RE: Elec. brakes & traveling thru Mtns.

Danusmom · Sep 28, 2003, 07:05 PM

I realize some of you have touched on this subject previously for me. However, with the recent post by " PopUpSgt" having trouble --I realize hydrualic brakes are different from electric-- it has instilled a growing concern for me as I will be traveling much of the same route he took from the Eastern Rally. Even tlhdoc posted she had trouble with her electric brakes. She has the same make, model, & year pop-up we have.

I guess these posts are fueling my fear as I am already concerned about towing the PU through the mountains --a 1st for me-- by myself with my 2.5 y.o. strapped in the back seat (DH has to work during the week & will fly down on a Friday to stay the w/e & drive back with us). DS usually starts an adament objection to being in the vehicle more than 5 hours --it takes us 6 hours one way to reach the in-laws house. And, this trek in August is ~8 hours (propably closer to 9 or 10 hours with DS) according to Mapquest & AAA. I m hoping the " video-in-a-bag" we purchased will help entertain my son beyond his 5-hour limit.

My folks will be driving down, too. in their own vehicle. We all have cell phones, but don t know how well they will work traveling through the mountains --we ll take the Turnpike from I-75 to head east before we have to exit to head south. So, at least they will be near enough to help, if need be.

Well, I m rambling...I d like to make a check-list as it pertains to driving in this particular circumstance & invite the sage advice of those with experience to add their input.

* hook up electric brakes - apparently our PU has them, but they are not hooked up to the truck. What else needs to be done with either vehicle to place the elctric brakes in working order? What visible check do I need to perform to make sure we avoid any potential problems?

* intall friction sway control bar on PU

* install airlifts (?) on truck -- this, I m told, takes the sag out of the truck thereby making it more stable for driving....yes? It s a 99 Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up with a 5-speed manual transmission.

* repack the bearings on PU --hasn t been done since we received the PU for Christmas 99.

* have PU wheels balanced & check tires, including spare tire. And, check manual regarding process of changing a flat.

* Practice backing up PU.....OY!

Have I left anything out?

Peace be with you all.

Danusmom · Jul 20, 2003, 12:19 PM

DanusmomPS I m not really paranoid. I just want to do my best to avoid any problems before they occur. Especially while I m traveling, for the most part, by myself with my 2.5 y.o. son.

Peace be with you all.

YellowXterra · Jul 20, 2003, 01:03 PM

DanusmomI tow with a full size Ford van and thru town where there is a lot of stop and go driving I set the brakes up high and when driving thru the Mtn s I turn them down, the reason I do this is I used to drive a truck and know first hand that you can catch brakes on fire if they are set to high (tight) So to save the trailer brakes I turn them down just a bit My Van can stop the camper just fine with out the trailer brakes and I use the trailer brakes just to save ware and tear on my van brakes not really cause I have to use them. I also reccommend sway control it will save your life.

PopupSgt · Jul 20, 2003, 02:41 PM

DanusmomI have air bags installed on my vehicle due to sag but I would have opted for the weight distribution hitch over the bags but cannot use them due to surge brake system does not allow. If you do not have the wdh setup then air bags will work for you and they work great for my vehicle. I know their are many that are advocate s of the wdh method but for me I could not use them.
When I was pulling the rv to the rally thru the mtns I did not have any problem w/ the rv and the braking system, I just kept my speed to 65 & always stayed in the right hand lane. I did not have sway control & wish to God that I would have had it due to some of the winding turns and the strong gust between the mtn valley s. If you have the sway control installed you will be fine.
The only problem I had was coming home which of course when I lost the brake system, my tv can stop the rv but being that it s about 3400 # s loaded it gets loose trying to push the tv & I had no method to slow it down except w/ the tv. When I came to the top of the hills I pretty much coasted down in the right hand lane and gave gas if needed, you will pick up speed fast so not much gas is needed so you don t have to brake so much. Have a great trip & I can tell you that video bag system will keep your DS entertained for the entire trip. We take a 13" tv & dvd player & the kids are quite the entire trip which was 8 hrs for us.

tlhdoc · Jul 20, 2003, 09:45 PM

Danusmom

QuoteORIGINAL: Danusmom

Even tlhdoc posted she had trouble with her electric brakes. She has the same make, model, & year pop-up we have.

