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This portable unit gets you smooth braking without a complex installation. Senses the RV braking and applies the brakes proportionally. Easy to swap between multiple towed cars: settings adjust for safe, even braking for any size car.
Features:
Specs:
A braking system is a must when towing a vehicle behind your motorhome. Without it, the weight of the towed car can create a safety hazard, strain your RV's brakes, and affect the warranty of both your car and motorhome. Most states legally require a supplemental braking system, so if you don't use one and you end up in an accident (which is more likely since your RV takes longer to come to a full stop), your insurance and liability headache just doubled. You also won't have any breakaway system; if there's an accidental disconnect, there's nothing to bring your car to a stop.
First, this system is great for DIYers, since you can get the basic installation done yourself. There will be some minor wiring to do under the hood and in the cab, but that's as complicated as it gets.
Second, it offers you a lot of flexibility. It's easy to move from one toad (towed vehicle) to another - or, if you think you'll likely get a new car down the road, you can easily set the Select 3 up in your new toad.
The Brake Buddy Select 3 uses a built-in inertia sensor to detect when your flat tow setup begins to slow down as you apply the brakes in your motorhome. The moment the system recognizes the change in momentum, the actuator will press down the brake pedal of your toad proportionally: at the same time, with the same intensity. Meanwhile, the terrain-sensing technology keeps the unit from activating when you go over bumps in the road, so it doesn't brake when it doesn't need to.
If you're towing a hybrid or any car with continuous-power-assist brakes, all you have to do to be able to use the Brake Buddy is change the Braking Mode to Hybrid.
You'll be setting up this portable unit in your toad every time you flat tow, so it's designed to be easy to do. And because it's so adjustable, it fits in almost any vehicle on the market.
Shift the driver's seat back and set the Select 3 on the floorboard. It's important that the unit sits as level as possible so the actuator has enough leverage to effectively push down the brake pedal, so adjust the feet of the unit to suit your floorboard if need be.
Each foot can be adjusted easily by hand or with the included wrench. Twist it counterclockwise, pull it down to the right length, and then twist clockwise to lock it in place.
Quick Tip: It's best to remove your vehicle's floor mat before installation to keep the Brake Buddy from shifting.
Next you need to get the clamp attached to the brake pedal with the Quick-Lock clevis. This adjustable clevis is designed to securely clamp onto the pedal regardless of its size or shape. Once you have the clevis fixed around the pedal, turn the lever to tighten it in place.
Plug your Brake Buddy into the connector you'll have installed under the dashboard and then press the Auto Start button. The system will automatically boot up to your saved settings and then check your brakes, pushing and releasing the brake pedal several times to remove built-up vacuum pressure from the brakes and prevent over-braking. It will also check for any connection errors. Then you're ready to flat tow!
The braking power settings control how intensely the Brake Buddy Select 3 applies your toad's brakes. When you are first setting up the Brake Buddy, choose the setting that's recommended for a vehicle of your toad's size:
| Vehicle Type | Recommended Braking Power |
|---|---|
| Hybrids | 10 - 20 psi |
| Cars and Compact SUVs | 25 - 45 psi |
| Small Crossovers | 25 - 45 psi |
| Crossovers and Small SUVs | 35 - 65 psi |
| Mid-Size Pickups | 35 - 65 psi |
| Large SUVs and Pickups | 45 - 75 psi |
After selecting an initial setting, press the plus or minus buttons on the control panel to fine-tune the power. The setting should be enough that your toad gives a slight tug at your RV when you brake. On the right setting, you won't be at risk of damage from over-braking. Once you've set the braking power, it shouldn't need to be changed unless you tow a different vehicle.
You can also customize the sensitivity. This determines how aggressively you need to brake in the motorhome for the Brake Buddy to activate your toad's brakes. If you set the sensitivity high, then your car's brakes will activate with just a light tap of your RV's brakes. Low sensitivity will mean the system only activates when your motorhome brakes significantly.
