Trailer brakes question...

J

JamesTXSD

Active member
We have a new King double axle trailer. There is a sticker on it that says "Warning, if you go downhill over a mile, the brakes may overheat"... or something to that effect. Sure enough, going down a steep mountain, we had 'em smokin'! I pulled over and let them cool... but sweated it, knowing that I had another couple miles to go downhill, in a construction zone, with no other place to pull off.

Other trailers we've owned have had a place you could put a pin in it to keep the surge brakes from activating (as when backing up hill). The King uses a 5 pin electric connector, so the brakes don't activate when the backup light is on.

Any suggestions on how best to deal with this? We've got a long way to go (and some mountains to cross) to get back to Texas.

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
It would be easy to rig a switch to the selenoid with 12 v positive. The only problem might be if the selenoid is a continous duty. I have also used Chain Vise Grips to lock a trailer from sliding foreward on the surge brakes when there was no hole for a pin.

Of course the obvious is to not hit the truck brakes down hill! Just kidding!

I don't know if you use your brakes on the truck or gear down. I try and not use the brakes if possiable on gas RV's or trucks going down hill. Unless you have an exhaust / Jake brake, it is a bit more difficult to do this with the diesel. Often the surge brakes will not come on when just using the gears down hill.
 
Hi Jim and Joan,
I too have anguished with this concern. On my King Trailer, there is room to slide a bolt through the slide area keeping the tongue from sliding backwards to activate the brakes. However, that completely disables the brakes on the trailer, thereby making them non-existent when you might need them most. I've only trailered over mountain passes on two occasions and seemingly experienced no problem without "pinning" the hitch....(however, I was blissfully ignorant at the time of the potential overheating problem).
So, I guess I haven't answered your question as I too am still concerned about it. Like you, the only solution I've found is what the manufacturer recommended about frequently stopping and allowing them to cool......which isn't a great way to make time while traveling, nor does it save the extra wear on your brakes!

Guess, I'll be watching this thread closely for the "ideal" solution. Thanks for posing this question! (In the meantime, I keep towing mostly at "sea level", which obviously doesn't help you any!)
 
Jim,

My King trailer for my 22 has a slot where you can put the safety chain hooks and they block the surge from working. I had to do this when I first got the boat and only had the 4 pin connector and could not back up.

Don't know if yours has the same set-up. It would be a quick and dirty fix. You would have to stop and put some kind of pin in the slot (maybe a hitch pin would work - using the safety chain may not be a good idea at speed). Then you would not have any trailer brakes until you stop again and remove the pin.

You might give King a call and ask them if this would work on your trailer.

Good Luck,

Steve
 
I can't see why you can't just run a 12 v positive hot lead to the lock-out solenoid to activate the valve that stops the pressure from being transferred from the hydraulic cylinder in the tongue to the brakes.

You'd have to put a switch on the dash to activate it and to deactivate it when you needed to use the trailer brakes.

The power from this set-up would flow backward into the back-up light system which ordinarily actvates the lock out for backing up, but I don't think this would cause problems, other than lighting up the bulbs (?)

Joe.
 
The manual for my new EZLoader says to avoid using the "tow" mode in my automatic trannie when descending a long grade because this uses the engine compression to slow the tow vehicle, not the brakes. When the tow vehicle is slowed in this way, the trailer's surge brakes are continuously activated, which can cause burnout.

They recommend braking to 5 mph below your desired speed, letting up while the vehicle regains the desired speed to allow both sets of brakes to cool, and then reapplying brakes when needed to get your speed back down.

The stock solenoid which locks out the surge brakes is not rated for continuous duty; it is intended only for short duty while backing, as othes have emphasized. If you intend continuous duty, I'd replace it with one rated for that service.
 
I think Brent on Discovery solved this problem by installing an "electrically activated" hydraulic cylinder on the trailer tongue. He notes raising it 10 inches to clear water on the ramps. This system would allow you to adjust the brakes from your dashboard located electronic brake control. Ford Super Duties have them built in. John
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Our Sierra is a diesel with the Allison 6 speed transmission (great, btw); it has a transmission retarder to keep from overspeeding on long downhills, and works great solo. Of course, when towing with surge brakes, if the retarder is slowing the vehicle, then the trailer brakes are trying to do their job, too. A real Catch 22: disable the trailer brakes and the truck has to do all the work. Don't, and you risk burning up the trailer brakes.

