wamcneil Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 A Mud Dauber ruined my Toad Brakes... Sounds pretty random, right? I flat tow with a Roadmaster TowMaster braking system. When we got to our first stop on this trip, I noticed the toad brake lights were on. I thought 'that's odd, why would the toad brakes be on?'. And I found the air cylinder stuck in the EXTENED position and the brake pedal pinned to the floor. And of course the brake rotors are fried. The brakes still work, but the rotors are warped and chunky. Reminds me of the brakes in cars I drove in high school... So I was pretty mad and started thinking about the scathing message I would send to Roadmaster customer service that their cylinder would fail in this manner. And then I scrutinized the dump valve and found a nice dirt blockage up in the exhaust port. And I'm not mad at Roadmaster anymore. A mud dauber did indeed ruin my toad brakes. Lesson: make sure to check the toad brake operation EVERY time before leaving. Cheer, Walter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambler07 Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 HI Something I have done when we first started towing 4 down and using any brand of brake system on the towed. I tapped into the towed cars brake light bulb wire, then added a wire backup to the dash with a very bright red bulb, when the towed brakes are applied for any reason I will know it. Its a bit of work but has given peace of mind for many years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSchweizer Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 I Installed the additional brake peddle light switch kit on the TOOD with a corresponding indicator light at the coach dash. This will allow you to actually know that the brake peddle has released and returned to the up position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 Hey guys, I like that idea and it is an excellent way of checking the situation with the toad brake lights. I have been using the RVIBrake-2 but it would be the same on the newest version of the RVIBrake-3. First it's impossible for any insect to mess up the system as it has to be setup and tested each time before you tow the car for that day. Plus there is a display sitting on your dash that tells you the status of the braking system at any given time while you are traveling. I highly recommend the RVIBrake-2 or 3 as you can tow many different vehicles with it and it is so compact and easy to setup or remove. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 I had the opposite problem. A mud dabber blocked the nozzle at the front of my Jeep. When we had everything up and was doing the safety checks the brakes would not work. Ultimately found the blockage, cleaned it out and all was good. I also installed a brake light in the dash of the motorhome, I can tell the brakes are working. Yes a pain to wire but worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamcneil Posted August 17, 2020 Author Share Posted August 17, 2020 Thanks y’all. One of these days I’ll find an extra wire and put a light up front cheers Walter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miacasa_2000 Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 I also installed the extra light on my dash for toad brakes . What I did was make my own connection cord using the 7 pin replacement cord sold for travel trailers so I have only one cord (wire) to hook up and have my 12v charge wire and aux brake light along with all the usual . I also use and am a fan of RVI brake systems. Roy 03 Dynasty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Hutto Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 On 8/16/2020 at 8:19 PM, jacwjames said: I had the opposite problem. A mud dabber blocked the nozzle at the front of my Jeep. When we had everything up and was doing the safety checks the brakes would not work. Ultimately found the blockage, cleaned it out and all was good. I also installed a brake light in the dash of the motorhome, I can tell the brakes are working. Yes a pain to wire but worth it. Just a suggestion... I use a spark plug boot with one end plugged with black silicone to cover my air connection on the toad when not in use to prevent insects, debris, etc from plugging the airline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gofastnow Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 On 8/16/2020 at 5:41 PM, wamcneil said: A Mud Dauber ruined my Toad Brakes... Sounds pretty random, right? I flat tow with a Roadmaster TowMaster braking system. When we got to our first stop on this trip, I noticed the toad brake lights were on. I thought 'that's odd, why would the toad brakes be on?'. And I found the air cylinder stuck in the EXTENED position and the brake pedal pinned to the floor. And of course the brake rotors are fried. The brakes still work, but the rotors are warped and chunky. Reminds me of the brakes in cars I drove in high school... So I was pretty mad and started thinking about the scathing message I would send to Roadmaster customer service that their cylinder would fail in this manner. And then I scrutinized the dump valve and found a nice dirt blockage up in the exhaust port. And I'm not mad at Roadmaster anymore. A mud dauber did indeed ruin my toad brakes. Lesson: make sure to check the toad brake operation EVERY time before leaving. Cheer, Walter I had an incident with mud daubers myself---the family and I were leaving SC in July to go on a two week trip to Arizona. And of course we were taking the southern route, the hottest, and about thirty minutes after starting the trip the generator kicked off turning off the AC units.Well the gen would not restart for about 30 minutes and would then only run for about 15 minutes. This went on for about 300 miles until I stopped for fuel. Needless to say it got hotter and hotter in the MH. Well I got really lucky when I stopped for fuel, I was at a quite station and as I started unscrewing the fuel cap I heard a big whiish and I thought---gee I've never heard that before! We traveled on down the road and the gen kept turning off and I got to thinking about that whiish, so I stopped at he next rest area and crawled under the MH's fuel tank and low and behold there was the fuel tank vent line hanging down and FULL OF MUD!! I stuck a straw up into the vent dislodging the mud and bugs. Presto, no more gen turning off, AC on the rest of the trip. The moral to the story is to install bug ingress inhibitors in all round orifices of about 1/4" or less in diameter. I installed a pneumatic muffler in my fuel line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Another favorite location where Mud Daubers love to nest is in the exhaust ports of the HWH Six Pack Valves. Back when Rex Darley was alive he had made up a bunch of Mud Dauber screens to attach to those exhaust ports and luckily he gave me a couple. Never any problems with dumping air on the HWH system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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