I’ve just purchased a flat bed dual axle trailer to haul a tractor and bush hog. I ordered the trailer with electric brakes on one of the axles.
With an unloaded trailer, and the brake controller set to maximum it seems that there is not as much braking force as I would have expected. With the combination rolling at idle speed, full brake application will just bearly bring it to a slow stop.
It’s possible that the brakes need to be adjusted, and I’ll check that this weekend, but in the meantime, can any Dopers tell me how much braking force I should expect. IIRC a friend was setting the electric brake controller on his travel trailer and could lock the wheels. It’s true, this was on a gravel surface, but should I have that kind of power available?
Tow vehicle is a Ford Expedition, trailer weighs 1500# and the brake controller is a Draw-Tite.
Probably just need adjustment. You won’t realize a lot of braking force, however, the point is to just prevent the tail from wagging the dog.
I have surge brakes on both axles of my camper. They are a pain but they’ll stop the sucker in nothing flat- so much so that I have to be careful of my braking. Let me know how you make out because I’d like to retrofit to electrics.
No. If i let the tow vehicle and trailer drift at an idle, 2-3 mph, and apply only the trailer brakes, it takes about 75-80 feet to slow to a stop.
Based on watching my friend with his travel trailer, I think that there should be more braking force.
I’m bugging the trailer dealer tomorrow as they did not return my call this afternoon.
A google search, although returning several pages of hits, did not reveal any definative answers. Although I did learn that the brakes need to be adjusted every 3K or so.