I used the manual shift to try to keep the truck from slowing the trailer. Used the truck brakes to slow below my desired speed, then allowed speed to build back up while the trailer brakes cooled.

I'll check with a trailer place to see if there is any kind of controller they can install to allow me to bypass the trailer brakes on occasion.

As always, I appreciate your help and advice.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

PS - Leaving Lake Tahoe... another "must-do" on our list. And heading to "dry dock" while we visit our kid in the smokin' hot desert.
 
James, for a simple fix without bolts ect... all you need to do is plug the trailer in differently. I wish I could tell you exactly how to do it but with a little playing around you can figure it out. Basically you rotate one plug 90 degrees to the other one (provided you are using a 5 pin setup) and just plug one prong in. I think you use the second slot on the trailer plug. Then turn your running lights on which will then send power to solenoid. I know I didin't explain this well but I think you get the idea. your basically tricking the trailer.
 
James TX - I don't think I was clear about the electrically controlled hydraulic brakes. Basically, there is a 12 V powered, hydralic pump on the trailer tongue which is controlled by an electric brake controller on your dashboard. You simply dial the delay and intensity with a thumb wheel type control to increase or decrease the trailer braking parameters. You can totally shut off the trailer brakes, or set them on 'hair-trigger' mode or anywhere in between by rotating the control wheel. This is the definitive answer to all braking situations, since you can control the delay and intensity of trailer braking in seconds while driving.

John
 
I believe Boris on "Journey On" has electric over hydraulic brakes installed. It's the ideal way to go since the solenoid itself is light duty and is the weak spot in surge brake installations. I carry a spare, AAMOF. It's the way to go if you want truly effective brakes at all speeds and in all situations.
 
For whatever its worth, both Sea Wolf and I have electric hydraulic brakes. Mine came from the EZ-Loader factory, I believe Sea Wolf installed his. You just need the controller, the brakes are the same. They weren't free, but they really work. They only apply when you apply the truck brakes, so the above problems disappear. (There is an emergency mode, as on any controller.)

I also found another advantage: they work when you're backing downhill. This is great for a launching ramp, since I saw a truck/trailer/boat slide downhill at Olympia. It's even more important in my driveway, since it's steeper than any launch ramp, and I have to back down to park it.

Also, I checked the pads, and they don't show any wear. Another plus for electric/hydraulic brakes?

Another thought: they don't work with Ford factory installed controllers, you have to buy an adapter.

If this sounds like an ad, so be it. Can't say the same for the ProPulse props. Anyone know of a good stainless replacemnt?


The southern Boris
 
Boris - Oh, oh..... "'doesn't work with Ford controllers..." ???? That is amazing to me... I wonder what is different. Maybe the electic/hydraulic uses different electronics controls than regular electric brakes due to some type of 'damper' function. Either way, I need to check out those controllers, I guess. John
 
Well, I understand the new “digital” controllers (Ford and others) send out a check code, which confuses the brake electronics. The new 2006 Ford didn’t come with a controller, so I just bought another Voyager controller, used the supplied wiring, and it works great. Used Velcro to mount it, in an extra compartment in the dash. Just close the door when I’m not towing a trailer. For a complete discussion here’s the brake page:

Carlisle Brake

Discusses Ford and has a list of acceptable controllers.

Boris
 
I see now. I kind of like the "check code" system in that it warns me if the brakes are not functioning on the trailer. I use it all the time for my farm trailers. John
 
Boris,
The electronic/hydraulic controller looks good. Which unit do you have and where did you get it? How did you mount it on your trailer? Did you replace the surge mechanism so you don't have that bump when you take off from a stop?

Thanks,
Steve
 
Steve, I had it put on at the EZ-Ldr factory. It replaces everything in front of the brake tube from the master cylinder to the brakes. They just gave me a standard hitch, not the articulated hitch.

If you want to know whqat a refit is like, Sea Wolf did one. He was happy with his, also.

Boris
 
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