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Trailer Brake towing general question

Bearbait in NM

Full Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
25
Gang,

2nd post on the forum, as I am a new 02 owner.  Coming from a Jeep Wrangler (totaled by a drunk driver a few weeks ago), and my other rig that I sometimes tow with, is an older tacoma.  I listed the other vehicles, as my "new" 8 cylinder is a new world for me.

My Av came with a Tek brake controller installed.  Controllers are new to me, but I am reading up on them.  I have an offroad trailer (homebuilt) that runs 750 pounds empty, and about a max of 1200 pounds loaded.  I took the loaded trailer for a short run this last weekend, and was stunned at how easily my Av accelerated and braked, compared to my other vehicles.  Neither the Jeep nor Tacoma would pull worth a darn, and braking was probably on the dangerous side.

My questions are general about e-brakes and controllers.  I am probably going to change out the trailer hubs and wheels to the new AV pattern for spare tire commonality.  When doing the hubs, I am guessing that I can convert to e-brakes.  Wondering whether a 1200 pound trailer would benefit from an e-brake upgrade?  Not sure about the complexities about e-brakes in general, and use with a controller specifically, v. the need for them with a trailer on the lighter side.  The trailer is only pulled a handful of times a year, here in the mountainous area of northern NM, on pavement, and a bit in the back country.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Craig
 
First welcome to the site,
You may want to check your state inspection laws, they can vary but in some states a light trailer doesn't legally need brakes and with the AV being 6,000 lbs. it doesn't need trailer brakes if the trailer is very light. Then your state laws may require that a trailer with brakes needs a yearly safety inspection and in turn that means more maintenance for you. Trailer brakes will help with increasing your ability to stop in a shorter distance and to some degree help with wear and tear on your AV brakes. Trailer brakes could add a degree of safety too in a panic stop by helping to control the trailer.
Hope you have many happy and safe miles in your AV!
 
Welcome aboard. Vaeagleav is right with his advice to you. Florida requires brakes at 3k# of towed weight. I have a Harley that weighs in close to 900lbs and the trailer is about 500lbs. No problem stopping and within state guidelines/laws.  However, as already stated in a emergency situation you might be glad that you have the additional stopping power on the trailer. In south Florida we have a lot of the quick stopping and avoidance driving techniques.  :E:

I didn't answer your question but if you are using the trailer a "handful of times" annually and mostly local driving I guess you would have to weigh the cost of e-brakes as well as swapping hubs to accommodate the Avy wheels. Seems like a good trailer spare would do the job.
 
Gang,

No, you answered perfectly.  I had not thought about checking NM law.  It appears that 3k is the rule here.  Thank you for that tip, Vaeagleav.  Where I am at, trailering law enforcement is a joke, but I like to keep things to the letter of the law.

And reflecting about the safety side of things, Hollywood, yes here in northern NM the amount of "junk" that ones finds laying in the road would boggle the mind of out of staters.  besides the usual rocks on the roads from rain storms in the mountain canyons, one is likely to find tools, trash from uncovered loads, and especially firewood pieces.  Ever seen a trailer full of pinon firewood strewn on the interstate highway, in a 75 mph zone.  The pucker factor on that one was especially high.

So, yes, gonna pull the trigger on trailer brakes.  I did find a source for 6x5.5 hubs and drums, and it looks like the price over just doing standard hubs is only gonna run a few hundred dollars.  Since the Av does not have the choices of aftermarket goodies like my wrecked Jeep, spending the dollars on safety seems cheap.

Thanks for the help.

Craig
 
Can't say that I've ever seen firewood on our roads in Hollywood, FL and our only rocks are coral rocks which live underwater.  Never seen a mountain except for bridges..  Good luck..
 
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