Hand Brake (Parking Brake) on New Teardrop

[lesabret]

I'm having a teardrop built and it won't be the lightest one around.

I am thinking about my trailer, detached from the tow vehicle, on enough of an incline to either start rolling like a shopping cart in the parking lot, or
just being difficult to easily stop when I am rolling it around by hand.

I am curious as to how many of you with small trailers (doesn't have to be a teardrop) also have handbrakes or parking brakes on your trailer.

Mine will have electric brakes, able to be controlled from the tow vehicle with an electric brake controller wired into the umbilical between vehicle and trailer.
I've only seen mention of hand brakes maybe two or three times on various forums and the thread never went into detail on the setup or activation.

I got the impression that most were like traditional car parking brakes, a mechanical system controlled by a cable going to a set of brake shoes inside the trailer wheel(s).

I started thinking about whether an electric setup might work using the same sort of variable voltage signal that comes from the tow vehicle, only actuated by a switch or potentiometer located in a handy position in the tongue area. Might this possibly work?

If anyone has pictures of their hand brake setup, please post them if not too much of an imposition

Much appreciated in advance,

Dave

 

[Titanpat57]

I don't use a handbrake, just wheel chocks (and not the plastic Wallyworld ones)

I also don't have a nose wheel....and every time I think it would be cool to have one...and I've seen some threads where some guys have done a really cool drop foot jack/wheel mod.... I picture the trailer rolling through the backyard and crashing into the woods.

I've gotten use to hooking it up to move it need be, but at least it remains where I put it.

 

[jwiereng]

be careful that electric parking brakes don't drain your batteries if the rig is uncoupled from the tow vehicle.

 

[lesabret]

be careful that electric parking brakes don't drain your batteries if the rig is uncoupled from the tow vehicle.

I would not leave it activated such as a parking brake. Probably mis-used that term.
My idea is to parallel the trailer brakes' signal wire with wire of adequate awg and have it run up to the tongue box to a panel connector (socket).
I would plug into the connector with a mating plug on spiral cord (again, of adequate awg) connected to a hand switch.
I would only momentarily "step" on the brakes to stop the trailer if it started to roll more than I wanted it to.
In any case the power to the brakes from the batteries would be very short in duration and I don't foresee it as a power draw problem
Definitely not triggered and left in a triggered state for any length of time.

 

[702krawler]

I don't have a parking brake, or anything like you describe above (handbrake?). Other than very small movements around my garage, everything else is done with it hooked to the tow rig. If you need to be able to control it while moving it by hand down a paved incline (front jack wheel probably won't roll in dirt anyway), then perhaps you'd need something like you describe.

 

[702krawler]

As an aside, who is building your teardrop?

 

[Scott B.]

When I spec'd out my Little Guy, I requested axle brakes with the "parking feature" (Dexter's description.)

My plan is to add 2 hand brake levers at the tongue - one to each wheel (independent.)

This will allow parking (obviously) but more importantly, when I have to move the trailer by hand on a tight, off-camber trail, I can lock one wheel to pivot on. Also, with one wheel locked, the trailer probably will not unintentionally roll down the hill!

 

[Hilldweller]

When I spec'd out my Little Guy, I requested axle brakes with the "parking feature" (Dexter's description.)

My plan is to add 2 hand brake levers at the tongue - one to each wheel (independent.)

This will allow parking (obviously) but more importantly, when I have to move the trailer by hand on a tight, off-camber trail, I can lock one wheel to pivot on. Also, with one wheel locked, the trailer probably will not unintentionally roll down the hill!

Excellent plan.

I wish I had a handbrake of some sort. Chocking should be the back-up, not the main plan. I've had the trailer shift due to, ummm, activity in the trailer and was lucky we didn't roll away...

 

[dstock]

When I spec'd out my Little Guy, I requested axle brakes with the "parking feature" (Dexter's description.)

My plan is to add 2 hand brake levers at the tongue - one to each wheel (independent.)

This will allow parking (obviously) but more importantly, when I have to move the trailer by hand on a tight, off-camber trail, I can lock one wheel to pivot on. Also, with one wheel locked, the trailer probably will not unintentionally roll down the hill!

I got the parking brake feature on my Dexter but haven't located a source for the dual parking brake levers. Etrailers has one that has both combined into one brake lever, but I was thinking along the same lines as you are with the pivot idea. Anyone have a source for the separate levers and cables compatible with the Dexter?