Lack of self adjusting drum brakes on trailers

It would be no different than the Dyne, but IL law requires brakes for over 3000 pounds.

Personally, I would not remove them. I would probably install brakes on the Dyne trailer, but that just me.

jim

 

I trailer my boat only twice a year.

I may trailer the snowmobiles more, but probably still not a lot.

I get concerned when you talk about the brakes skidding on slippery surfaces. If I am pulling the snowmobile on snow covered roads, I wonder if it is actually more dangerous to have trailer brakes - when they lock you cannot "unlock" them simply by releasing the car brakes. As long as the car is still slowing down - it may keep the trailer brakes engaged and skidding. Couldn't this be dangerous?

It is just a consideration.

Putting brakes on my boat could really screw things up, since we use about 3 or 4 different vehicles, at different times, to put it in the water. Still... you might have talked me into installing brakes on that trailer at some point this winter. Not sure when I will have time.

I'll see how it goes on the snowmobile trailer first. I'll probably install the brakes, if for no other reason than for the fun of the project. I am just having fun here, now...

 

Mark,
You could contact this guy I know with a Saturn Ion. It is a powerful tow vehicle and he would be more than pleased to assist with logistical concerns in any manner necessary.
Tim

 

Mark,

You could be right about the snowy roads with any surge brake.

jim

 

Hard to say. I have never driven with surge brakes (that worked, anyway).

I have done some research and I note that the clear trend is to include brakes on trailers of this size. There is also an issue of wear and tear on the brakes and transmission on the tow vehicle from puling with no brakes.

The key to pulling snowmobile trailers on slippery, snowy roads (which I have done many, many times) is to go slow, leave a lot of stopping distance, and stay in one lane as much as possible. Some of the reading I have done suggests that you are less likely to have a trailer jack-knife on snowy roads if it has the brakes. Because it is behind you, if the brakes stay on a bit longer after you release the brakes on the car, the car will tend to continue to pull the skidding trailer, which will tend to keep it going straight. In contrast, if you have no brakes, and you stop quickly, the weight of the trailer may cause it to want to come around on you.

In the end, I think having the brakes would be better, and I worry that a 4 place trailer might be harder to re-sell if it has no brakes, so I'm going to put them on. I'd like to go with the disk brakes, which seem like a better way to go, as they do not have the adjustment issues, they do not corrode and malfunction as readily, and they can be inspected visually at any time. From what I am reading, the "aux" wire on the standard 7 pin connector is connected to the back-up lights, and is used to control the release solenoid. What remains a bit fuzzy is how that translates to the 5 pin blade connectors when you put the adaptor on the car - - is the 5th pin connected to the electric brake lead or the "aux" lead?

I'm dedicated to figuring this out and posting it. I'm sure everyone is anxious to know!

 

Ok. Here is the apparent answer.

There apparently is not complete standardization of 7 pin trailer harnesses. Even if there is, that standardization is lost on the trailer side, because you never know how a particular trailer has been wired.

Apparently, the two relevant pins for purposes of trailer brakes are the "brake" wire and the "aux" wire. The brake wire goes to the electric brake controller. Since most vehicles do not actually come with the controller installed, this wire usually goes to the controller location - sometimes in or near the glove box???


The "aux" pin is apparently connected to the reverse lights on the vehicle. This lead can be used to light up reverse lights on a trailer and/or to activate a reverse release solenoid on an actuator coupling to release the brakes on the trailer when you back up (good to have with drum brakes, essential with disk trailer brakes).

According to some of what I have read, the standardization gets lost with the "adapters" available in the market. These adapters are what one uses to conver the round, 7-pin plug on the car to the more common "blade type" (read long, skinny) adaptors on trailers. A trailer with just basic lighting will usually have a simple 4 pin blade connector. If you have electric brakes, you would use a 5 pin blade connector on the trailer, and you would need the extra pin to connect to the brake controller wire from the vehicle. If you have hydraulic brakes with a reverse release solenoid, then you need the 5th pin to connect up with the "aux" pin on the tow vehicle - as that is connected to the back-up light circuit on the vehicle.

Apparently, some adapters are specifically intended for one application or the other, while some adapters can be opened up and the pins can be switched so that the 5th pin is getting the correct output from the vehicle. As always, a good electrical tester and a helper are the best way to make sure that everything lines up.

If you are going to lend your trailer, then you are going to want to also lend your adapter, because it is the adapter that decides whether the 5th pin is connected to "aux" versus "brake" output.

I have read a lot of stories about people hooking up to trailers with electric brakes and the brakes are on all the time, even though the tow vehicle has no controller. That is because the brake lead on the trailer is getting constant 12V power from the corresponding pin on the tow vehicle. Again, this is often a problem with how the adapter is wired.

Another solution to avoid this is to simply put a matching 7 pin connector on the trailer and make sure that the "aux" wire is hooked up to the backup release solenoid.

Does this all make perfect sense? :hi:

 

Yes,

The adapter would be easy to modify. My electric braked trailer came with a round connector.

The maximum effort stopping distance is increased significantly with a trailer with no brakes. My rig even with brakes will not stop as well as the car alone.

I have towed trailers with and without brakes. The difference is significant to my seat of the pants, and it should be. It makes sense. When towing with a big truck type vehicle the difference is reduced, but no one can defy the laws of physics.

I can even feel the difference in town. The difference in a stop from highway speed is significant. That is why the laws were written.

This is not to say that I want to litigate the issue, it is just my opinion. And, I think Sir Isaac Newton would agree. :good: :wave:

jim

edit: It would be cool to have a backup light on the trailer too.

 

I just ordered all the brake parts... Not cheap.

I was thinking about the whole backup light thing and was wondering.... would you really want to run that lighting off of the backup light lead, or would you want to merely use that lead to activate a relay and put such a light on a more capable 12V circuit? I guess it would depend on how bright you want the light to be... There is a constant power 12V dedicated lead on the 7 pin connectors - I'm told it is intended for accessory items, like interior lighting in enclosed trailers.

I had auxilliary backup floods mounted under the bumper of my Suburban. They have long been corroded and broken. Things that are glass or plastic on the back of a truck or trailer have a short life span, although I agree it would be nice.

 

I would just run it off the backup light circuit. If it blows a fuse or circuit breaker, then it is too much. The only issue I have ever had with trailer light circuits is the turn signal flasher. I am currently using one that is meant for the hazard flashers. A Chevy parts guy came up with that idea. It is designed for multiple lights. The only problem with it is that it is almost silent.

The 12 volt circuit can charge the trailer battery if there is one.

I guess disc brakes are the logical solution to the adjustment issue.

jim