Wayne Buletza wrote:
>As for the brakes...I was lead to understand that surge brakes were easier
to use than electric. Help me understand the problems of one verses the
other.
>
>Regards
>
>Wayne "I'll get to drive the MG more with my wife with a motor home" Buletza
>Lansing, MI
OK. Here's the scoop!
Surge brakes are simple because you don't have to fiddle with any controls.
Surge brakes are a pain because you don't have any controls to fiddle with.
With surge brakes, when you hit the brakes a mechanism in the trailer hitch
compresses a hydraulic master cylinder actuating the brakes. The compression
is a result of the inertia of the trailer as it bears forward against the tow
vehicle when the tow vehicle brakes. With slick road conditions you run the
risk of the trailer wheels locking up, and a possible jacknife situation. If
you stop with nose downhill you may not be able to back up. If the trailer
is on soft ground you may also not be able to back up.
Modern electric trailer brakes have a control unit in the tow vehicle. You
can control the maximum current going to the trailer brakes and therefore the
maximum breaking power. When you apply the brakes, the current builds up
slowly over a couple of seconds, reaching the maximum power that you have
set. To adjust the power to the correct setting, you tow the trailer at slow
speed, press the manual actuation button on the controller, increase the
current adjustment until the trailer tires start to skid, then back off the
current until the trailer tires do not skid. This method of adjustment will
get you the maximum breaking power for the trailer for any load and for any
pavement conditions.
When traveling on the highway, a light touch on the brake pedal actuates the
trailer brakes. Within a couple of seconds the trailer is applying maximum
braking. If you don't press the pedal very hard, the tow vehicle brakes are
not applied much, and the whole rig slows gradually as if you were using half
braking force. When you apply the brakes full on, the whole rig will stop in
a very short distance, almost as if you weren't towing anything, because the
trailer brakes take care of the trailer while the tow vehicle stops itself.
If the trailer should start to sway around, a light touch on the pedal or the
manual control applies the trailer brakes alone.
Stopping for a toll booth takes a little practice. When you're almost to the
window, the rig is likely to come to a full stop before you intended, because
the trailer brakes are full on. The technique is to release the brakes and
pump them gently. This way the tow vehicle does the braking before the
trailer brakes come up to full current.
Backing up with the rig is made easy by reducing the current to the trailer
brakes until they have no power. Then you're just shuffling around a free
rolling trailer.
Many states (including Illinois) now require an active trailer brake control
in the cab of the tow vehicle, at least for all new trailers over 1000 pounds
gross trailer weight. The electric brake control is easy to master with just
a couple minutes practice. My 16' flatbed has tandem axels with electric
brakes on all wheels (highly recommended). I have trailered my MG (very
light load). I have trailered a stock car (medium load). I have also
trailered a Ford Ranger truck (still only half the load capacity of the
trailer). My tow vehicle was a Ford Ranger with 2.8L V6 and automatic
transmission. The trailer weighs 1100 pounds empty. Almost any load makes
the trailer heavier than the tow vehicle. This is why it is important to
have brakes on all wheels.
To make the trailer handle properly, it is important to have about 10% of the
loaded trailer weight on the hitch. Another way to consider it is to say
that the load on the trailer should be centered slightly in front of the load
axel(s). If the load is farther back, the trailer will be unstable and will
fishtail badly at highway speeds.
With the Ranger as a tow vehicle, I installed a frame attached receiver hitch
and a set of single leaf adjustable helper springs set to the lightest load
assist adjustment. The helper springs were primarily intended to raise the
hitch level about two inches, but they also improved the handling quite a
bit. The class II hitch is rated for 5500 pounds towing capacity. I have
towed things aproaching 5000 pounds, and aside from the acceleration being a
bit sluggish as you may expect, the rig handles fine, even in brisk winds.
And the electric brakes? Top notch! Highly recommended.
Barney Gaylord -- 1958 MGA
Naperville, Illinois
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