Expert Answers about Airstream Trailer Brakes
- Can a Trailer Use Both a Brake Actuator and Electric Brakes
- A trailer can have electric-over-hydraulic brakes. This system will use an electric brake controller to send a signal from the tow vehicle to an actuator when the brakes are applied. The signal triggers the pump and motor on the actuator and activates the trailer brakes.
The actuator on an electric-over-hydraulic will look like the Titan BrakeRite I Plug and Play Electric-Hydraulic Actuator Kit, part # T4813102. It will not look like a brake actuator coupler that is used on surge brake...
view full answer... - Can Trailer Brakes be Wired Directly to Brake Light Circuit
- If you connect the trailer brake light circuit to the trailer brake circuit your brakes would lock up immediately since 12 volts is max braking voltage for trailer brakes. You'd need a brake controller that can vary voltage so that you can apply the brakes in a smooth way. The Brake EVN # TK63VR is a great choice for this as it has an internal sensor that applies can tell how hard you are applying the vehicle brakes and applies a similar amount of brake pressure to the trailer brakes.
view full answer... - How are Disc Brakes Operated on Trailers or Vehicles That are Being Flat Towed
- Disc brakes on a trailer are operated by a hydraulic brake actuator like the Dexter Brake Actuator, part # 099-175-20, that is installed on the tongue of the trailer. It is called surge braking because it uses the surging of the trailer toward the tow vehicle to operate the hydraulics on the disc brake system.
The surge or push of the trailer toward the tow vehicle during deceleration automatically synchronizes these trailer brakes with the tow vehicle brakes. As the trailer pushes against...
view full answer... - No Trailer Brakes On Cattle Trailer with Brake Pedal But Work with Manual Override
- If you have a proportional brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Trailer Brake Controller part # 90885 then these will not send much power at all to the trailer's brakes when the brake pedal is pressed at a stop because there is no inertia for the controller to sense. I recommend you take the trailer around the block and try to test the trailer brakes with the brake pedal. The issue may just be that you need to turn up the gain.
If you still don't have power to the trailer brakes...
view full answer... - Brake Controller Intermittently Reads 'Trailer Disconnected' After Brake Job
- A trailer brake controller sends a small amount of voltage back to the trailer brakes to check for resistance, to confirm that the trailer brakes are present and the trailer is connected. If something interrupts the connection between the brake contorller and the trailer brake magnets, you'll get a 'trailer disconnected' or 'check trailer brake wiring' message.
Start with the trailer connector on the vehicle, ensure it's not damaged or corroded which would prevent or reduce voltage from...
view full answer... - Recommended Trailer Brake Controller For Electric Trailer Brakes On a Motorhome With Air Brakes
- I recommend the Hayes Air Actuated Trailer Brake Controller # HA100400C for your 1990 Monaco Executive. This will use the air pressure that goes to the brakes on your Monaco to determine the correct braking force for your electric brakes on the trailer.
view full answer... - Trailer Brakes Not Working When Brake Controller Is Connected To The Trailer
- The first thing I recommend doing is to use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 and test the functions of the wires on your brake controller adapter # 3035-P.
The red (Stoplight) wire should show power only when the brake pedal is pressed. The black (Power) wire should show constant power. The white is ground, and the blue is trailer brakes.
If the light on the brake controller is on and you have no trailer brakes when using the brake pedal or the manual control, you will want to check the...
view full answer... - Do Exhaust Brakes On 2005 Dodge Cummins Cause Trailer Brakes To Overheat When Using Brake Controller
- On your 2005 Dodge Cummins Diesel with exhaust brakes, using the Tekonsha P-3 Trailer Brake Controller, # 90195, will not cause your trailer brakes to overheat on a long downhill. It will only apply power to the trailer brakes in proportion to the vehicles deceleration.
When using the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Brake Controller, # 90885, it will apply power to the trailer brakes only when the vehicles brakes are applied. So the trailer brakes will not be applied until you touch the vehicles...
view full answer... - Troubleshooting Electric Trailer Brakes Not Working on a 1973 WW Horse Trailer
- There are a number of reasons why the brakes on your horse trailer may not be working. Lets start with the easiest things to check.
First, check the vehicle and trailer connectors for corrosion. This can cause a short inside the connector and the brake feed circuit and ground are at the bottom of the connector so moisture affects these connections first.
Next, check the ground wire on the vehicle and trailer connectors, trailer brake magnets and the brake controller itself. If there is...
view full answer... - Electric Trailer Brakes not Working
- There are a number of reasons why the brakes on your trailer may not be working. Lets start with the easiest things to check.
First, check the vehicle and trailer connectors for corrosion. This can cause a short inside the connector and the brake feed circuit and ground are at the bottom of the connector so moisture affects these connections first.
