Electrical Brakes for a 13' fiberglass camper - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-10-2016, 06:49 AM   #21
Senior Member
 
Raspy's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,880
Sharp,

Surge brakes are applied by the forward force of the trailer pushing on the TV. A simple linkage applies pressure on a trailer master cylinder hydraulic system that then applies hydraulic brakes on the wheels. It is a simple mechanical design and requires no electrical. But they cannot be applied separately from the TV brakes to correct a sway problem. They also apply when backing up on a hill, so they sometimes must be disconnected to do that. This system is common for trailers being towed by commercial trucks and on boat trailers. Lil Snoozy also uses it.

Electric brakes are better for most situations where the TV is close in weight to the trailer and where the trailer will not be entering salt water.

The best logic for electric brake control is a system that measures the braking force in the TV by looking at the hydraulic pressure in the TV braking system. Max Brake is one brand of controller that does this, and so do built in OEM controllers such as you get with a Ram. Most aftermarket brake controllers measure deceleration of the TV and apply the trailer brakes accordingly. This is not as good as measuring the hydraulic force, but works well as it can be adjusted to match the TV to the trailer and the conditions, and the brakes can be applied independently from the TV brakes in emergencies. Tekonsha is a common brand that uses this method and can be retrofitted to any TV. Time based application is an old fashioned system that simply applies the brakes based in the tail light signal and applies a pre-programmed amount of electrical braking without knowing anything about how fast the TV is trying to stop. This is a very poor method that assumes all stops are the same.
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
Raspy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-10-2016, 07:06 AM   #22
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,925
Registry
Electrical Brakes for a 13' fiberglass camper

I believe "proportional" is the term used to describe a brake controller that detects (in some fashion) the amount of braking force being applied in the tow vehicle and adjusts braking force in the trailer brakes similarly. Look for a proportional brake controller.
Jon in AZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-10-2016, 12:21 PM   #23
Member
 
Name: Jim
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
Jim, what did you find out checking your axle ?
I found it is likely the original axle on my 83 Burro, made by Henhshen (rated fro 1200 lbs). I had the intent of buying a new torsion axle after others suggested that the torsion section is likely shot after 34 years, but the old one seems to be in good shape. It responds to upward forces (when I jack it up and down) in an encouraging way and the trailer has no apparent sag. So at this point I'm thinking of just adding electric brakes to the old axle, guided by "if it ain't broken, don't fix it."

I just emailed etrailer to get help finding the brakes I'll need.

I've attached a picture of measurements I made when I was going to order a new axle.
jgilardi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-10-2016, 04:33 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
Posts: 5,413
It may be worth the extra money to buy the Dexter assemblies from etrailer. I bought the cheaper Axletek assemblies (part # starts with AKE) and had some sort of failure with one. Don't know the exact problem as our son has the trailer and I haven't had time to look at it yet.
mary and bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2016, 07:29 PM   #25
Member
 
Name: kanga
Trailer: scamp 16
Oregon
Posts: 33
Laws are for the paranoid or scared. Follow you senses. You are good to go!
hiker22 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2016, 11:40 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Raspy's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,880
Quote:
Originally Posted by hiker22 View Post
Laws are for the paranoid or scared. Follow you senses. You are good to go!
Maybe you're right. I'm not scared, so I've decided to stop on green and go on red. What could possibly go wrong?
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
Raspy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2016, 07:00 AM   #27
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,925
Registry
Laws are for the lawless. Laws protect the innocent from the actions of the lawless. That is not to say all laws are good laws, nor that good laws are always fairly and effectively enforced.

"What could possibly go wrong?"... If everyone stopped on red and went on green, nothing, and there'd be no need for a law making it illegal to run a red light. However, in many places red light running is epidemic. I make a practice to look both ways before entering an intersection, even when I have the green.

A few years ago I T-boned a small pickup truck that rolled right through a stop sign because the driver's "senses" told her the road was clear. Good brakes slowed me enough from 55mph to prevent injury to the two boys riding in the open bed of her truck (which her "senses" apparently told her would be okay, too). Good brakes limited damage to my vehicle to $10K, a good thing because her "senses" told her $10K property damage liability coverage is good enough, and the State of Arizona apparently concurs.

Imagine the same scenario if I had been pulling an unbraked 1500 pound trailer...

If everyone followed current best towing practices, there'd be no need for laws. Of course there will always be disagreement about what are "current best practices." It certainly keeps this forum going! But what any manufacturer did 40 years ago is not relevant. There was also a time when cars came without seat belts.
Jon in AZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2018, 07:39 PM   #28
Senior Member
 
Markz's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1986 Boler 1300 Voyager
Posts: 723
Registry
Does anyone use a breakaway switch with their 13' trailers?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Fiberglass RV mobile app
Markz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2018, 08:03 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
Posts: 1,890
Yes I do. Hope to never need it. But if i ever do i will be glad i have it. I dont ever want my trailer going off on its own and possibly harming others. Not for the cost of a few dollers.
stevebaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
brakes, electrical


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
new camper electrical? Jared J Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 11 11-12-2012 06:59 PM
electrical Help for burro camper trophymuley Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 4 07-25-2011 12:38 AM
SOLD-2006 EGG CAMPER EGG CAMPER Pat B Ohio Classified Archives 9 01-18-2009 08:43 PM
brakes or no brakes Penney H. & Mike E. Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 17 08-13-2007 02:35 PM
9-pin electrical connection Legacy Posts Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 5 01-06-2003 06:56 PM

» Trailer Showcase

Iggy

emij

Betty Beach

danio
» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.