Overland trailer brakes and spare essential?
- Thread starter kchan628
- Start date
Peter_n_Margaret
Adventurer
The best solution to spares is to ensure that the trailer wheels and tyres and the tow vehicle wheels and tyres are 100% interchangeable.
Provides the added advantage of being able to wear out the trailer tyres before they reach their "use by date".
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
Provides the added advantage of being able to wear out the trailer tyres before they reach their "use by date".
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
billiebob
Well-known member
On brakes, there are a few schools of thought. On a big unit yes they are essential. An interesting fact. When stopping a superbee in a panic stop the brakes generate enough heat to melt and boil a 150# block of ice.
Braking systems on RVs have zero skid control, you will often lock the trailer tires in a panic stop and while your Tacomas antiskid will control the Tacoma and a skidding trailer will want to pass you. There are 2 basic trailer braking systems. Time Delayed and Proportional. Time delayed apply braking according to how you program it. Regardless of how hard or panicked you are. Proportional apply trailer brakes in proportion to how hard or panicked you are. But ultimately either one can lock the trailer brakes which will result in a loss of directional control. Once the trailer tires skid the trailer decelerates slower than the tow vehicle. And since it is skidding, without rotating the tires it has no directional control and will go in any direction which is what causes trailers to jack knife.
On tandem trailers the BEST option is to only put brakes on one axle so two tires will always be rotating and control the trailers direction. On a really light trailer...... often no trailer brakes will give better control. I have 2 trailers rated for 2000# neither have brakes and 10 years later, over 100K miles later, all in the mountains, mostly at highway speeds, I see no need for brakes on a light trailer.
Trailer brakes are no substitute for driver skill and the ability to look ahead and anticipate problems.
Braking systems on RVs have zero skid control, you will often lock the trailer tires in a panic stop and while your Tacomas antiskid will control the Tacoma and a skidding trailer will want to pass you. There are 2 basic trailer braking systems. Time Delayed and Proportional. Time delayed apply braking according to how you program it. Regardless of how hard or panicked you are. Proportional apply trailer brakes in proportion to how hard or panicked you are. But ultimately either one can lock the trailer brakes which will result in a loss of directional control. Once the trailer tires skid the trailer decelerates slower than the tow vehicle. And since it is skidding, without rotating the tires it has no directional control and will go in any direction which is what causes trailers to jack knife.
On tandem trailers the BEST option is to only put brakes on one axle so two tires will always be rotating and control the trailers direction. On a really light trailer...... often no trailer brakes will give better control. I have 2 trailers rated for 2000# neither have brakes and 10 years later, over 100K miles later, all in the mountains, mostly at highway speeds, I see no need for brakes on a light trailer.
Trailer brakes are no substitute for driver skill and the ability to look ahead and anticipate problems.
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