Electric Brakes

[Morin]

Ok All,

I am attaching some cadid photo's of my electric brakes.  I am not sure what "good" verse "bad" brakes look like.  From what I can tell they look OK but I am looking for an opinion that actually has some knowledge.

The pics will be of my shoes - magnet - and overview.

I have some images of my electrical that appears to go to a battery but no battery and no break away are on the PUP so pretty much the breaks just are not being used.  I am trying to gauge whether or not I need to purchase new brake assemblies or just use these ones in conjunction with a Battery, Brake Controller and break away.

I am not really even sure if I need to use the breaks because my GVWR is less than 50% of my TV capacity.  i know by law in VA it is required for 3000 lbs or more.

Thanks!

[AustinBoston]

The critical thing with the shoes is the thickness.  These photos are not really good enough to judge that (although the first one seems to look OK).

The magnet looks OK.

The only time the battery gets involved with the brakes is during a breakaway, so you can have electric brakes without a battery.  In some states, if you have both electric brakes and a battery, you are required to have a breakaway.  On others, if you are required to have brakes, you are required to have breakaway brakes.  The minimum battery required to do that is quite small.

I think the next step is to wire your tow vehicle with a brake controller.  No matter what they try to sell you, get a Tekonsha Prodigy.  You might be satisfied with something else, but you will be satisified with the Prodigy.

As far as being less than 50% of the tow rating...brakes are about stopping distance.  Even well below the tow rating, the trailer will increase your stopping distance without brakes.  It can be calculated:

(TV actual weight + trailer actual weight) / (TV actual weight) x 100

This will give you a percentage increase in stopping distance.  But a better way to put it in perspective is to go to an empty parking lot.  Pick a braking point (where you will put on the brakes).  At 35 MPH, brake hard when you pass that point, and mark where you stop.  Now strap on the trailer and repeat.  See how far you pass the mark before stopping.  I'll bet it's more than just a few car lengths.  When fully loaded for camping, with the whole family in the TV, it's even worse.

I have a fairly heavy trailer, and I like to go by the "pounds per wheel" rule.  My TV has 1,000 lbs on each wheel, and therefore about 1,000 lbs on each brake (I know the front does most of the braking, but let's pretend).

My trailer has over 1,600 lbs on each wheel (scary when you look at how much smaller they are than the TV wheels), and, including tongue weight, over 1,750 lbs per brake.  If I did not have trailer brakes, the TV would have 1,875 lbs per brake - potentially almost doubling stopping distance.   :yikes:

Austin

[tknick]

Can you ever have too much braking power?  Stop on a dime?  I rather be able to stop on a nickel and have a nickel to spare.  Use the brakes on the PUP.  you and your families lives are not worth it.  And yes, it is a matter of your life or someone elses.  just say your going through your neighborhood obeying the speed limit of 25mph.  what happens when little Joey runs out in front of you.  wanna live with the guilt of not having those brakes hooked up?  I wouldn't.

travis

[mike4947]

While your trailer + the TV's weight may be 1/2 of the TV's GCWR there's a really good chance it's over the GVWR of the TV.

And like Ford says right in their towing section "the vehicle brakes are designed for the GVWR of vehicle; not the GCWR".

[Morin]

LOL - brakes it is..  I'm gonna have them serviced and get a prodigy brake controller installed.  I am not that good with anythng mechanical so I am bringing it into the trailer shop....  thanks all

[kanega]

Your brakes look pretty good.  Make sure there is no binding between the brake shoes and the back plate.  I had to grind and lube  the back plate supports to fix my binding issue.

In many states, you are required to have the brakes fully operational.  This does apply out of your state in many states.  An example in California, doors to and tanks containing propane must be marked LPG as a warning to police and fire personnel.  This law is enforcable to out of statue trailers.  Rare is this law enforced, but it is an example.

Trailer brakes will reduce your changes of an accident.  This is the bottom line.

I have a break away switch and battery installed too.  This is to protect you and everyone else on the road should a trailer come unhitched for any reason from you forgot to lock the hitch  to your hitch fell off the car.  This will prevent the trailer from hitting your car while slowing you down as a warning of a major disaster towing in progress.  I once was losing control as my trailer started rolling down hill, but just pulling out the pin in the break away switch stopped my trailer.

I suggest the brake controller be wired directly to the car battery.  Now the correct wire on the brake switch is found as follows:  only one wire should have voltage when the brake is press down, and no power when off the brake.

[Morin]

Because I am not very good at all with this stuff I took it to my local trailer shop to have the brakes serviced yesterday.  I am also taking my TV to UHAUL to get a Prodigy break Controller installed.  they did my hitch work and were real good folks to deal with.  Up front and honest....

Thanks to all for the help..  when it comes to safety I'd rather error on the side of caution as noted in these post by other readers.  A couple hundred dollars is worth potentially saving lives in an accident.