Demco Flat-Tow Setup Instructions, with comparison to Blue Ox and Roadmaster

[phoneman01]

Another thank you for your fine write-up about the Demco baseplate install. Finally got mine on, and your instructions were invaluable. 2024 Lariat, and I cancelled my Roadmaster order after reading your post and got the Demco. There as a manufacturing change in February (well, they added a few washers in the top brace in an attempt to avoid the cooling vanes), but I still didn't like the clearance and removed the vanes behind the baseplate bar. Do wish the Demco folks would learn from the Roadmaster engineers about providing proper mounting points for the wiring--I don't like what I had to do to mount those in a good place.

Rob can you tell me how you mounted the bracket for the 6 pin? I like the way yours looks.

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[rmhopper]

I screwed it into the facia bar directly using U-clips you can get at any auto store or Harbor Freight. The clip fits around the plastic fin in the grill and gives it at least a little support. I don't expect it to last too long, though. If you have a heavy umbilical, or if it gets a little tension on it, it will bend down that facia fin a bit. I've also got the shorter Hopkins breakaway switch coming so that won't stick out so far.

--Rob

 

[phoneman01]

Thanks for the response. It looks good but I didn't want to attach anything to the fascia.

 

[phoneman01]

I did it all on the floor in the garage, not lifted at all. I did take the edges of the undercovers off, but not the whole thing. I then put the wires into place and reattached the few connectors that I had removed. I worked from the rear to the front with the wires.

I discarded the way-too-large and heavy Demco 6-pin plate and bought a much smaller metal plate from Amazon for about $6. I mounted it "lip forward" into the slot made by the horizintal part of the grill. I used 3M VHB tape to secure it there, just atop the baseplate bar. Same thing (3M) for the smallest Hopkins breakaway switch I could find for the BrakeBuddy which is mounted on the safety chain flat area.

Here's the closeup of the electric. Demco screwed the pooch on preparing for a 6-pin mount. They could have done much more than just toss a big mounting plate in the box. Notice the 6-pin is upside down and I used a grinder to remove a lot of the tab. 6-pin is plastic. I also cut the rear rubber sheathing on the inside, made sure the wires all were bent and coming out of the side...as straight out the back looked too close to fins.

I finally completed my install. The 6 pin mount took some head scratching and wall staring but I figured out a good one...I hope. I used the huge bracket from Demco as a mounting plate for the much smaller bracket and "voila!" I have a front facing mount. Self tapping screws and bolts through both brackets secured everything well.

 

[BradnChristine]

I finally completed my install. The 6 pin mount took some head scratching and wall staring but I figured out a good one...I hope. I used the huge bracket from Demco as a mounting plate for the much smaller bracket and "voila!" I have a front facing mount. Self tapping screws and bolts through both brackets secured everything well.

That is a really slick idea! Looks great!

 

[phoneman01]

That is a really slick idea! Looks great!

Didn't you say that you have a Brake Buddy Classic? If so, how do you brace it in front of the seat? Mine seems like it will work but a fourth of the unit is under the seat. I've been testing and it seems that the lowest setting for mine is 4. Anything less and it does not hardly move the piston.

 

[BradnChristine]

Didn't you say that you have a Brake Buddy Classic? If so, how do you brace it in front of the seat? Mine seems like it will work but a fourth of the unit is under the seat. I've been testing and it seems that the lowest setting for mine is 4. Anything less and it does not hardly move the piston.

I think my BrakeBuddy pre-dates the official "BrakeBuddy Classic" and is actualy an "Original" BrakeBuddy. The brace at the rear is adjustable with a large nut to move it to properly catch the seat. I have always set it at "2" because I only want the brake help when it is a hard stop. Mine looks like this one:

 

[phoneman01]

Mine has a digital readout but is basically the same. I'll recheck on that adjustment knob.

 

[BradnChristine]

Mine has a digital readout but is basically the same. I'll recheck on that adjustment knob.

I found a sideways picture online.

