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Old 10-06-2019, 06:04 PM   #21
flatford39
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

Don't mean to hijack this thread but what about trailer brakes??? I have never used around here locally as I am in Illinois and we are as flat as a pancake.



Planning a trip to Colorado in a couple of years and am concerned about coming down the mountain without them.



Thoughts??
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Old 10-06-2019, 06:17 PM   #22
TerryO
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

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Don't mean to hijack this thread but what about trailer brakes??? I have never used around here locally as I am in Illinois and we are as flat as a pancake.



Planning a trip to Colorado in a couple of years and am concerned about coming down the mountain without them.

I bought a 5th wheel RV in Colorado and towed it back to GA last year and I wouldn't even consider towing without trailer brakes there or anywhere else..


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Old 10-06-2019, 06:23 PM   #23
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

Anything over 2000 pounds is required to have trailer brakes in most states. In addition to trailer brakes, you also need a brake controller. U-Haul car trailers have surge brakes and do not require special wiring or a controller. A lot of guys will cheap out on a dual axle trailer and only get brakes on a single axle.
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Old 10-06-2019, 06:25 PM   #24
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

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Wouldn't it be prudent to drain the gas tank?

Personally I would rather have a gasoline issue on the trailer than with the tank sitting above my lap while driving down the road...


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Old 10-06-2019, 06:34 PM   #25
flatford39
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

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Originally Posted by denis4x4 View Post
Anything over 2000 pounds is required to have trailer brakes in most states. In addition to trailer brakes, you also need a brake controller. U-Haul car trailers have surge brakes and do not require special wiring or a controller. A lot of guys will cheap out on a dual axle trailer and only get brakes on a single axle.

My trailer has the surge brakes but I can't control them from the cab of my truck.



I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact I need them if I travel through a mountainous terrain as I plan to do in two years.
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Old 10-06-2019, 07:05 PM   #26
Nick in Fayetteville
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As an Insurance Adjuster for the last 37 years, I can tell from experience....Don't tow it backwards on a trailer. The weight ratio is all wrong. It is is an accident waiting to happen.
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Old 10-07-2019, 08:51 AM   #27
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

Tongue weight is very important for controllability. The weight has to be forward of the trailer axles to a level of 9 to 15% of the overall trailer gross weight as loaded. That can be as much as 450 lbs on a 3000 lb load. You don't want a trailer to start whipping around on you or you can loose control of it depending on road conditions.
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Old 10-08-2019, 06:18 AM   #28
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

In my area the difference in cost between an open trailer and enclosed is minimal. Check around for enclosed.
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Old 10-08-2019, 07:04 AM   #29
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

I told my son if he wanted to live to be an old man he better start acting like an old man. Old guys know how to use a knife and pee behind a bush if the wind is blowing hard. Old guys get old because they avoid stuff young dead guys don't.

That's being said ^^^, I wouldn't drain the gas myself unless it was leaking. The weight won't matter much from the gas alone. Yeah it's fuel if there's a crash and sparks but I'd take the risk myself.

The load being proportioned is very important. I once loaded a skid steer bucket on the back of a lawn mower dual axle trailer to have it repaired. It almost crashed me with it hooked to a 3500 Dodge 4x4 dually dump bed truck. The truck is almost 8k pounds empty so it's not a toy. I was amazed at how the trailer controlled the truck. I have a lot of seat time on tractors, silage trucks with no brakes sliders ect,, and I drove an 18 wheeler for a few year. My point is, I should have known and did but never imagined such a small weight as the loader bucket could do that. Once saw a man with a brand new chevy 3500 4x4 Silverado and a brand new kubota tractor over the bank from???? You guessed it, tractor was balanced on trailer with no tongue weight.

I might pull a trailer with no brakes but the load would have to be almost nothing, especially if you don't have experience pulling things. I have brakes on both axles of a 16 foot tag trailer I use to haul logs,equipment,,,,,. The lawn mower trailer doesn't have brakes and only an expanded metal floor so there's not much danger of needing brakes. Just make sure the mower or whatever is loaded in the front.
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Old 10-09-2019, 11:27 AM   #30
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

One of my club members towed his Model A to a National Meet (it was a show car) on an open trailer. But he rigged up a large air deflector made of plywood and 2x4's and placed it in front of the car to deflect debris, rain etc. Naturally it was secured to the trailer. He avoided damage from a tarp that way. Car was clean when he arrived.
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Old 10-09-2019, 09:38 PM   #31
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

Get the top shroud from a semi truck cab and put it on the front of the car trailer. Bolt it to the floor. This will give a lot of protection to whatever you are hauling. They can be found cheap too. Farmers will buy a semi tractor to use as a grain truck and a lot of times the top shroud is sitting in the weeds out behind the barn. If it isn't free, it won't be too expensive either. And it can be trimmed if you like.
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Old 10-10-2019, 06:05 PM   #32
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

10 percent of load needs to be on hitch
Trailer plus car. About 400 lbs
Backing on a short trailer will be rear heavy and dangerous
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Old 10-13-2019, 04:17 PM   #33
Al 29Tudor
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

Thank you Guys.
Number 9 covered all the glass and that's what i'm going to do.
Also engine to the front with proper tongue weight and the u-Haul trailer has serge brakes.
It will be an adventure!
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Old 10-13-2019, 07:33 PM   #34
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

I have no experience with surge brakes. Do they work if you're backing downhill? I would think things would have to adjusted and lubed well for surge to work properly but I have no idea. Do they work best right when you hit the brakes from the surge or is it consistent? Could someone who's used surge brakes chime in on the experience??
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Old 10-15-2019, 07:35 PM   #35
Al 29Tudor
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Default Re: Trailering tips for protection

I don't think it's a precise science but they worked very well today.
Model A on a U-Haul trailer over 500 miles and there was no noticeable "extra" pressure required for braking. Works like a charm - fuel mileage towing is another story.
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