You can also select the full-braking mode. When in this mode, the Brake Buddy will activate your toad's brakes at the maximum preset intensity, regardless of how intensely your RV is decelerating. The full-braking setting is ideal for when you're towing a heavy truck or SUV, or if you're towing your car down a steep incline. By setting the power to a higher level, you can ensure that the momentum of your toad won't cause it to push against your motorhome.
It's important to monitor your toad's braking to make sure that everything's working the way it should. With the included remote, you can also control the Brake Buddy from the cab of your RV! It's just like having a brake controller in your motorhome.
With the remote, you can easily switch from proportional braking to full braking and vice versa with the push of a button. You can also change the Brake Buddy's sensitivity settings, which makes it easy to fine-tune the braking as you drive so that you can adjust based on feel. Finally, the remote will illuminate to alert you of any errors with the Brake Buddy system, including a breakaway event.
The Brake Buddy also comes with a breakaway switch, an absolute must for safe flat towing. If there's ever an emergency situation where your toad becomes detached from the motorhome, the breakaway switch will immediately activate the brakes and bring your vehicle to a stop.
This switch mounts to the front of your toad and plugs directly into the unit. It includes a pin that connects to your RV's hitch receiver with a breakaway cable. If the toad and RV become disconnected, the cable will pull the pin out of the switch and trigger the braking system. A reserve air supply in the operating unit will then apply the brakes in the car.
California residents: click here
Lasted 1 year and started to intermittently stop working. We thought it was the power cord so we replaced it. Now, 2 years after more significant use, it doesn’t work. Actually had our tow vehicle crash into our rig breaking our etrailer tow bars, put a hole in our radiator, ruined the grill and fiberglass damage. If not for the upgraded chains we use replacing the cheap cables etrailer tow bars come with, our suv would have crashed into another car or worse rolled off the George Washington bridge! We were in heave NY traffic! Thankfully we got to the shoulder without damage to anyone else around us, BY drivers are not as mean as people say! Do NOT but etrailer tow bars or this brake buddy! Not worth the risk and look at the cost! I could see if we chose some cheap knockoff product, but this is significant money spent!! RV is a 2021 Tiffin Phaeton and etrailer tow bars are a year old.
Plug keeps getting loose on unit. I drilled a hole in the case and installed a tie wrap attaching wire to case no more movement of plug works great otherwise
First off, the great folks at etrailer had the kit pulled, labeled and ready for the shipper to pick it up literally within a few hours after I ordered it. Impressive to say the least. The Brake Buddy is packaged in an organized and protective layout with minimal assembly required.
Installation was pretty straightforward. If you can understand a pictogram of wiring, it’s a no-brainer for the charger and cab receptacle. Tow vehicle I installed it in is a 2020 Jeep JL. There’s a round firewall plug under the brake booster that makes for a great spot to run your wires through the firewall which makes installation a breeze.
The brake pedal clamp in the JL appears more functional if installed inverted. That gets the clevis reachable up top while keeping the actuator arm closest to level. The seat needs to be all the way back as wrestling the Brake Buddy into the floorboard is tight. There’s no room on the floorboards for vacuuming, even less for a portable brake module. The front leveler legs need to be fully extended, the one closest to the door on the rear, 90% extended and the rear interior one will only need an inch out.
Once installed and powered up, the compressor runs to charge the actuator control. Press the auto start and it pumps the brake pedal to eliminate any residual vacuum boost. I set the operating pressure to 45, sensitivity to mid and mode to proportional. I’ll fine tune it once we get out on the road. At this juncture, everything was in the kit, everything appears to work and etrailer filled the order with urgency and care!
Vince S.
