New Electric Brakes/hubs on '76 Trillium 1300

[georgewa]

Has anyone added only electric brakes with new hubs to their '75-76 Trillium 1300 on their old axle?

Would like to put 7" electric brakes with new hubs on the old axle/spindles of a '76 Trillium 1300.

Northern Tool, Dexter, etc sell 7" electric brakes/ hubs. Would the spindle of the old axle accomodate these new brake/ hub combos? Accepted is the need for new hubs with the new brakes.

The other issue is the flange with 4 holes to mount the new brakes. Does the old axle/spindle have a 4 hole mounting plate that will accept the new brake's 4 mounting bolts?

Some would ask why not install a new axle at the same time? That is a good idea but it would require me to have someone else do the job and cost considerably more money, $350 vs $1000+. I think I could install the brakes, breakaway switch and brake controller myself. If I needed a new axle later, I could have it installed and I would not have lost anything.

Thank you for your help.

Walter

[Perry J]

If you're going to add brakes to your trailer I would recommend the 10 inch.

My Lil Bigfoot was my first experience with 7" brakes and I was very disappointed.

In fact I replaced the brakes with new from Northern Tool and they were no better than the old ones.

I have added brakes to at least 4 eggs in the last 7 years and have been able to lock up all of the 10" brakes.

The 7" adjusted as tight as I dared and my controller set on the high setting I could not lock the wheels.

If you're going to spend the money get the best.
As I remember the 7 " cost more than the 10".

John

[Ron in BC]

Walter,

I installed brakes on my Scamp 13. I got mine from R & P trailer suppy. They had a very good price. I think that there are two common bearing sizes for a lot of trailers. You just tell them what size bearing you have and they supply new bearings, the hubs and the brake shoes etc. So fitting them to your trailer spindle shouldn't be a problem.

If you have a 4 hole plate to mount to then it's a piece of cake. If not, one has to be welded on and that might change the feasibility of it.

On my Scamp I could lie down, put my head under far enough to see the area where the plate mounts, and in my case, see that I had the 4 hole plate already installed. So I think the first order of business would be to establish if you have the mounting plate or not.

I think that you could find further information by searching the site as this has been a topic for several threads before.

Ron

[georgewa]

Thank you both for your suggestions; they were really excellent and I plan to follow them - (1) first check for a 4 hole flange mount of hub and if its a go , (2) install 10" brakes rather than 7". There is also a source for wheel bearings of different sizes for spindles if needed.

Just two more questions-(a) will the stock Northern Tool, Dexter 10" electric brakes 5/4.5 fit on the spindles of the old Trillium axle without having to get different bearings or axles (spindles are not replaceable) ?
(b) Will the original 13" wheels on the Triliium fit on these new 10" brake hubs?

Your help is very much appreciated.

Walter

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Perry J

If you're going to add brakes to your trailer I would recommend the 10 inch.

My Lil Bigfoot was my first experience with 7" brakes and I was very disappointed.

In fact I replaced the brakes with new from Northern Tool and they were no better than the old ones.

I have added brakes to at least 4 eggs in the last 7 years and have been able to lock up all of the 10" brakes.

The 7" adjusted as tight as I dared and my controller set on the high setting I could not lock the wheels.

If you're going to spend the money get the best.
As I remember the 7 " cost more than the 10".

John

Interesting, I was not aware that you could buy a 10" hub that would fit a #9 spindle. Where did you find them listed? Raz

[Ron in BC]

The correct name for the R&P trailer place is randpcarriages.com They are a dedicated trailer business and I found them very good to deal with. If you search for brakes on ebay you will find their 7" set with, as they say, EVERYTHING, for $148. This is the type I installed on my Scamp13. Their website has additional info.

At the risk of starting a war on 7" brakes, let me say it's been discussed several times before and my experience seems to differ from others who say 7" brakes aren't strong enough to lock up the wheels.

I also differ from the majority in that I'm using a Hopkins Agility proportional controller. On my first test I locked up the brakes. I dialed it down a bit and still locked them up. A little more and it seemed perfect. After a years use including a trip over the Rockies, I'm very happy with the way they work.

So I don't know why my experience is different than some others but I think the 7" brakes do a good job on my small trailer.

Ron

[Perry J]

I should have added if they will fit.
I have added new brakes to a Trillium Jubilee, a Trillium 4500 and at least 4 13" Scamps.
All were bought from Northern tool.

[Daniel A.]

Go for the never adjust they are worth the extra money.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

.

At the risk of starting a war on 7" brakes, let me say it's been discussed several times before and my experience seems to differ from others who say 7" brakes aren't strong enough to lock up the wheels. Ron

No war here. I have found the 7" brakes provide the same stopping experience with the trailer connected that my truck has without the trailer. That is, they stop the additional weight of the trailer. When John suggested to replace with 10" brakes, I was interested because they are cheaper and a better bang for the buck so to speak. Unfortunately all the 10" hubs I looked at have an outer bearing with an I.D. of 1 3/8" . The #9 Dexter axle has both bearings the same, 1 1/16". I don't think it's an option for me. Raz

[Francesca Knowles]

Before you automatically go to an online purveyor, do check out your local autoparts store.

