ArdWrknTrk Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (last post about the Dodge in this thread) I wasn't sure where to post this. It could've gone in Oswald's thread, but it's not really about Oswald. Or it could've gone in the FORD lounge, but it's not REALLY off topic. So I'm putting it in the "What Have You Done (For) Your Truck" thread. I've been wanting to get a good car trailer for about 45 years, and now I finally have one! Recently I've been looking for a used trailer with at least a 10,000 lb GVWR (the minimum I need to carry Oswald), but the very few I've found are expensive junk. A lot of the new stuff I was seeing was pushing $10,000, which wasn't appealing to me (let alone Lesley!). But I found a new Load Trail for under $6K, and today I picked it up! It's an 18' bed (16' + 2' dove tail), 83" wide between the fenders, a GVWR of 9990 lbs and an empty weight of 2540 lbs. Oswald has a wheelbase of 12' 8", an overall length of 19' 5", an overall width of 79" and he currently weighs ~6400 lbs. So the trailer is a little shorter than might be ideal for carrying him, but it'll work well and I didn't want the trailer to be any longer than necessary. So far I've only towed it about 70 miles, a little freeway and mostly rural county roads. The trailer was empty and it tracked really well (couldn't tell it was there as far as handling goes) but it did shake my truck quite a bit if the road wasn't perfectly smooth. Nothing that bad, but my Dodge rides pretty... crisply anyway, and it was definitely rougher with the trailer. It'll be interesting to see how it does loaded. I'm guessing it will be more noticeable, but probably less harsh and maybe less objectionable. The 6.7L Cummins couldn't tell it was there. Granted, it was empty, but it's still over 2500 lbs, and the truck just didn't care. Braking was... interesting. The trailer has 4 wheel electric brakes and they are strong! But the trailer brake controller on the Dodge was baffling me. No matter what adjustments I made on it it seemed to give full voltage to the trailer brakes as soon as the brake lights went on. After smoking the trailer tires a couple of times I pulled over and unplugged the brake controller. With the trans in "Tow/Haul" and the exhaust brake on that truck doesn't need trailer brakes to stop a 2500 lb trailer, so that made the rest of the drive go fine. I will have to either figure out or replace this brake controller before I tow it loaded. Congratulations Bob! Seems like it ticks all the right boxes. I don't know what to tell you about the brake controller, trailers are problematic when they're empty. I actually much prefer surge brakes but those are a thing of the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Congratulations Bob! Seems like it ticks all the right boxes. I don't know what to tell you about the brake controller, trailers are problematic when they're empty. I actually much prefer surge brakes but those are a thing of the past Thanks! I'm pretty sure this is a timer-type brake controller, where the only input is the brake lights. You are supposed to be able to adjust the maximum voltage they ramp up to, and how quickly they ramp up. I've never thought that was a good way to go, so Oswald and my motorhome both have the kind with an accelerometer, where that harder you are braking the harder it applies the trailer brakes. I'll probably replace this controller with one like that. As far as brakes on an empty trailer, I've never had trouble there, I just dial down the max voltage until it's not a problem. But this controller doesn't seem to be working correctly. Or at least I don't know how to make it work correctly. Because no matter what I did it locked the tires as soon as the brake lights went on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Thanks! I'm pretty sure this is a timer-type brake controller, where the only input is the brake lights. You are supposed to be able to adjust the maximum voltage they ramp up to, and how quickly they ramp up. I've never thought that was a good way to go, so Oswald and my motorhome both have the kind with an accelerometer, where that harder you are braking the harder it applies the trailer brakes. I'll probably replace this controller with one like that. As far as brakes on an empty trailer, I've never had trouble there, I just dial down the max voltage until it's not a problem. But this controller doesn't seem to be working correctly. Or at least I don't know how to make it work correctly. Because no matter what I did it locked the tires as soon as the brake lights went on. Sounds like a much better plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Thanks! I'm pretty sure this is a timer-type brake controller, where the only input is the brake lights. You are supposed to be able to adjust the maximum voltage they ramp up to, and how quickly they ramp up. I've never thought that was a good way to go, so Oswald and my motorhome both have the kind with an accelerometer, where that harder you are braking the harder it applies the trailer brakes. I'll probably replace this controller with one like that. As far as brakes on an empty trailer, I've never had trouble there, I just dial down the max voltage until it's not a problem. But this controller