Next, check the ground wire on the vehicle and trailer connectors, trailer brake magnets and the brake controller itself. If there is a bad...
view full answer... - How Do Trailer Brake Controllers Work
- An electric trailer brake controller is a device that installs in the cab of your tow vehicle and activates your trailer's electric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes when you hit the brakes in your tow vehicle. It's not a binary activation. There are two main types of controllers out there.
A proportional brake controller senses how the tow vehicle is slowing or stopping and applies the trailer's brakes with the same intensity. So if you slam on the brakes in your tow vehicle, the controller...
view full answer... - Trailer Braking System Difference When Connected to a Coach with Air Brake System
- This is an excellent question. I reached out to some manufacturers and their tech's didn't know, so I did a little more research to help.
For an air brake motor coach, when you hit the engine brake or jake brake the engine slows the vehicle by opening exhaust valves in your cylinders while at the top of the compression stroke versus using the air brake system to slow the vehicle using the air brake system. The brake lights still need to light in most states because you are decelerating,...
view full answer... - Comparing Electric Trailer Brakes to Hydraulic Trailer Brakes
- There are advantages to both electric and hydraulic trailer brakes. Hydraulic trailer brakes will typically have better stopping power than electric brakes, but that does not mean electric trailer brakes have poor stopping power.
Reasons why someone may want to switch from hydraulic brakes to electric brakes are typically related to the cost of replacement parts, yearly maintenance and ease of installation.
Hydraulic brakes are an excellent option for all trailers, especially marine...
view full answer... - How are a Trailer Brake Controller and Brake Away System Related and Connected
- Some of this information might be a review but bear with me. Some trailers have what is called a break away kit. Basically, this kit is wired in line with the braking system. There is a switch that has a pin in it. The switch is mounted to the trailer. The pin has a cable on it that connects to the tow vehicle. If the trailer breaks away from the tow vehicle, the pin pulls out. With the pin out it allows 2 metal contacts to touch, completing a circuit from a battery on the trailer to the...
view full answer... - How To Disconnect Power To Trailer Brakes on Gooseneck Trailer
- The easiest way to temporarily disconnect power to the trailer brakes is to disconnect your brake controller. Unplug the brake controller plug from the back of the brake controller. The trailer brakes cannot draw power from the vehicle's battery if the brake controller is not plugged in. The only other way is to cut the brake wire from the trailer connector.
The trailer brakes are not powered from the trailer's battery, they are powered from the vehicle's battery and activated by the vehicle's...
view full answer... - Operating Hydraulic Trailer Brakes with Air Brake System on Tractor Trailer
- You can use your tractor trailer's air brakes to activate the hydraulic brakes on your hay trailer axle by using the Hayes Air Actuated Trailer Brake Controller # HA100400C along with an electric-over-hydraulic (EOH) drum brake actuator like # HBA-12 on the trailer.
The Hayes controller will take in the tractor trailer's air brake pressure and convert this to an electrical output signal. This electrical brake signal will then connect to the EOH actuator which will then in turn convert...
view full answer... - Wiring A Gooseneck Trailer For Two Axles with Electric Brakes
- Only the blue wire is ran to the trailer brake connection at the rear of the vehicle. This wire should be 10 gauge. The ground for the brake controller is ran to the negative battery post or a suitable ground point on the vehicle. The grounds for the trailer brakes are connected to the trailer frame, the closer to the trailer brakes the better.
If both of your axles have brakes (4 brake assemblies) then you will splice one wire from each of the magnets in the brakes to the brake feed circuit...
view full answer... - Functions Of The Curt Echo Brake Controller
- The orange button on the Curt Echo Wireless Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 2 Axles - Proportional
Item # C51180 is used for trailer sway. If you are driving down the highway and your trailer starts to sway you can push the orange button. This applies the brakes on the trailer without having to apply the brakes in the vehicle. In a sway situation if you apply the brakes in the vehicle, even though it applies the brakes on the trailer it can cause the trailer to sway more. Being able to...
view full answer... - Trailer Brake Controller Function with Jake Brake on Motorhome that Activates Brake Lights
- The Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional # 90195 will only apply the brakes to your trailer when your brake light switch is activated. The internal deceleration sensor will sense the slowing with your jake brake, but only if signal is being sent to the cold side of your brake light switch will activate your trailer brakes.
It is very likely that your jake brake will send that signal all the way to your tail light switch and that is difficult to...
view full answer... - Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Stopped Working
- There are a number of reasons why the brakes on your trailer may not be working. Lets start with the easiest things to check.
First, check the vehicle and trailer connectors for corrosion. This can cause a short inside the connector and the brake feed circuit and ground are at the bottom of the connector so moisture affects these connections first.
Next, check the ground wire on the vehicle and trailer connectors, trailer brake magnets and the brake controller itself. If there is a bad...
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