What does a brake box give you?

jmc wrote:

The box is what controls the electric brakes. They don't work properly
without the controller. Plus I know of no vehicle that comes factory
equipped with a brake connection that doesn't require a controller to
work. Especially on any vehicle newer than about 1995.

--
Steve W.

Suddenly, without warning, Steve W. exclaimed (1/8/2011 4:29 PM):

hm.  I got the tow package on my 2001 Dakota, has the round 7-pin (I
think) connector.  I could hear the calipers move and the brakes squeak
(faintly; our roads were wet this morning) when I stood next to the
trailer while my husband braked.  I'm pretty sure the brakes actually do
work through the round connector.

Or are we talking varying meanings of "work" - trailers with electric
brakes are new to me, so you may have to explain.

jmc wrote:

The factory connector on that truck doesn't have power to the brake
circuit. Sounds like the dealer "did you a favor" and wired it hot. (not
supposed to do that unless they actually installed a controller as well)

No calipers on those brakes there is just an electromagnet. When it is
on it slams into the inside of the drum. It then transfers motion to the
brake shoes to make the brakes work.
Sitting still you should hear a loud click when they come on and go off.

Without the controller you have two brake options ON/OFF.
Touch the brakes for any reason and the trailer brakes come on full
power. Not good because it usually results in damage to the tires as
they drag along while the tow vehicle slows down. Also can cause a BIG
problem if the trailer is loaded and it is slippery. Nothing like having
a loaded trailer slide around and try to lead the combo...

--
Steve W.

Suddenly, without warning, Steve W. exclaimed (1/8/2011 4:50 PM):

Hm.  Unsure... my truck was factory built, not dealer bought, but
*something* was happening at the brakes.  Guess I better get someone
have a look at the wiring.


I heard a click, but not sure I'd call it loud.  And I did hear the
distinct, if quiet (was only going a couple mph), squeak of wet brake.



That doesn't appear to be happening... on my test run I went down a
steep-ish curvy hill that was slippery with a little snow and ice,
trailer stayed right where it should be.  And in my flat road test
(25mph then sudden stop) wouldn't I notice something?  Whole rig stopped
fine and straight.

Sounds like I'll be wanting to put a brake box on before doing any long
trips.  So now I'm officially taking suggestions on a good one to get :)

jmc

jmc wrote:

I would check over everything REAL close. They may have hid some type of
controller onboard. I don't recall anything for that year but who knows..


As for controllers there are a LOT of them out there.

As to the best I would say Tekonsha with Hayes as a close second.

--
Steve W.

There is no hidden controller on the Dak.  Simply, Jodi the controller
applies power to brakes to stop them.  Without a controller, there should
not be any voltage going to the brakes unless someone has messed with the
wiring or the trailer is wired incorrectly.  There are three types of
controllers commonly available, a time-proportioned controller, a pendulum
controller and an inertia controller.

The time proportioning controller applies a low voltage to the brakes as
soon as the brake lamp switch is sensed.  It then ramps up the voltage over
time based upon the setting on the controller.  If the controller is set for
low force braking, the voltage may ramp up from 0-12 volts over say 15
seconds.  If it is set for high force braking, the voltage will ramp up from
0-12 volts over say 5 seconds.  The advantage of the time based controller
is that they are cheap.  The disadvantage is that they may not be set to
stop the way you want them too.  For example if the controller is set for
low force driving, if you have a panic stop situation, you want maximum
braking NOW, not 15 seconds later.

The pendulum controller uses an internal pendulum that senses the stooping
force and applies the voltage accordingly.  Pendulum controllers are fussy
about how they are mounted and are rapidly being replaced by the electronic
inertia controllers.

The inertia type controller is much more sophisticated (and thus more
costly).  It has an inertia sensor built in that "senses" the amount of
braking the tow vehicle is undergoing and varies the applied voltage to the
trailer brakes accordingly.  If it senses gentle braking, it may apply only
3 volts to the trailer brakes, if on the other hand it senses a panic stop,
it will apply the full 12 volts IMMEDIATELY to the trailer brakes.

The time proportioning controllers are more "jerky" when towing while the
inertia type are much smoother.  I think your passengers (the horses) would
appreciate an inertia controller much more.

IMHO, the best controller on the market is a Tekonsha.  I have the Tekonsha
Prodigy which I use with my rig (a 30' travel trailer) and I recommend it
highly.   A proportioning controller will set you back $50-$60 while a
Prodigy can be had for $120-$130.  The best deal I got was from Southwest
Wheel in Dallas, TX.

