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Towing An 04 Dodge 2500 4×4?
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Jim,
Can you tell me why you know it works great?
I spoke to AF-1 folks and came away disappointed. On vehicles with vacuum boost their system is maintaining vacuum in the brake booster so the pedal force required is minimal and their smaller air cyclinder that actuates the pedal is ample.
However with a hydraulic boosted system such as on a Dodge Ram 2500 with boost coming from the engine driven power steering pump they are unable to provide for braking system boost and are relying totally on their air cylinder which isn’t even using mechanical advantage because it is applying forces up relatively high on the pedal arm.
If you want to see how much force your hydraulic boosted 2500 requires to stop, turn off the engine at the top of a hill, pump the brakes a time or two to deplete the hydraulic pressure and then let it coast down the hill while trying to stop it. If I pull hard on the steering wheel to the point my ass is off the seat and I have full pressure on the brake pedal my brakes will drag but barely stop the truck on an incline.
I’m not going to suggest any other system will be totally adequate either so I am surprised you say yours works well. Help me out in understanding why you think it does and especially if your system restores the hydraulic boost. BTW lighter versions of vehicles that use vacuum assist really benefit from AF-1
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Jon, I guess that “works Great”might have been too general a statment. Don’t remember the details but it is a model made for the Hydro-boost type brakes. when I tested it at installation I saw the pedal actuate. I could never tell the truck was there when stopping before I installed it.
Just wanted to be legal in the required States.
Jim -
That’s why I asked the pointed question. My 2500 weighs 7600 pounds and unless the braking system is effective it will not be a vehicle I will tow. That is too much weight to be pushing the bus down a steep hill or in a panic stop. I intend to time a stop from 60MPH with the Brakemaster hooked up, and then with the air disconnected.
All manufacturers will tell you their system works. Yet I cannot find anyone that can tell me they have data showing performance on a hydraulic boosted brake system..
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Mike and Kathy,
I’ve been towing a 2003 2500 Ram 4×4 since 2007. Works well as long as you go through the Owner’s Manual instructions on placing the transfer case in neutral. If you don’t there may be a new set of tires coming soon to you RAM. I adhere to the Bill Clinton policy of, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” It happened at days travel end in Phoenix. I now keep a copy of the instructions in the generous arm rest so the are very handy either going into tow mode or getting out of tow mode.
I have an Air Force 1 brake unit in the coach and a Blue Ox Aventa tow bar.
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Will,
Does yours have vacuum boost or is it hydraulic assist for the truck brakes?
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Jon,
Its vacuum boost and the install was one of the tech sessions at 2008 (?) at Sevierville, TN. Before install I could feel the truck pushing the coach when braking. Since the install I don’t get that feeling. One especially hard brake application in Wilson, NC approaching a traffic signal the AF-1 stopped the towed without any lag in application of the towed brakes. My 2500 weighs in around 5800 lbs.
I also had a booster brake system on a 1966 Dodge Town Wagon. The vacuum booster failed and yes, it took a mighty application of the size 13’s to brake the beast. The weight on that truck was around 4000 lbs. Too long ago to remember the specifics. Oh yeah, I did add weight to it when changing out the old style 318 V-8 to an even older 392 V-8, yes that would be a Hemi, 1958 style – powerful and fast! Manual 4-speed transmission that really did pull stumps. I still miss it to this day.
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i fell off the chair reading this post i owned a 1959 dodge power wagon town wagon for 42 yrs based out of colorado most of that time i sold it in 2012 just before selling my farm i chained up rear ends to a new tahoe on green mountain in denver and dragged him up the mountain my truck was named moose by the previous owner i have a screen saver pic being loaded on semi hauler headed back to colorado TAG1
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