36 ~ Horth Shore News — Friday, May 26, 2000 enroad SiCAC rates Open 7 days a week Cars, Guvds.Vans & Nunevans 4 Cail for free pach-up 990-9931, y TALKING ‘YELLOW PACES 183 Pemberton Ave. Fences $85-7195 ARE i AL ATI LICA EER 9. an RV for your holiday Grant Yoxon Contributing Writer THE traditional start of the summer camping season, is fast approach- ing. Many families pack the car and head to the cottage or the nearest provincial or private park for the first of a season- long series of weekend and summer vacations. And many people consider purchasing an RV (recreational vehicle) as an alternative to tenting or staying in hotels. Canadians considering such a move should point their browser first to Go RVing Canada . Created by the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (www.crva.ca), the association representing RV manufacturers, phete Go West HITTING the open road is no chore when you can pack along your cwn creature comforts. RVs in Canada. Go RVing Canada is a Canadian portal on Recreational vehicles include truck campers, towable RVs such as travel trail- ers, tent trailers and semi-permanent park models, and, of course, Motor- ized RVs — camping or mavel vehicles mounted on a motor- ized vehicle chassis. This fatter group ranges from camper vans to 42- foxot (12.8 metres} “Class A” motorhomes. All can come with modern conveniences like bathrooms, showers, kitchens and dinettes. A link to the CRVA site brings up a fong list of manufacturers, all complying with Canadian Standards Association bench- marks for quality, where poten- tial RV owners can browse or shop. Why would you want an RV? Go RVing Canada offers sever- al reasons, principaily convenience — no gear to pack, no tavel and hotel arrange- ~ ments to make. And all the conveniences of See Web following page , Giving towed vehicles a break Dave Halliday, Contributing Writer LARGE motorhomes often pull along a com- panion as they roll along the highway. The smalier vehicle that’s being pulled behind the recre- ational vehicle — whether it’s a small car, sport-utility vehi- cle or pickup truck —becomes the main means of rta- tion when the motorhome is parked in a campground. While most motorhome owners think mostly about how they'll tow the. smaller vehicle, stopping both it and the motorfiome should be a major consideration. In some cases, RVers are choosing to fit the towed vehicle with an Featuring AGDeico BuraStop™ Parts A Goodwrench Technician will replace front pais or rear shoes with ACDeico DuraStop brake friction material. This complete Goodwrench Brake Service incledes machining cf rotors or drums as required, inspection and lubvication of hardware, inspection of master cylinder, calipers, brake lines, brake fluid condition, vehicle road test, as well as the DuraStop Limited Lifetime Warranty*. ‘We went you ts loagw more: Came viril ug 36 your feral Dozlec. 1 Toaes wel ictated, Shep & cavirecmenial cherges tackled Desher maty toll . forage, “DicxSwep marrauty covers beta trictica matntal se as long is you own the vehicts, when grolestiacaty inctstind. See ACUsico maraney sites ior ein ke Deals tbowr wacreutie Sr 15 mocita ar 28.00%ars whichever ovcers See, Linnited taue otter, CARTER CHEVROLET-OLDSMOBILE 987-5231. REGENCY PONTIAC-BUICK-CADILLAC-GMC 985-6333 auxiliary braking system. One such system is BrakeBuddy, manufactured by Master Concepts Inc. of Sedalia, Colo. “The towed vehicle casily - becomes dead weight and will push you as you try to slow or stop,” the company says in a press release. “In many cases, the towed vehicle can put so much stress on the motor coach’s brakes that they may. fade or completely. fail. A tawed vehicle will also greatly increase the distance it takes you to stop — not very help- ful if you are trying to avoid an accident.” Master Concepts sa BrakeBuddy takes the wei t. of the towed vehicle off the | coach’s brakes. The company also points” out that some states and provinces now require a brak- ing, systema for towed vehicles. And those jurisdictions that don’t have the regulation now may adopt it in future. British Columbia, for’. example, requires a supple- mentary braking system except. when the towed vehi-.~ cle weighs less than 2,000. kilograms (4,400 - pounds) and is less than 40% of the. — motorhome’s weight. After testing BrakeBuddy, the manager of vehicle inspec- tions for the B.C. Ministry of -- Transportation ~ and Highways, wrote to. Master Concepts, saying: “The BrakeBuddy will be regarded as a proper braking system for. towed motor vehicles in British Columbia.”. _ : BrakeBuddy consists. of. a small metal box. that sits’ 0) the floor of the towed vehicle. An arm protruding from the box fastens to the brake pedal and pushes the pedal to apply the brakes when necessary.” The arm is powered by com: pressed air generated bya * small air compressor running off the vehicle’s electrical sys tem. A pendulum in? BrakeBuddy senses when the: motorhome __ brakes::-’ are engaged and. applies. the brakes in the towed vehicle BrakeBuddy includes a trans : mitter that sends a signal from. the towed vehicle to a recziv-: er in the motorhome az illu- minates a red fight to fet the . driver know that BrakeBuddy is working. The system also includes breakaway cable that mounts: between the motorhome and ": the towed vehicle. Should the’ hitch fail and the towed vehi- cle come loose, the breakaway. system will apply the brakes in ..- the towed vehicle. Installation of BrakeBuddy takes only a few minutes once See Buddy followi tig page