2/26/2025
One year later, my opinion of the BrakeBuddy is not quite as strong. We still use it but we use it with caution. The harness connection at the BrakeBuddy is very susceptible to vibration and in turn, make poor contact. If you’re lucky when that occurs, it just cycles or turns off. In the unlucky instances, it thinks the breakaway is actuated and it applies the brakes. My TPMS system also monitors my Jeep so luckily the alarm went off before my rotors got destroyed. The countermeasure is to spread the pins in the connector or just solder the cable direct and eliminate the connection at that spot. Just be super careful, brake fires are nothing to scoff at.
Jesse M.
2/26/2025
If you’re installing in a 2 door Jeep this brake buddy will install much easier if you 1. Remove floor mat 2. Set the driver seat all the way back towards the rear and 3. Lower the driver seat all the way down. By doing this the brake buddy will fit properly and allow for installing the cotter pin into the cleaver.
Paul
9/27/2024
Great, the only issue I’ve had is with the Brake Buddy Cord that connects to the unit inside the jeep. It seems to loosen up cause it the system to lose pressure thus not work. My work around is to wrap the cable tightly to the red brake buddy box using a buggy cord. Luckily I have the Brake Buddy system with Remote feature that monitors and alarms if the cord becomes loose.
Works well, just wish the electrical connectors were more secure
The unit works well when set up correctly, but has a few issues you have to stay on top of. The connection posts of the connecting cable become loose every once in a while, requiring you to spread the split posts with a small screwdriver. If you attach the cable and the unit does not stay connected, you need to spread the posts to keep the connection tight.
The brake buddy is working great for me. Once you get it setup properly and adjusted to the design floor board of your vehicle.
Much Better than Air Braking. This system can be setup in one minute. I also have another vehicle that I use it with after purchasing an additional wiring kit. It’s easy and it works well. The wireless monitoring is flawless from the driver seat in my 38 foot Monaco Diplomat.
Scott
8/17/2024
Still great after a year. Added the wiring to anotgercwehucke sonincsnnxhoosecwhich to tow. eTrailer was very helpful again.
So far it is working fine, can't really give it five stars since it is somewhat awkward to setup in the car at the start as shown in my youtube video number 1 and the attachment to the break pedal is hard so I had to modify it as shown in my youtube video number 2. I did experience one hard breaking situation where my car breaks seemed to lock when I was expecting proportional breaking since that was what I had set up.
As per Etrailer has been my go to for most of my towing parts unfortunately I wasn’t able to use the company for all of parts that I needed to flat tow my 2008 Toyota Seinna but it was because the van is older and some of the parts were no longer made.
When I did finish the project we flat towed from Maine to Utah and back with only 1 minor problem a blown fuse on the charging circuit.
The braking lighting and transmission pump systems worked perfect.
Peace of mind! That's what this gives me. We have towed several times with it now and it's an ease to set up. The first time took a little longer, as to be expected, but now that everything is set where we need it is so easy to drop in and hook up.
Matthew
9/16/2024
Its been a year and it still works like a champ. We keep it set on the Proportional setting, so it doesnt have to work a lot. The few times it has have been money saving uses. If it didnt do the extra breaking, it could have been bad. Its so easy to set up and use too. Another peace of mind purchase.
I looked at several supplemental braking units and wanted one that was portable with nice features like wireless monitoring and parameter changes while flat towing my Jeep Wrangler. I reviewed the videos on the etrailer site for features and installation instructions, they’re well done and really helped with my buy decision and installation guidance. I decided on the Select 3 mainly because of the option for full or proportional braking, as I live in CA and take my RV through mountain passes often. The installation was straight forward with the help of the etrailer videos, very well done. The initial testing of the unit was a bit tricky, but it worked, after leveling the unit out. The first trip with the unit was from Southern CA to Paso Robles through the “Grapevine” pass and some other large hills, the unit worked well and gave me the extra braking I needed while flat towing my jeep behind my RV. During this trip, the unit was inconsistent in bleeding the brakes upon startup. I shared this information with etrailer in detail, and they sent me a replacement unit after trouble shooting. I want to thank etrailer for excellent support of a product which I entrust the safety of my family to while in use. The new unit has been wonderful on two other trips so far. I’m very happy with the performance and ease of use for the Select 3. It just takes a few minutes to position in the jeep, activate and get going down the road after the initial install was complete, which only took a few hours to run simple wiring. The unit is not very large or heavy, and easily fits in a normal storage compartment of the RV when we arrive at our destination. I look forward to many more trips with my family in our RV and the Select 3 giving us the supplement braking we need in our jeep on any road type.