I did have my brake line cut by a U bolt in May. This happened after my dealer checked my brakes. I have found out that it is fairly common on coleman PUs. Other than that the brakes work well. I have them adjusted at least once a year, but I tow 3000+ miles each year.

OC Campers · Jul 20, 2003, 10:15 PM

DanusmomI ve driven in the mountains many times and all I can say is speed is not your freind.When going down a steep grade, I slow down and drop into 3rd gear. This cuts down on the amount of braking and helps keep me out of trouble. As far as the electric brakes,just about any hitch company can set you up with what you need.They are a definate plus when going down steep grades.
I wouldn t think your truck would haved much sag when towing a popup and wonder if you need to worry about that. I guess if you have an abnormal amount of sag it would be worth looking in to, you never mention how big your trailer is.

Randy

Robucko · Jul 20, 2003, 10:40 PM

DanusmomI know everyone is trying to help you but I firmly believe you need to go to an expert who can diagnose your entire rig and help you get it done right the first time.
I m sure there must be an RV repair shop in your area. Ask around and try to get a reccomendation from someone who has some dealings with them.
Your safety and the safety of your 2.5 year old are the most important issue here and should not be left to any amateurs.
I m not knocking anyone on this board, there are many who have lots of experience and would be glad to help you out but unless they live in your area or can see your rig, find an expert.
Remember it s not the speed that you are judged by, it s the safe arrival that counts.
Good luck!

MtnCamper · Jul 20, 2003, 11:19 PM

DanusmomI ve towed in the mountains a few times, [

]. Best advice to give, is drive ahead of yourself... Don t stand on the brakes, go at a comfortable speed (yours). If you have to use the brakes going downhill a lot, slow down! Use the engine in your TV for a brakes. If you are going too slow for everyone else, that s their problem, not yours.

raven339 · Jul 21, 2003, 12:39 AM

DanusmomMay I add to what MtnCamper said, and that along with driving within your comfort zone, please be a courteous driver and use the frequent pullouts to allow other drivers to pass...[

][

]

Skol...

woodthumb · Jul 21, 2003, 07:08 AM

DanusmomJust back from Smokies...was a little nervous about no trailer brakes but many told me not to worry. Guess they were right. We tow a 99 Coleman Santee ( 2400 lb loaded ) and had no trouble slowin in the hills. Would have liked a little more horses gettin to the top tho. Kept it in third, tapped brakes firmly every ten seconds or so, and really it was piece of cake. I almost spent $800 on install before we left, but I m kinda glad we used it elsewhere. We felt totally comfortable and confident in our tow vehicle s stopping power. Sure ,I would rather have camper brakes, but for all you that don t, slow down, use your tranny to assist , and you should be fine. We had to navigate a couple 8 degree declines for a mile or two, so if it was any more than that, I could not say. Campground owner told me he tows a backhoe around the mountains all the time and has no trailer brakes.... a one ton camper is really not much weight for a mid to large size tow vehicle. By the way, FLA residents...F Wilderness $100 total..3 nights.. month of Aug.. no cable tho.. Have a ball

GeneF · Jul 21, 2003, 08:30 AM

DanusmomOne item not mentioned if you have electric brakes, don t forget to hook up the breakaway switch and be sure cable is clear of obstacles.

I posted this last year but just as a reminder, I was coming to a stop sign when all of a sudden the brakes on the trailer came on. The trailer had not separated but somehow the breakaway cable had come off of the tow vehicle and the switch activiated. I now have the cable attached to the tv a little differently.