Hope the info helps!

Mike

Suddenly, without warning, Mike Simmons exclaimed (1/8/2011 9:15 PM):

Yes, it does.  Meshes with my research.  I'm looking at a Tekonsha P3,
which is an inertia type that seems to be very well liked.  It's over
$150 (etrailer.com).

Ah, well.  The trailer owner pulled it for quite a while with just the
standard OEM setup with no controller.  She thought the brakes worked,
and really had no problems with the trailer at all; it wasn't until she
had to tow at highway speeds that she decided to add a controller.

For now, the trailer handles beautifully even if it has no brakes, but
I'll be putting a controller on in the near future, now that I realize
in truth it has no brakes, except for the emergency brake.

Any opinion on the comma-shaped jack/chock?

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Blaylock-Industries/EZ-JACK.html

Seems kinda expensive for what you get...

jmc

The P3 is an excellent choice.  It is the next generation Prodigy.

As infrequent as flat tires are, I wouldn't waste my $.  Since towing the RV
over 12 years I have only one flat (knocking on wood) and the Ram's jack
worked fine.   Speaking of that, take the time before you need it and make
sure the Dak's jack will work with the trailer and also make sure you have a
lug wrench that will work.  Also, since yer trailer was used, how old are
the tires... look on the sidewall for the DOT code.  This is the voice of
experience talking to you ;^)

Mike

Suddenly, without warning, Mike Simmons exclaimed (1/9/2011 9:15 AM):

Thanks for the advice about the jack and lug wrench.  The tires are in
really good shape, but haven't looked to see how old they are.  Owner
didn't mention buying new ones (aside from the spare) so they're
probably 2005, since that's when the trailer was built.

jmc

On 1/9/2011 1:01 PM, jmc wrote:


I can send you pictures of damage done by trailer blow out on mt 7 year
old perfect looking tires, thousands of dollars to repair.  I did it
twice before I became a believer.
Please look at any RV forum to verify.

For the pony's sake...
--
Pete Arnold

"You win some, You loose some and You wreck some!

-Dale Earnhardt-

wrote:


We had 2 flats (out of 4 trailer tires) in one weekend with great
looking 18 month old tires..
Trailer tires don't handle inactivity or weather well, especially heat
on the cheap crap tires most trailers come with..

mac@SPLINTERSbajawoodcraft.com wrote:


The rubber is specifically made to handle that. If you read your Good
Sam magazines you'd know, it's been written over and over.

Right.. specifically designed to rot...
Magizines don't help blown out tires..

It's also been written over and over that the power smoke  is a good
engine..

mac@SPLINTERSbajawoodcraft.com wrote:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTrailerTireFacts.dos

"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and
ozone cracking.

wrote:



We've had several flats on the trailer on trips, erspecially in hot
weather.. We carried a small flor jack but never needed it as Good Sam
road service was very good for us..

Something that I learned the hard way is that most people don't
clean/inspect/repack wheel bearing on trailers unless they have a
problem, so check those right away..

I'll second this advice.  Would your pony be happy with anything less?


--
Pete Arnold

"You win some, You loose some and You wreck some!

-Dale Earnhardt-

jmc,

Our trucks that came with  he trailer package, has the wires already ran
from a connector near your E-Brake lever, out the 7 pin connector, however
you need the Brake Controller, you buy separately.  I think you would know
if you have the "brains" or Controller in your truck usually mounted by
ebrake or under by hood release.

There are two basic types of electric brake controller: the proportional and
the time delay. Proportional controllers, sometimes also called inertia
controllers, have a mechanism that determines how rapidly the tow vehicle is
stopping and modulates the power to the trailer brakes proportionally. With
this type of controller the trailer brakes are applied at the same time, and
at the same rate, as the tow vehicle brakes. A time delay controller, on the
other hand, has controls that must be adjusted by the driver to compensate
for differing trailer weights and the moment when the trailer brakes are
applied. An improperly adjusted controller results in too little or too much
stopping assistance from the trailer.

Read more: How Electric Trailer Brakes Work | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5541169_electric-trailer-brakes-work.html#ixzz1Ae5s8xX6

I was getting all my stuff figured out about 2 months ago (then didn't buy
it) and I cant find that website that explained it a little better than ehow
website I linked above.  when I do I will post it.