How Does Brake Buddy Work & Other Important Questions Answered

How Does Brake Buddy Work & Other Important Questions Answered

Welcome to the website of Ultimate Rides! In today’s guide, we wanted to take some time and do a Q&A about an important topic that folks have been asking about. Today is all about the Brake Buddy, one of the many excellent braking systems for towed vehicles. Below you’ll find an assortment of commonly asked questions that we hope will help you decide whether this auxiliary braking system for towed vehicles is right for you. One of the most common questions we hear is: “How does Brake Buddy work?” It’s a pretty interesting process, and we’re excited to dive in and talk about it. After that, check out some of the products we recommend in this category. Good luck, and we hope you enjoy!

If you own an RV and want to tow your standard vehicle behind it, the Brake Buddy is an excellent option for you. It will use your vehicle’s own brakes timed with the brakes of your RV to keep everything moving as it should be.

Q: What is a Brake Buddy system?

A: Brake Buddy is a series of portable towed braking systems intended to improve the control and safety of your vehicle while towing another vehicle. It’s primarily used for RVs towing your standard vehicle, and in our opinion is one of the best options available for that situation.

Q: How does Brake Buddy work?

A: You will set the Brake Buddy up on the towed vehicle’s floor near the pedals. The extending arm clamps to the towed vehicle’s brake pedal, and the device is then hooked up to the battery of the towed vehicle to receive power. When you activate the brakes of your RV, the device senses the inertia. The Brake Buddy, once properly calibrated, will then apply the brakes on your towed vehicle with proportional pressure.

There’s a remote attachment that will stay up in the RV with you. This small remote will alert you when the brakes on the towed vehicle are being applied. The remote allows you to remain informed and you’ll know that everything is functioning smoothly.

Q: Why choose a Brake Buddy system over similar alternatives?

A: There are tons of braking systems available out there. Now that you’ve learned how does Brake Buddy work, you may be wondering why you should choose it over another option. There are plenty of reasons! First, in our opinion, the Brake Buddy is the easiest to use. Setup should only take a few minutes, and it’s portable and non-invasive. That means you’ll be able to move it from vehicle to vehicle to suit your needs!

Additionally, the Brake Buddy has a proven track record of safety over it’s nearly 25 years in the business. Over the years, upgrades have been released that keep the product fresh with the times as well. The Brake Buddy manufacturer, Hopkins, also has an excellent customer service policy, as well as a warranty that you should be able to rely on.

Q: Is the Brake Buddy safe? How about legal?

A: Yes and yes! As we just mentioned, Brake Buddy has been around for almost 25 years now, and in that time it’s seen more than it’s fair share of safety testing. On top of that, the Brake Buddy includes a break-away safety system. If the towed vehicle ever becomes detached from your RV, the Brake Buddy will ensure that the vehicle comes to a stop right away.

As far as legality, you can rest assured that the Brake Buddy is legal in all 50 states of the USA, as well as every province of Canada and Mexico. You may need other attachments, such as brake light wiring and more, but this will take care of the braking itself.

Getting ready for your next major road trip in your RV will be a breeze with Brake Buddy. Simply get it hooked up to your towed vehicle and you’ll be ready to hit the road and experience the great outdoors.

Q: How do I install my Brake Buddy?

A: The process consists of getting the Brake Buddy set up on the floor of your towed vehicle, then getting all the wiring hooked up underneath the hood. We recommend reading over the included manual a couple of times, as well as checking out some tutorial videos online. We’ve included an example down below, but you’ll need to a find a video that matches your specific product, as well as potentially your vehicle.

Q: Does the towed vehicle need to be running for Brake Buddy to work correctly?

A: No! You’ll be able to leave the vehicle off and keep the keys safely with you.

Q: How does Brake Buddy affect my towed vehicle’s battery?

A: The Brake Buddy may include an attachment that will keep your towed vehicle’s battery charged up even while the item utilizes that power for itself. This will ensure your vehicle is charged up and ready to go upon reaching your destination.


How Does Brake Buddy Work
In order to utilize the Brake Buddy, you must be towing a vehicle that has a brake system of its own. For this reason, the product is not compatible with boats and other vehicles without a dedicated braking system.

Recommended Brake Buddy Products

We hope that section answered your most pressing questions! We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been asked how does Brake Buddy worked. The process is surprisingly intuitive, and we’re happy to explain it to our readers! Now, however, it’s time to move on and share some info about Brake Buddy products. Let’s get started!


Hopkins Brake Buddy Classic III (ASIN – B07TXX6GSH)

Over the years, Hopkins has introduced new and different styles for the Brake Buddy. However, if you’re looking for the original design, we suggest going with the Classic III. The product has a retro look, but rest assured it functions incredibly well. The kit includes the Brake Buddy itself, a break-away attachment, the dash-mount connector and more.

This lightweight device will ensure your RV has all the braking support it requires from the towed vehicle. It’s not complicated to use either, only taking a few minutes to get everything up and running. The Brake Buddy classic uses preset braking settings, rather than the Select which has more advanced capabilities. Nonetheless, you will find that this works perfectly well with its presets. We highly suggest picking up one of these today, especially now that you’ve learned how does Brake Buddy work.

BrakeBuddy 39494 Brake Buddy Brake System – Classic 3


Hopkins Brake Buddy Select III (ASIN – B07Y9PNKGK)

The next option we’d recommend is the Select III. As opposed to the Classic, the Select lets you choose between proportional braking versus full braking power. You can do this from the comfort of your RV cab with the included remote. Other than that, the product functions much the same as the Classic. It is just as lightweight, just as effective, and sports a different color scheme to stand apart. Feel confident picking the Select III as the braking system for your towed vehicle.

Hopkins Brake Buddy Select 3 Towed Vehicle Brake System


Hopkins Brake Buddy Classic II (ASIN – B079MC4JK4)

If you’d like to save some money in your budget for other items, it may not be a bad idea to go with the older Classic II. This model still has excellent functionality, and is very similar to the Classic III in many ways. One of the only major differences is the lack of legs to stand it on. Instead, it sits flat on the floor of your ride. If you have uneven flooring in the front driver’s seat, that may be an issue. However, other than that you should find this older alternative gets the job done just as well.

Brakebuddy Classic Ii Towed Car Braking System


Hopkins Brake Buddy Stealth (ASIN – B00EFGHNF0)

Finally, we wanted to share with you the Brake Buddy Stealth. This smaller option offers the same excellent benefits, but in a more permanent package. The Break Buddy Stealth is installed in your vehicle, so it’s not as portable as the other Break Buddy options. However, it will stay out of sight, and works just as well as the other options. This may not be for everybody, but if you plan on keeping the vehicle forever, or just don’t mind losing out on your braking system when you switch vehicles, go for the Stealth.

Hopkins Mfg Corp 39530 Brakebuddy Stealth


Spending time in nature always does wonders for the mind. The Brake Buddy will help make sure getting there and back is less stressful, hopefully allowing you to enjoy your relaxation even more.

In Conclusion

Was this guide informative for you? We hope that we’ve answered your questions about how does Brake Buddy work and much more! There’s no doubt that the vehicle is a useful tool, and it can make the driving time during your road trips much more enjoyable. If you have any further questions, we encourage you to reach out to Ultimate Rides. We can help out with installation, as well as further product recommendations, other braking systems for towed vehicles and more. We are located at 38 W. Division St., Coal City, IL 60416. Additionally, you can reach us over the phone at 815-634-3900.


Two Brothers With a Dream, Building The Best Ultimate Rides

 

Ultimate Rides consists of two brothers who have been buying and selling custom vehicles for over ten years. Selling lifted trucks by day and writing these awesome reviews by night! They started their Ultimate Rides journey with a third brother Jake, who was a big part of building the business they have today. In 2016 Jake passed away and losing their brother was the hardest thing they ever had to deal with. Even though they had a tragic loss they plan to continue to set a new trend for the auto industry, keeping customers number one. Pushing the envelope on the lifted truck market, these guys love researching and learning about everything in the auto industry!

 — Nick and Alex Bulanda, Founders of Ultimate Rides