Trailer Questions

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

Its rated at 7000#. It weighs 1500, so I could put 5500 on it if my tow vehicle could handle it.

It can't /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Right now, all I have to tow it is my 93 chevy 3/4 ton van with short wheel base and V6. It hardly noticed it coming home about 25 miles the other day, but that was an empty trailer.

My Power Trac weighs less than 1500 and the implements don't total 1000, so I'll probably only be hauling 4000 total including the trailer. And I will only use it to go to my property about 9 miles away two or three times a year and over to the little league several times a year, which is only about a mile. If I was going to do any distance or frequent towing I'd get a proper tow vehicle. but this is a fine setup for now. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

pajoube · Aug 7, 2002

MossRoad,
Appreciate the pictures and updates on this new project. That is one very fine trailer. I have stopped by trailer lots to see what is on the market for a number of months. Still undecided as to length but want something that can haul dirt and mulch along with the tractor and FEL. The comments regarding the hitch are very interesting.

PJ

RobS · Aug 7, 2002

Any idea what you're doing for the brake controller? I have a Reese electronic model and I don't like it. It only responds to "brake lights on" so you get the same braking whether you are lightly braking in a parking lot or hard braking on an exit ramp. I'm forever adjusting the gain on the thing. I didn't want a pendulum unit since I do my share of bouncing around off road. There is one model (name escapes me) with a string pot connected to the brake pedal. That would seem to provide the closest relationship to brake pressure without tapping into your trucks brake lines. Someday, I'll upgrade /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

cj7 · Aug 7, 2002

NIce trailer!

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

I was looking at some of the proportional braking units with manual over ride. They were a little over a hundred bucks, but seemed like the way to go. I have some links at home to go over. I'll post a few choices in a couple of days and we all can come up with the best way to spend my money /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird · Aug 7, 2002

Rob, I'm like you with the brake controller you have. I'd have to replace it. But you say you don't want a pendulum unit because you bounce around off road? With the trailer? Without the trailer, it won't make any difference anyway, and I didn't pull my trailers "off road" that much, but the Tekonsha I had worked great all over the USA and Canada, including two trips to Alaska and rough roads were never a problem.

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

Tekonsha

That's the maker of one of the units that I have bookmarked at home.

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

Bird,

you say you don't want a pendulum unit because you bounce around off road? With the trailer? 

You have to realize something... Rob and I live near Mishawaka/South Bend, Indiana... All of our finest public roads have been converted to torture tracks for the Hummer and H2 that are built here. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

They are a mess!

RobS · Aug 7, 2002

Yeah Bird, all of the current brake controllers are some sort of compromise. I'm now thinking that the pendulum units are a better compromise than the electronic ones. The ideal unit would tap right into the brake line for a pressure signal and proportion the braking current from that. I suppose liability prevents those units from being produced. The string pot on the pedal seems the next best thing but they are quite pricey (and why can't I remember the name of that rig?). For now, I'll suffer along with what I have. It does work, just not the best /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

RobS · Aug 7, 2002

All of our finest public roads have been converted to torture tracks for the Hummer and H2 

Either that or shut down altogether! I rode my bike to work this morning only to find a new road closure. A couple of miles detour isn't too bad in a car, but on my bike, running a bit late anyway... well you get the picture /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

You're a bave man, Rob S.

I gave up motorcycles because of the cars. I don't know how you could get from there to work on a bicycle without getting in some close calls every day. They ought to convert that old railroad track that runs from Notre Dame to just east of the Amtrack station to a Rails to Trails deal. It would tie in nicely with the trail that they want to extend from St. Joe High up to Niles.

And they really missed out on the abandoned line from South Bend to North Liberty. It would have provided a nice bike trail to the west of Potato Creek SP, right past my property. They just abandoned another one from South Bend to North liberty that goes east of Potato Creek as well.

Oh well, way off topic, but of great concern to me /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird · Aug 7, 2002

The ideal unit would tap right into the brake line for a pressure signal and proportion the braking current from that. I suppose liability prevents those units from being produced.

Back in the late 70s, that's the kind of brake controller I had. They were very popular and worked quite well; made by Kelsey-Hayes. I certainly don't know all the details, but it's my understanding that they're not made for or used on these later model vehicles because of such things as anti-lock brakes, the tiny amount of fluid that's actually moved by the brake pedal, etc.

My younger brother has lived fulltime in RVs, sold RVs, worked on RVs, etc., then had nothing to do with them for about 5 years and went back to full time RVing early this year. At the time, he had a commercial account with a local Pep Boys parts store (got everything very cheap) and he bought one of their cheap "electronic" brake controllers. I told him I couldn't believe he bought that thing, but he said it was so cheap he had to try it. One short trip was all it took for him to go by Camping World and get a new Tekonsha and come over to my house to install it and take that other one back to Pep Boys./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Now you fellers may have some bad roads, but I've got serious doubts that they're any worse (or even as bad) as every road within 10 miles of my house./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

MossRoad · Aug 7, 2002

Gosh honest truth... I just got back to work from lunch, looked out my window and saw a stretch limo Hummer driving down the street. It had 4 extra sections in it and a Michigan license plate.

RobS · Aug 7, 2002

stretch limo Hummer 

I think I've seen that same vehicle around town. Also have seen a Lincoln Navigator stretched quite a bit /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

gerard · Aug 7, 2002

Also have the tekonsha and like it. Very easy to adjust the braking force with the light that changes from green to yellow and then to red in graduated levels. Pretty simple.......

Steven · Aug 7, 2002

I have a tekonsha prodigy brake controller and it works very good and can be moved to other vehicles if needed it has quick disconnects for wires and bracket mount.

MLB · Aug 8, 2002

Hey Moss, I'm down here in Fort Wayne. I ride bikes a lot and wish they would do more rails to trails in Indiana too. I own a Heavenly Ham franchise and have to run to S.Bend sometimes to get meat when we run short.
All:
I just bought a NH 33D today with a very nice trailor. Need to get the brake actuator for my 1 ton dump. What do places charge to install these or is it simple? The truck (just bought too) has a very heavy duty reciever installed but no insert. Are there different sizes of pintle hitch? Also how do you tell if the axles have brakes on them? There is a hub on the inside of the wheel and wires going to the wheels, so I "assume" (uh oh)???

MLB · Aug 8, 2002

Never mind! After browsing the website showing the hitch stuff I realize I do have the actuator in the truck. I thought it was part of the plow control stuff but it has several lights and says "energize" on part of it, so I assume that's it! Cool! One less thing to mess with.

MossRoad · Aug 8, 2002

Welcome to TBN!

I don't ride bicycles very much at all, but would more if there were safer places to ride. I would also hike more on those same trails, if they were there. There are several rail lines that have been ripped out from South Bend to Fort Wayne as well. It is a shame that they couldn't have been converted to trails.

Congratulations on your tractor purchase. Glad you found the brakes for your trailer. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Golfgar4 · Aug 8, 2002

"Need to get the brake actuator for my 1 ton dump."

Welcome to TBN, MLB! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Say, I'm looking around for information on 1 ton dumps. What kind did you get? Did you get it used or new? Post a picture if you can.

Let us know what you plan on doing with the '33D and the dump. Filling in some more in your profile would help! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif