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Old 08-08-2006, 08:55 PM   #1
Dagrip
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Default 2005 Lexus RX330/TM 2720SL

Hi all,

We are considering purchasing a 2007 2720SL but want to make sure that we are going to be able to safely pull it with a 2005 Lexus RX330. The TM FAQ states that an electronic brake controller is needed on the TV but I have been informed by various hitch installers that a brake controller can not be installed on the Lexus since it has LED brake lights. The TM will be mostly used in Texas (flat terrain) so I am hoping that I will be able to get by without the brake controller. My questions are:

1. Should we be ok pulling the 2720SL with the RX330?
2. Does anyone know of a method to install a brake controller on a vehicle that has LED tail lights?

Thanks!

Scott
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Old 08-08-2006, 09:26 PM   #2
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Question 1: Absolutely not! In most states that I know of, it is illegal to tow a trailer that is equipped with brakes and not have it hooked up to the tow vehicle braking system via a brake controller. Also, the brakes on the RX330 (or most other vehicles) are engineered for stopping that vehicle, not the extra 3000+ weight of the trailer. Check the law in Texas - if it's like Washington, and I'll wager it is, there are specific laws regarding towing trailers that have brakes. Not only is it probably against the law, but it's downright dangerous! I can't stress that enough, it would be an accident looking for a place to happen!
Question 2: I have no doubt that there is some way to hook up a brake controller to your vehicle. You may need an additional switch on the brake pedal, but I'm sure you can hook it up.
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Old 08-08-2006, 09:56 PM   #3
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In California, any trailer over 2000 pounds is required to have brakes.

I can stop when towing the trailer in approximately the same distance as I could if I did not have the trailer. How are you going to do that with the the TV brakes?
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Old 08-08-2006, 11:36 PM   #4
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Yes, absolutely don't try to tow without trailer brakes and a controller operative.
Besides power and ground, the controller needs a 12v input signal which is active only when the brake pedal is depressed (and the brake lights are on). The signal draws very little current. This signal is usually taken either straight from the brake pedal switch itself or from the 12v wire to the brake lights. The 12v power to the brake lights is also used, usually via a device called a "taillight converter" or "adapter" or "modulite", to light the trailer's brake lights. So if that is possible, then I don't understand why that signal can't be used for the brake controller. In the very worst case, you or the hitch installer should be able to install a second brake pedal switch which, with one side connected to 12v, provides the brake controller with the signal in question. This will probably mean fashioning a custom bracket to hold the switch in the right place, though.
As far as using the RX to tow the 2720SL, search this forum's towing rigs section. You will find those who say they tow just fine with the Rx, highlander and similar shortish-wheelbase, 3500 lb towing spec vehicles (WITH trailer brakes, that is - the spec is much lower without them), especially if the terrain stays flat. You will find others who will say they consider such vehicles inadequate.

-Paul
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Old 08-09-2006, 07:14 AM   #5
Bill
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Scott -

Please use the Advanced Search feature to look for previous discussions on the Lexus RX330. There has been a lot of information passed back and forth - a lot more than can reasonably be repeated here.

Thanks

Also, check this thread - be sure to go all the way to the end.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=3928
The owner of a BMW X5 was having trouble getting a brake controller installed, because BMW said "Can't do it". Something about brake lights, as I recall - might be the same situation as yours.

Bill
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Old 08-13-2006, 08:25 AM   #6
Dagrip
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Hi all,

Thanks for the info. The statement that we could not install a brake controller on a vehicle with LED lights turned out to be completely false. The installer just needed to run a wire from the control unit (Prodigy) and then another from the battery back to the 7 pin connector.

We picked up our 2007 TM 2720SL yesterday and it pulled just fine behind the RX330.

Looking forward to many years of enjoying our new home on wheels!

Scott
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Old 08-13-2006, 10:42 AM   #7
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I see the safety cables, but they appear to be attached incorrectly.

It appears that they are going up and over the front of the tongue. They should be underneath the tongue so that if the hitch were to fail that the cables would catch the tongue as it fell to the ground instead of pushing the tongue down into the ground even harder.
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Old 08-13-2006, 05:47 PM   #8
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Leon -

Wanna trade, your chains for my cables?? I really dislike the cables - one of those ideas that is good in theory, but terrible in the real world. Problem is that they are always tangled up in something, including each other, and often in the breakaway cable. And as you drive, they tend to spring up and get caught in the spring bar socket - the spring bars then chew them up.

Wayne is correct, by the way - whether cables or chains, they are supposed to cross UNDER the tongue.

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Old 08-13-2006, 10:06 PM   #9
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I like the cables. They never drag on the ground. I don't have a problem with tangles.

Maybe because I stretched them to the max when I forgot to chock the wheels once and as I unhitched, the TM rolled back until the cables were tight. Boy, I'll never make that mistake again.
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Old 08-14-2006, 04:53 AM   #10
2blueranger
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It appears your tm electrical cable has came loose from it's little bracket on the frame. It might cause a problem wrapped around the tongue jack. If you have too much cable, I would tie wrap it to the frame somehow, keeping it in line. Sounds like a great trip. Happy Camping
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