 

[phoneman01]

Du'oh....I've had that thing for 15 or 20 years and towed a Honda all over the country with it inside. I never had to adjust the handle up! It will work fine.

 

[BradnChristine]

Du'oh....I've had that thing for 15 or 20 years and towed a Honda all over the country with it inside. I never had to adjust the handle up! It will work fine.

Glad it will work. I've had plenty of D'oh! moments.

 

[BradnChristine]

I often get asked what I use for supplemental braking (an old BrakeBuddy). Here is a definitive post from the FB page, "Towing Behind a Motorhome" about NSA being a bad choice. Also, you will see this person's qualifications in the second attachment. I set my BrakeBuddy's sensitivity at "2" (1-4 is available) and try to drive so I never need it except in a real emergency.

 

[realshelby]

Yet I also called NSA and talked with the same person this poster talked to. Jesse said to me he did NOT tell anyone you should not use the Ready Brute II system with a hybrid. Note that the poster said in HIS OPINION the Ready Brute system is not suitable for use in a Maverick. Nothing about his ACTUAL experience with using one. An Engineer should know to have more actual facts before declaring it "unsuitable". Not recommended is ok, if that is the way he feels.
Jesse DID say there were issues with surging that they are aware of. I experienced those myself.
I have never used an auxiliary braking system that was easier to hook up and actually comes in as soon as you hit the coach brakes. You can feel a wee bit of tug from it too, something hard to do with the electric units I had before.
NSA has pictures and information about my fix for the surging. It completely solved that. I installed a short hydraulic shock on the actuation arm to hitch. You can watch it work in the camera. Slows and smooths the application. I was actually able to tighten the draw a bit for more braking.

 

[BradnChristine]

Yet I also called NSA and talked with the same person this poster talked to. Jesse said to me he did NOT tell anyone you should not use the Ready Brute II system with a hybrid. Note that the poster said in HIS OPINION the Ready Brute system is not suitable for use in a Maverick. Nothing about his ACTUAL experience with using one. An Engineer should know to have more actual facts before declaring it "unsuitable". Not recommended is ok, if that is the way he feels.
Jesse DID say there were issues with surging that they are aware of. I experienced those myself.
I have never used an auxiliary braking system that was easier to hook up and actually comes in as soon as you hit the coach brakes. You can feel a wee bit of tug from it too, something hard to do with the electric units I had before.
NSA has pictures and information about my fix for the surging. It completely solved that. I installed a short hydraulic shock on the actuation arm to hitch. You can watch it work in the camera. Slows and smooths the application. I was actually able to tighten the draw a bit for more braking.

I have no horse in this race. Just sharing something I had not seen before. Maybe the Ford engineer had an earlier (or later?) conversation with the folks at NSA? I have zero experience with any supplemental braking other than the BrakeBuddy I bought in 2003. It has served me well, so I haven't done any research on the newer braking.

I try to never activate it, thus while I have 4 levels of sensitivity, I always set it down to 2. I only see it activate (via the alert system) when I test it with a purposeful hard stop.

My Brakebuddy has been useful and easy to be able to transfer through all 9 vehicles I've towed with it. I just needed to wire $15 Hopkins short breakaway switches into each towed, find a constant power source and adjust the level of the BrakeBuddy's handle. So I've left a trail of breakaway switches as I've sold the vehicles.

Frankly, I use supplemental braking for 3 reasons:
1. To always be legal
2. To have in case of a real panic stop (I had one of those on US 99 in Fresno, CA where CA 41 enters the hwy)
3. In the unexpected case of a disconnect/breakaway.

 

[realshelby]

Brad, not intended to dispute anything you are writing! Yes, my Blue Ox Patriot braking system kept me legal. But I never thought it done much more than keep me legal. Even in hard braking those systems take quite a lot of time to really get to where the brakes are being applied. And even then they may not apply all that much actual braking force. For those using these electric powered systems try the "manual" application to see just how much braking force you actually have with these electric systems.
My point was simply to give an alternate opinion of the Ready Brute II braking system to what had been written. Mine is based on thousands of miles of actual use.

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