On the up side, I now know how that breakaway switch works. I am just happy that I wasn t going about 60 when it happened.

Now are electric brakes important, well I wish I had had them about 12 years ago coming down Powder Pass in Wyoming (?). Elevation 9660. We were just pulling an 8 foot jayco with our Plymouth minivan. If you have ever pulled off the road seeing your brakes smoking and the bearing grease in the front wheels running like water, then you will want to have electric brakes in those kind of mountains.

Yes, I was using the engine to brake.

Cooled the brakes down and made it the rest of the way down and stopped at the first gas station. Mechanic was really nice and pullled off the front two wheels and checked the brakes etc. Said I was lucky, he has a lot come in with the transmission smoking. And he only charged my $5 to check the van out.

With the Dodge truck and electric brakes, you shouldn t have any problems towing or stopping. Relax and enjoy the trip and drive sensibly and you won t have any problems.

AustinBoston · Jul 22, 2003, 12:39 PM

Danusmom<Own horn-toot mode = ON>

You will not be likely to find better info on towing with brakes than on Tim5055 s [link=http://www.title-3.com/Brakes.htm]Brake Page[/link]. Read it all, or scroll down to the section on Downhill Braking Techniques.

<Own horn-toot mode = OFF>

A 1500 pickup should have sufficient brakes to handle a Niagara as long as you are not going too fast. But think of this as more of a backup situation. The safest thing is to have trailer brakes, but if the brakes fail, the pickup will stop you. Ideally, this is how we should all tow all the time.

Austin

Danusmom · Jul 23, 2003, 04:33 PM

DanusmomThanks, AustinB. Great info! And, I ordered the book on traveling through the mountains. On Tim s site you mention the need to " pump" the brakes during decent. Is this to avoid overheating the brakes? I m so use to being told not to pump the brakes in the winter now that we have ABS brakes.

Our Nevada (GVWR 3000 with 869 lbs. cargo capacity) is a 10 box with electric brakes --it has the 7-prong electric connection with a 4-prong adapter. Currently, we have the 4-prong wire harness on the truck --a Dodge Ram 1500 w/v8 & 5-speed manual transmission. DH has stated he wants to hook-up the electric brake wiring himself on the truck. I m hoping he takes the truck to a trailer hitch place & allows them to do instead. Not that I don t trust his competency & thoroughness; I just need him to do so many other things before I leave.

Thanks to all for your input.

Peace be with you all.

AustinBoston · Jul 24, 2003, 08:24 AM

Danusmom

QuoteORIGINAL: Danusmom

Thanks, AustinB. Great info! And, I ordered the book on traveling through the mountains. On Tim s site you mention the need to " pump" the brakes during decent. Is this to avoid overheating the brakes? I m so use to being told not to pump the brakes in the winter now that we have ABS brakes.

It s not about pumping the brakes. Pumping brakes in winter is/was done to avoid a skid, and was done as fast as possible. What I described was what I think I called intermittent or alternating brake use, where you hold the brakes on firmly and steadily for several seconds, then release them completely for several seconds. The idea is that firm braking makes sure that all braking components (front, rear, and trailer brakes) take their full load. Releasing & coasting (in low gear) makes sure the engine and transmission take their share of the load.

The most important advice when it comes to going down big hills is " Don t be in a hurry." A common statement among truckers is " You can go down a hill a thousand times too slowly, but only once too fast."

Austin

Jo Ann · Jul 24, 2003, 09:23 AM

Danusmomour dodge ram 1500 pulls our big 12 rockwood with no problem...i wouldn t modify the truck any, especially if there are concerns about problems with airbags, ect.

i whole hardily agree with robucko...got to an expert and get things taking care that way.

one thing...we did lose our back truck backs a few years back with our old camper and truck and believe...i would NEVER go without electric brakes again. But then, it hilly and mountainous where we go.

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