Had a problem with the connection to the unit but called etrailer and they sent me a new one after sending the other back to them. The hole process very painless and the the staff at etrailer was great to work with. Thank you etrailer for your great response.
David E.
4/5/2024
Works well great addiction to towing car
Jerred H.
5/8/2024
It took me awhile to figure out how to set it up in my "Tiny Jeep" (TJ). I finally tried flipping the bracket for the brake pedal upside down, and that moved the connecting bracket forward just enough to where the shaft fit in the bracket. Used it once, about a month ago, and couldn't even tell the Jeep was connected to the motorhome. The tow vehicle is a 2023 Tiffin Wayfarer. The tow is a 2003 Jeep Wrangler TJ.
Hi Miranda, here are the pictures of the bracket and Brake Buddy installed in my Jeep. Works very well. I tried to move the seat forward a bit but when the Brake Buddy activated it pushed the seat adjuster and moved the seat all the way back. Thank you for the bracket.
I LIKE THE BRAKE BUDDY SYSTEM FOR MY 2018 JEEP WRANGLER BUT THE DESIGN OF THE CONNECTION TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IS SOMEWHAT HARD TO GET CONNECTED. THE "CLAWS" SEEM TO WANT TO MOVE THE RUBBER COVER OFF THE PEDAL. THE ANGLE ALSO SEEMS TO ALWAYS WANT TO MOVE THE BRAKE BUDDY TOWARD THE DRIVER DOOR.
Once I got the right brake mount clamp and had the power cord from car to controller replaced, the unit has worked great, thank you.
Don
2/3/2024
Still great.
Works just like it should.
Dean
11/5/2024
The Brake Buddy would disconnect after I hit a bump in the road. I called etrailer r customer service and they told me how to tighten the plug connection. Works great now.
It worked like it should. I did have to bend the connector on my brake buddy harness to make it stop shutting off when I 1st got it. It has been fine ever since.
Many have noted that the male pin on the black plug may need to be expanded with a screwdriver to prevent it from coming loose. Also note that this is the first think to check if the unit shuts off during auto-install. Even though the unit is connected and powered - it will shut down if the voltage drops too low which is what will happen if you have loose connection.
The system works well, I purchased the system because I have a need to move it between two tow vehicles. For that it works well. If I had only one vehicle to tow I would have purchased a system that is permanently mounted in one vehicle.
Wiring is very sensitive, have to secure wiring in vehicle with zip ties so it doesn't come undone. Other than that it stops when it needs to
Don't really like this system and decided to just tow without a braking system at all and all is good by doing so. This unit is awkward, expensive and a pain to use
Katrina D.
10/28/2023
I would definitely look into your states laws on pulling a trailer with or without a braking system. For instance, in Missouri, by law a supplemental braking system is not required except on trailers coupled by a 5th-wheel and kingpin. While in Idaho the law states "Trailers with an unloaded weight of 1,500 lbs. must have an independent braking system, and a breakaway system." Please double check your states laws before proceeding without a braking system.
Great service from etrailer on this and several other items to get my Jeep set up.
The proportional breaking never worked right and on our last trip the system kept cutting out until it quit working all together. I was in the southern US and had to drive back to Canada without the aid of the breaking system. i tried to check it out and fix it but was unable to get continuous power to the brake buddy.
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Michael
9/26/2024
Better after my upgrade