Take Off Shell for Axle Replace't ?

[Brian B-P]

What do you mean by"proper proportion to tug" when adjusting the trailer braking ?

I mean that the trailer does a share of the braking work roughly in proportion to the load on its axle, so braking with the trailer is about like braking with no trailer, but while carrying cargo in the tug similar in weight to the trailer's tongue weight. You'll never determine that exactly, but the general idea is the tug isn't being pushed significantly by the trailer, and on the other hand the trailer isn't acting like an anchor to slow the tug.

This assumes a proportional controller. With a timer-based controller, the amount of trailer braking has nothing to do with how quickly you are losing speed, so there is no hope of well-proportioned braking.

If I understand you correctly, and presuming I install brakes on the Trill, then the same controller setting I have just used for the Fiver,coming off a trip, will not be correct for the Trill, if I hooked up to it, right after having unhooked from the Fiver?

If the two settings were the same, it would just be by coincidence. The setting is determined by the effectiveness of the brakes (how hard they brake for a given voltage) and the mass of the trailer. Even the same trailer will need different settings with different amounts of cargo, but in a travel trailer that's probably not a big deal. It has nothing to do with the tug.

I only have one trailer with brakes, so I can't provide my own experience with this type of change.

Question:While towing your Boler, do you notice any significant brake drag from the trailer brakes if you manually apply them with the lever on the controller?

Absolutely. The details depend on the controller, but usually moving the manual lever all the way applies the brakes as hard as in whatever the controller maker considers a "maximum effort" stop. Applying the trailer brakes that hard on a trailer half the weight of the tug should stop the whole rig at about one-third of deceleration of a panic stop - I'd call that significant. Mine don't work quite that well, because the 10" brakes just can't do it.

[Joseph Olajos]

Renee and Brian

Thanx for the responses...
Brian, I think the "fog"is starting to clear,on the brakes issue, and I may just go for brakes after all...10 inchers, that is. Can't hurt the resale value down the road, eh ?
C'mon Spring!!! This Ontario Winter is beginning to wear on me !!!
G'bye fer now,
Joe

[Pete Dumbleton]

Here's a link to a graph comparing leaf to torsion damping:

Al-Ko PDF

Frederick,

Most places don't write tickets to out of towners whose automotive stuf meets the requirements of their home place of registration, so if you were to expect a problem, get something from home that says your system is OK, like a print of the pertinent law.

[Brian B-P]

...Most places don't write tickets to out of towners whose automotive stuf meets the requirements of their home place of registration, so if you were to expect a problem, get something from home that says your system is OK, like a print of the pertinent law.

While reciprocity is great for things like lights and licenses, it doesn't always apply. BC has signs that the border specifically stating that recreational double trailers (e.g. boat behind fifth-wheel) are not allowed, because they are in Alberta - no exceptions for visitors.

I still don't think the Fiber Stream brakes are an issue at all, both because they are not obviously visible (like a double trailer rig), and because the trailer is probably light enough to avoid a legal requirement anyway.