free-rolling down the highway, do you? And doing all kinds of damage?

No, you want it to stop right away after disconnecting. And that means you need a breakaway system that’s going to apply the brakes when it disconnects.

So make sure that you have that as well. It’s a very important safety feature.

Conclusion

Now what about choosing among the systems that I’ve covered today?

Well really, any of them will work fine for you. First, just look at the price and decide how much can you afford.

Then look at the suitability to your particular vehicle. The one you intend to use as your towed vehicle.

Also, what is the installation that’s going to be required? Ask yourself “Can I do it myself or will I have to pay an expert to install it for me?”

And if someone installs it for me, will I stay inside my budget for flat tow braking?

So by thinking through what I’ve mentioned very carefully, you can decide what works best for you.

Truthfully though, if you choose any one of these five systems, I feel that you’re going to be very happy with the results.

Have safe and happy travels my friends.

This article is about how to handle an RV tire blowout.

Of course, tire blowouts are no fun regardless of what vehicle you’re in. But they’re especially serious in RVs. That’s because of all the weight that they carry.

And you also need to especially give attention to blowouts that happen on a motorhome front axle. Because it’s the the steering axle.

And because of that, a blowout can throw off your front end and cause loss of steering control.

So what can you do in the case of an RV tire blowout? Well first and foremost, prevention is key!

And before we go further, let’s talk about a few things that you need to be doing to try to prevent tire blowouts.

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means – at no additional cost to you – I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website

An RV Tire Blowout – Prevention Is Key!

Number one is to know what tire pressure you should be running in your RV tires. Then check your tires often, and keep them at the appropriate pressure.

View my recommended RV tire pressure gauge here

Number two is to maintain the proper weight in your RV. Don’t overload it! This is a common problem. Because a lot of people overload their RV’s without even thinking about it.

So what happens is they’re putting undue pressure on the tires. And they’re actually causing them to be susceptible to a tire blowout.

The third thing has to do with when you’re not traveling down the highway. When you’re sitting still. And that is you need to keep those tires covered! So put tire covers on them.

View my recommended tire covers for RVs here

How would that help with tire blowouts, you might ask? Well the number one thing that can weaken tires, believe it or not, is UV rays from the sun.

It just bakes the sidewalls of those tires and saps the oils out of them. Then they begin to crack. And when they do, the side walls weaken in most cases.

Tire blowouts most often take place, not in the tread, but in the side wall. So make sure that you protect those side walls from being weakened by the sun.

An RV Tire Blowout – Replace Aging Tires

Also make sure that you replace your tires when they have aged out.

So check those manufacture dates on the sides of your tires. And replace them when they need it.

Now some people replace them every five years. And many manufacturers will say every six years. Whatever interval you choose, just make sure you replace them within five to six years.

And that way, you don’t leave yourself susceptible to weak old tires. Tires that could be a a blowout ready to happen.

Monitor Your Tires On The Highway

Finally be sure that you monitor your tires as you’re going down the road. And this is best accomplished with a tire pressure monitoring system.

These are great for RVers. Because they’re going to tell you what’s going on with your tires.

They will tell you not just the tire pressure, but in many cases, they’ll usually tell you also about tire temperature.

You know, tires very often telegraph that there’s a problem coming. And very often you will be able to know that because the temperature goes up in those tires.

If you know that’s happening, you can very often get off the road and get it fixed right away. Without experiencing a tire blowout.

So be sure to have a tire pressure monitoring system for your RV. And also for the tow vehicle, or the towed vehicle, if it’s a motorhome.

View my recommended tire pressure monitoring system here

Now let’s talk about what happens if you have a blowout, even though you’ve done all these things to prevent it. Because sometimes life just throws you a curve. Well, what should you do?

An RV Tire Blowout – What To Do

The experts say, number one, have both hands on the wheel and get a firm grip. But number two is not very intuitive for many people. And that is that you should keep your foot on the gas. And even accelerate some.

Now I know how we all think. When something happens in your vehicle that you’re not sure about, you usually immediately put the brakes on, right?

But in a tire blowout, it’s actually the worst thing that you can do. Why?

Well, because when you have a tire blow out the released pressure goes sideways. And it works against the direction the RV is traveling. So as a result, the front of the RV can start to be turned sideways.

Then if you put the brakes on hard at the same time, the RV rear end can start coming around. And next thing you know, you lose control. Or maybe even flip the RV.

So it’s important to keep the gas on. And that way the rear wheels are still moving you forward, trying to straighten the RV out.

Then if you’ve got both hands on the wheel, you can usually keep the RV going nice and straight.

Once the tire blowout is over and you’re still going straight, then you can start to ease your foot onto the brake slowly. And then gradually move off to the side of the road and get to a safe area.

That’s the way you really want to handle a tire blow out. At least, that’s what the tire pros tell us.

Watch a Michelin video on handling a tire blowout here

Steering Support During An RV Tire Blowout

But now there’s another product that’s made to even help further with this problem. And it’s called the Safe-T-Plus Bar.

The purpose of the Safe-T-Plus Bar is to keep your front steering axle working to keep you in a straight line no matter what happens.

View a Safe-T-Plus bar for motorhomes here

I had it installed on my rig and I really noticed a steering difference when I did. The bar really does try to keep your coach going straight. No matter what side forces are applied to it. And that’s a good thing.

So it works great in tire blowouts. But it also works good in side winds too. You know, when you’re traveling down the highway in heavy winds.

These heavy winds blowing against the side of the coach may move you around on the highway. But with the Safe-T-Plus bar, I definitely can testify that it helps you be able to go straighter, easier.

Also, it helps when you’re being passed by big trucks. It keeps you from being moved around on the highway then as well.

So there’s a lot of good things that the Safe-T-Plus bar does for you. But especially in a tire blowout.

That’s when you want every bit of the odds on your side to keep that RV going straight and not turning on you.

Now I had mine installed at the Safe-T-Plus factory in Georgia. They did a great job and I highly recommend them.

But the truth is that you can install it yourself. In fact, they provide information to help you know how to install it yourself. Or you can get someone who’s mechanically inclined to do it for you.

Conclusion

So all of the suggestions I’ve given you today are about how you can handle a tire blowout in your RV.

And it’s true that motorhome and RV tire blowouts can be stressful. They’re not something you look forward to at all.

But if you are prepared. If you’ve done the work to prevent them as much as possible. Then you may never have to deal with one.

But if you do, and you know the right things to do, then you can handle an RV tire blowout. In a safe and successful manner.

Have safe and happy travels!