doesn't seem to be working correctly. Or at least I don't know how to make it work correctly. Because no matter what I did it locked the tires as soon as the brake lights went on. Yes, congrat's! Sounds like a great trailer. On the brake controller, I like my Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Control. Works great and lets me adjust the brakes for any load on the trailer or no load at all. By the way, have you been reading the thread on Copilot? If not you might start about here. Copilot seems to be obsessed with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Yes, congrat's! Sounds like a great trailer. On the brake controller, I like my Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Control. Works great and lets me adjust the brakes for any load on the trailer or no load at all. By the way, have you been reading the thread on Copilot? If not you might start about here. Copilot seems to be obsessed with you. I don't think I've ever paid more than about $80 for a brake controller, and I've never had one that I bought that I didn't think was good enough to keep using. That Tekonsha looks good, but two to three times as much money as I've ever spent. Not saying it isn't better than what I have, but what I have has always been fine for me. So I'll probably go with something pretty cheap again. One question now that I have this trailer is if I'll use it behind the motorhome when I'm bringing the Bronco on a vacation. Never say never, but at this point I don't think so. The main reason I say that is that flat towing with my setup works so well for me. If it didn't I'd certainly consider trailering. But since flat towing works well I don't think pulling the extra weight, dealing with the logistics of getting the trailer home for the trip and then back to the cabin (where it'll be stored) and figuring out where to park it at the campground will be worth it. So I'll probably keep flat towing. No, I haven't been following the Copilot thread. I read some when it first started, but AI isn't something I care to think about, so I didn't stay with it. Looking at that post now, it reminds me of a line in the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Harry had been "interviewed" by a newspaper reporter, Rita Skeeter, who then wrote whatever she thought would help sell papers. When Harry was shown the result his response was "well she's certainly gone off me a bit." (Or was your point in bringing that up to remind me that I haven't followed through on writing that? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 I don't think I've ever paid more than about $80 for a brake controller, and I've never had one that I bought that I didn't think was good enough to keep using. That Tekonsha looks good, but two to three times as much money as I've ever spent. Not saying it isn't better than what I have, but what I have has always been fine for me. So I'll probably go with something pretty cheap again. One question now that I have this trailer is if I'll use it behind the motorhome when I'm bringing the Bronco on a vacation. Never say never, but at this point I don't think so. The main reason I say that is that flat towing with my setup works so well for me. If it didn't I'd certainly consider trailering. But since flat towing works well I don't think pulling the extra weight, dealing with the logistics of getting the trailer home for the trip and then back to the cabin (where it'll be stored) and figuring out where to park it at the campground will be worth it. So I'll probably keep flat towing. No, I haven't been following the Copilot thread. I read some when it first started, but AI isn't something I care to think about, so I didn't stay with it. Looking at that post now, it reminds me of a line in the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Harry had been "interviewed" by a newspaper reporter, Rita Skeeter, who then wrote whatever she thought would help sell papers. When Harry was shown the result his response was "well she's certainly gone off me a bit." (Or was your point in bringing that up to remind me that I haven't followed through on writing that? ) The brake controller in the Dodge is a Hayes Genesis. It is an accelerometer-based automatic controller, which is what I've used and liked. But looking up the manual on-line, the in-cab adjustments are far from intuitive. So I don't think I was changing anything when I was trying. Now that I have the manual I'll give it another shot. I don't think I'm going to love this controller, but likely it will work well enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 The brake controller in the Dodge is a Hayes Genesis. It is an accelerometer-based automatic controller, which is what I've used and liked. But looking up the manual on-line, the in-cab adjustments are far from intuitive. So I don't think I was changing anything when I was trying. Now that I have the manual I'll give it another shot. I don't think I'm going to love this controller, but likely it will work well enough for me. Nice trailer! Hope you get the trailer brakes working right. I've only used a cheaper controller like you said you had bought, the new ones do intrigue me. But I don't know if I'll ever tow anything with brakes again. My