Question about InvisiBrake System for Flat Towing 2026 Maverick Hybrid AWD

[rodermund1]

Greetings! I have a 2026 Grand Design 31ZW5 and flat towing a 2026 Ford Maverick Hybrid AWD. I recently had the entire set up installed at the GD dealer, and recommendations. For the braking system, they installed the Roadmaster InvisiBrake Flat Tow Brake System.

Yesterday I turn the engine brakes on while towing, I got an error message that popped up on my Ford F-550 dashboard that said Tow Brake Error that lasted about 5 seconds, then went away.

My theory is that the engine brake will trigger the brake lights to come on (or come on at some threshold) which then triggers the InvisiBrakes to come on, but I’m not 100% sure. In researching F-600/F-550 Ford Chassis and reading the owners manual about Engine Brakes, it’s still not clear if the brake lights come on or not when the engine brakes are engaged. It would make sense that they do because you want to alert those behind you that you’re braking (regardless of how).

I’m new at Flat Towing, and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and any recommendations for how to Flat Tow on mountain grades without burning your brakes up in the tow vehicle.

Some suggestions based on my research is to have the installer isolate (somehow) the Engine Brake, which triggers the coach brake lights, which triggers the Maverick brakes. I live south of the Sierras and visit often, and I know I’m going to have some steep mountain/hill grades, and given that Engine Brakes can stay on the entire time going down a grade, that implies that the Maverick brakes are also on the entire time, which is not good.

I think what I’m going to have to do is have someone stand behind and the side of the road and as I drive by at 40 mph with the engine brakes on, lift off the accelerator right when I pass my helper, and see if the brake lights come on. This will give me the clue as to whether there’s another issue or I need to have the installer isolate the light signal coming from the Engine Breaks.

I was wondering if others out there understand this problem and any recommendations.

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[sargebmxer]

I wish I could help you with an answer but my Class C does not have that brake system but I do have a few questions. I am still deciding which brand of baseplate/tow bar to use. I see the tow bar is Demco so guessing your base plate is the same. It is my understanding the shutters have to be cut some to install base plate. Were you good with that and did the Demco plate require the adaptive cruise control mount to moved a bit and re-calibrated? What led you to pick Demco over Blue Ox and Roadmaster? They all seem fairly close in price. Appreciate any info you can provide!

 

[grumpytoo]

Some RV'S are wired so using the exhaust/engine brake will activate the brake lights, at least in the past some did.
I'm not familiar with the InvisiBrakes, but I've owned and used both Brake Buddy and RVI brake system which I believe operate similar to Invisbrake. They take more than just brake lights to activate. They also require deceleration. So it depends on how sensitive you have your Invisbrake set. Doing my initial setup I took my RV to an area with little to know traffic. Then had my wife or a friend sit in my toad vehicles passenger seat to verify the brakes worked, and to fine tune the sensitivity.
For steep mountain descents slow down at the top downshift to a gear where the exhaust brake is working, hold speed at a comfortable limit, note that RPM. As you desend the RPM may increase. Stay off the brake let the RPM increase initially, depending on the speed, road and traffic conditions unit one approaches your limit then moderately brake to a desirable RPM and speed. Then get off the brakes completely until you need to repeat. If you try to maintain speed with your foot brake you'll very likely over heat the brakes. Very hot brakes don't work very well, if at all.
I think with you RV and toad vehicle you won't have any problems. Good Luck

 

[rodermund1]

Actually my baseplate is Roadmaster and fits my Ford Maverick perfectly. The DEMCO towbars work with multiple baseplates. I picked the DEMCO over Blue Ox and Roadmaster because it’s much easier to work with, and it much lighter. Plus, my GD service manager highly recommended it based on installs seen across all the brands and many customers providing feedback. I love it.

Some RV'S are wired so using the exhaust/engine brake will activate the brake lights, at least in the past some did.
I'm not familiar with the InvisiBrakes, but I've owned and used both Brake Buddy and RVI brake system which I believe operate similar to Invisbrake. They take more than just brake lights to activate. They also require deceleration. So it depends on how sensitive you have your Invisbrake set. Doing my initial setup I took my RV to an area with little to know traffic. Then had my wife or a friend sit in my toad vehicles passenger seat to verify the brakes worked, and to fine tune the sensitivity.
For steep mountain descents slow down at the top downshift to a gear where the exhaust brake is working, hold speed at a comfortable limit, note that RPM. As you desend the RPM may increase. Stay off the brake let the RPM increase initially, depending on the speed, road and traffic conditions unit one approaches your limit then moderately brake to a desirable RPM and speed. Then get off the brakes completely until you need to repeat. If you try to maintain speed with your foot brake you'll very likely over heat the brakes. Very hot brakes don't work very well, if at all.
I think with you RV and toad vehicle you won't have any problems. Good Luck

Very informative and useful information. I like the way you made adjustments. Great idea to have someone sit in the passenger seat of the TOAD. I also appreciate you sharing your experience of how to manage the Engine vs. Pedal braking. Being new to pulling a TOAD, I really appreciate anyone sharing their experiences.

Thank you!

 

[rodermund1]

Greetings! I have a 2026 Grand Design 31ZW5 and flat towing a 2026 Ford Maverick Hybrid AWD. I recently had the entire set up installed at the GD dealer, and recommendations. For the braking system, they installed the Roadmaster InvisiBrake Flat Tow Brake System.

Yesterday I turn the engine brakes on while towing, I got an error message that popped up on my Ford F-550 dashboard that said Tow Brake Error that lasted about 5 seconds, then went away.

My theory is that the engine brake will trigger the brake lights to come on (or come on at some threshold) which then triggers the InvisiBrakes to come on, but I’m not 100% sure. In researching F-600/F-550 Ford Chassis and reading the owners manual about Engine Brakes, it’s still not clear if the brake lights come on or not when the engine brakes are engaged. It would make sense that they do because you want to alert those behind you that you’re braking (regardless of how).

I’m new at Flat Towing, and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and any recommendations for how to Flat Tow on mountain grades without burning your brakes up in the tow vehicle.

Some suggestions based on my research is to have the installer isolate (somehow) the Engine Brake, which triggers the coach brake lights, which triggers the Maverick brakes. I live south of the Sierras and visit often, and I know I’m going to have some steep mountain/hill grades, and given that Engine Brakes can stay on the entire time going down a grade, that implies that the Maverick brakes are also on the entire time, which is not good.

I think what I’m going to have to do is have someone stand behind and the side of the road and as I drive by at 40 mph with the engine brakes on, lift off the accelerator right when I pass my helper, and see if the brake lights come on. This will give me the clue as to whether there’s another issue or I need to have the installer isolate the light signal coming from the Engine Breaks.

I was wondering if others out there understand this problem and any recommendations.

Hello everyone, first as someone said, this has been a great exercise. I wanted to provide a quick update on what I’ve learned, and what I think the issues was, and the solution.

I’m convinced now that the Exhaust Brakes do not trigger the TOAD brakes, as many have suggested (Thank you for that).

What I believe to be the problem is actually low voltage being sent from my GD to my TOAD.

The Ford F-Series Super Duty chassis have known issues regarding the Trailer Brake Controller (TBC) or where the trailer detection logic becomes overly sensitive (My motorhome has a Ford F-550 Chassis, 6.7 Turbo Diesel. This has been a problem with the new Motorhomes on the Ford Chassis that have LED Brake Lights. LEDs have extremely low current draws, and it causes the FORD to briefly think there’s a wiring fault or intermittent trailer connection . Despite Fords software updates from the the recent recall to try and fix this issue, many have still reported occasional warnings.

The solution: CURT Part number 57003, which is a 7-way RV Blade LED Trailer Light Adapter. It plugs between your tow vehicle’s 7-pin connector and your TOAD’s 7-pin plug. The primary purpose is to NOT to change the wiring, but changes the electrical load that the tow vehicle sees. CURT 57003 has a built-in load resistor that makes the vehicle think that it’s connected to a traditional incandescent light trailer.

I’ve found out that many have continued to report the error message, long after the recall and software update. Those that have installed CURT 57003 have reported not seeing the occasional error message.

For me, so far, so good and the error message has not come up again.

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