Recommend Brake Controller For 1967 M416 Military Trailer Being Pulled By 1978 Jeep CJ5

Question:

Im wanting to put electric brakes on my old military trailer, and am curious as to which controller would be best. I have a Tekonsha Voyager, which is proportional, but I dont know how it would react to different terrain being angles and such are not like on a road. Would a timed controller be better? Also, what brake kit would you recommend for a 67 M416? it has a parking brake, but Ill probably have to lose it for the e-brakes. Id rather have the electric brakes for added safety behind my 78 CJ5. Thanks,

asked by: Rick

Expert Reply:

I would recommend going with a proportional brake controller like your Tekonsha Voyager, part 39510. With a proportional controller, the rate at which the tow vehicle is slowing down, power will be sent to the trailer brakes. A proportional controller is going to give you the smoothest braking.

For a brake kit, you would need to pull apart your hub to see what bearing numbers your hub uses. If you can send me the bearing numbers, I can look to see what brake kit will work on your trailer. I did some research on these trailers and found that some models came with surge brakes.

Adding electric brakes to your M416 Military Trailer would be good for increased stopping power and safety. Generally, we recommend that if the Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) of the trailer is 1/2 or more of the vehicle weight, you will want to have brakes on the trailer. GTW is the weight of the trailer when it is fully loaded and ready to tow.

You will want to check the wiring on the trailer and your vehicle. Both will need to have a 7-way connector if you will be running a brake controller. For a trailer 7-way, you could use the Hopkins 7-Way, part # H20046. For your 1978 Jeep CJ5, if you do not already have an exisiting 4-way, you would need to install Draw-Tite Wiring # 18252, then install the Brake Controller 7 and 4 Way Installation Kit, part # ETBC7. The ETBC7 Kit includes all the necessary wiring and connectors to install a brake controller.

I have linked an FAQ on brake controllers, and instructions for the Brake Controller 7 and 4 Way Installation Kit, part # ETBC7.