I bought replacement hubs/brake assemblies for my Trillium 4500 through my local NAPA store, and not only were they a little cheaper, the guys behind the counter were MOST helpful in pointing me toward the right product.


Francesca

[georgewa]

Thank you all for your input and helpful suggestions.

Checked out randpccarriages on ebay and they provide some helpful info on installing electric brakes and wiring them up. Offerred are two versions of the 7" depending on the size of the bearings required. Their 7" brake kit is $179 with shipping of $66; it would be great if you could pick it un in Seneca, IL.

When I get to actually see the '76 Trillium 1300 in 3mos and inspect the old axle/ spindle, can I expect to find a flange with 4 holes that will permit installing 7" electric brakes/hub (5/4.5) ?

This is the critical question, because if there is no flange with 4 holes that will accept the 7" brake, then I am going to have to go with a complete axle/electric brake kit as that will be more cost effective.

Is there a problem installing electric brakes on an axle with lead positioned spindle? There have been some comments suggesting there could be a problem for unclear reasons. Granted all current spindles are trailing on the axle.

Is it true ( from reading other comments here ) that if you install electric brakes on a lead spindle, you would reverse the orientation of the brakes, ie a brake marked right would be placed on the left side? I don't understand this frankly, but I'm a newbie.

Thank you again.

Walter

[Thomas G.]

There may not be a brake mounting flange if it did not come with brakes. You can buy just the flange, but you'll need to find someone willing to weld it on. You can mount brakes on a leading arm axle, though Dexter recommends using their axles in a trailing configuration. If you buy a new axle you will need to swap the brakes if used in a leading configuration. If just adding brakes, right goes on right, left on left.

[georgewa]

Thomas,

Thank you.

Walter

[Spanke]

The old axle on my 1978 Trillium 1300 had the flanges welded on, but no brakes installed. Looked like it came that way from the factory. The axle was a "Rub-R-Ride" with trailing arms.

Since the axle was shot, I replaced it with a Dexter #9 with trailing arms that has 7" electric brakes. The arms on the new axle were 1/2" longer than the original and the tire sits 1/2" back from center in the wheel well. Still has plenty of room and to me the change in aesthetics was no big deal.

Works very well with a Prodigy P2 controller.

Since yours is a 1976, your axle is probably shot also. If you can "spring" for it, you may want to consider replacing it with brakes installed instead of adding new brakes to a worn out axle. Just a suggestion.

Good luck with your project.

Spanke

[David Tilston]

My 77 1300 has trailing arms, and a plate, but no brakes. My 73? has leading arms, and no plate.

[georgewa]

Thank you both for your very helpful information and suggestions.

Walter

[georgewa]

Now that it has been confirmed that there is in fact a flange that the original wheel hub mounts to, would anyone happen to know any details about the original mounting flange for the hubs?

To add electric brakes to the flange as is, it would need to be 4 hole with each hole 7/16" in dia and the holes spaced 2 7/8" apart.

This question would also be answered if anyone had successfully added 7" electric brakes to the original (? 4 hole) hub mounting flange without having to modify it for the electric brake's 4 screw back mounting plate.

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you.

Walter

[Francesca Knowles]

No need to apologize for asking questions, but I hope you're not making any buying decisions based on our answers, at least at this point.

I'm not sure if anything's been confirmed since according to one of your earlier posts you haven't even seen the trailer (or at least this part of it) and won't for several more months.

As is evident from various posts, you could be possessed of one of several configurations...if the trailer even still has its original axle!

If whoever actually has the trailer right this minute can be persuaded to take/send you some pictures, I encourage you to get them before you plan much further...

Francesca

[georgewa]

Asking for more pictures from the seller is a very good idea and something that is planned for after the first of the year .

Unfortunately, looking at pictures will not tell me the hole sizes of the old hub installation flange or whether anyone has previously taken off the old hubs and successfully bolted on new 7" electric brakes. For that information I am very appreciative of any forum member input.

I will not be using the information obtained from forum members to make a buying decision. The information will be extremely helpful in planning what I will be doing to upgrade the trailer once I get it. My first priorty is to make sure it as safe as possible to tow.

RVing is a relatively new experience for me only having done it for 4 yrs. It has taken me that long to learn the ins and outs of repairing and painting fiberglass, fixing the refrig thermostat, getting the propane heater to work, repairing the generator carburator, adding new springs, getting the appropriate E class tires, etc.

Because all these mods take time and research is why I am starting early with this travel trailer to get prepared for adding the electric brakes, rewiring the hitch connectors to go from 6 pin of TV to 7 pin on the trailer, adding a brake controller to an older tv and possibly adding a new axle to the trailer as well . It would also be nice to complete these mods before the start of the summer traveling season which tends to always be too short.

So this my rationale, and again forum member help has been and is greatly appreciated.

Walter

[Francesca Knowles]

I was thinking more along the lines of whether or not there's a plate there at all, as illustrated by Dave's post here:

Originally Posted by David Tilston

My 77 1300 has trailing arms, and a plate, but no brakes. My 73? has leading arms, and no plate.

There's a lot of what you might call "variety" when it comes to first-gen Trilliums!

Anyway...

Happy planning!

Francesca