cargo trailer doesn't have brakes. I agree with Jim I liked surge control type trailer brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 I don't think I've ever paid more than about $80 for a brake controller, and I've never had one that I bought that I didn't think was good enough to keep using. That Tekonsha looks good, but two to three times as much money as I've ever spent. Not saying it isn't better than what I have, but what I have has always been fine for me. So I'll probably go with something pretty cheap again. One question now that I have this trailer is if I'll use it behind the motorhome when I'm bringing the Bronco on a vacation. Never say never, but at this point I don't think so. The main reason I say that is that flat towing with my setup works so well for me. If it didn't I'd certainly consider trailering. But since flat towing works well I don't think pulling the extra weight, dealing with the logistics of getting the trailer home for the trip and then back to the cabin (where it'll be stored) and figuring out where to park it at the campground will be worth it. So I'll probably keep flat towing. No, I haven't been following the Copilot thread. I read some when it first started, but AI isn't something I care to think about, so I didn't stay with it. Looking at that post now, it reminds me of a line in the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Harry had been "interviewed" by a newspaper reporter, Rita Skeeter, who then wrote whatever she thought would help sell papers. When Harry was shown the result his response was "well she's certainly gone off me a bit." (Or was your point in bringing that up to remind me that I haven't followed through on writing that? ) Glad you are learning about the controller. Hopefully it'll work well enough you won't have to change it. And no, my intent was not to remind you. Simply that Copilot kept telling me about this amazing Bob guy that knows all about rear diffs and I thought of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Glad you are learning about the controller. Hopefully it'll work well enough you won't have to change it. And no, my intent was not to remind you. Simply that Copilot kept telling me about this amazing Bob guy that knows all about rear diffs and I thought of you. I have used surge brakes quite a bit (my boat trailer, everything I've rented from U-Haul) and I agree that they have their place. But I don't think that place is a 10,000 lb car hauler. The moving parts of the hitch tend to make for a more clunky setup, and I'd rather have 10,000 lbs connected more solidly. Also they require a fair bit of maintenance to keep them moving smoothly (one U-Haul in particular I had to dump the clutch in 1st gear to get the brakes to release after any moderate to hard stop). But also they have no way to apply just the trailer brakes from the vehicle. That's a valuable tool to stop sway that I don't want to give up with a heavy trailer that can be loaded a lot of different ways. And I've never had trouble getting even cheap brake controllers dialed in (as long as I understood the controls). I will print out this manual and keep a copy in the truck! (next post on the Dodge) (follow-up on the brake controller) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 I have used surge brakes quite a bit (my boat trailer, everything I've rented from U-Haul) and I agree that they have their place. But I don't think that place is a 10,000 lb car hauler. The moving parts of the hitch tend to make for a more clunky setup, and I'd rather have 10,000 lbs connected more solidly. Also they require a fair bit of maintenance to keep them moving smoothly (one U-Haul in particular I had to dump the clutch in 1st gear to get the brakes to release after any moderate to hard stop). But also they have no way to apply just the trailer brakes from the vehicle. That's a valuable tool to stop sway that I don't want to give up with a heavy trailer that can be loaded a lot of different ways. And I've never had trouble getting even cheap brake controllers dialed in (as long as I understood the controls). I will print out this manual and keep a copy in the truck! (next post on the Dodge) (follow-up on the brake controller) I've had two boat trailers with surge brakes and both were a pain. Backing up was difficult and required locking the brakes out if there was any uphill to it or soft ground. I converted the last one, the one for the 25' Sea Ray, to electric and they served me very well for many years and several thousand miles. And I agree with Bob about the ability to hit the trailer brakes by themselves. My 2015 F150 has the ability via the stability control system to bring the trailer brakes on to stop any fishtailing, and it did it once on our trip to Lake Powell with that Sea Ray. An 18-wheeler went by us at a high rate of speed and that caused the trailer to get moved to the right and then to the left as he passed. I felt the trailer brakes come on very briefly and everything straightened out immediately. We weren't in any danger, but it was comforting to know that if we had been the system would have stopped the swaying. I don't think that ability is available with straight surge brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts