Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors?

   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors? #1  

scotd1

Bronze Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Messages
65
Location
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
I have a JD 5410 w/MFWD and am looking to use my dump trailer with it. To really get any use out of it I need to use the electric brakes on the trailer. I am fairly new to the world of electric trailer brakes and would like to know if there is a way to safely use them with this tractor?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by scotd1 on 04/03/01 03:35 PM (server time).</FONT></P>
 
   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors? #2  
To use the trailer brakes you would have to splice into the brake wire on the tractor and hook up an electric brake controller box, look in the owner's manual for the schematic. Otherwise you can attach a live wire from the battery and hook that to an electric brake controller and connect the trailer brakes to this and push this on and off as needed.

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   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors? #3  
I have given this some thought also - most electric brake controllers need a electrical signal that the brake petal has been depresses, ie. add brake light switch to tractor (a challange exist with tractor with two brake petals, both would need switches or petals locked together). I know there are at least two types of brake controllers, inertia and those that have a delay off the brake light circuit. I'm not sure that the tractor would gain the inertia needed, so delay type would be my choice. You would just mount the controller in a covenient place (meeting mounting angle restrictions) and wire up circuit following the directions. Hot from the battery, line to and from brake petal switch, and wire and ground to trailer. This I how I have thought out a solution. Any other suggestion from the readers?
 
   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors? #4  
Ditto what Richard said. My tractor doesn't have a brake switch (nor brake lights) so I'd just get a cheapie controller, hook up the power and run manually with the push button. Are you going to use the brakes to slow the trailer or just to hold it in place for dumping? Or do you just need the 12 volt line for the dump pump? I wouldn't think you'd need the brakes for slowing and stopping considering the speeds our tractors go. If you do hook it up for slowing and stopping, I'd go with an "electronic" controller as the pendulum models may freak out with all the bouncing a tractor does /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

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   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
HalseyGreen,
What I wondered is: where you would get the brake pedal switch? I don't think it would be rocket science to fabricate a bracket for the switch if you had one that was otherwise compatible. Surely this has been done before.
 
   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Robs,
I plan to use the brakes to stop the trailer as I have some fairly hilly property to work on and I would feel alot better knowing for sure that I could control my rig. The manual box may be the way to go if some kind of pedal switch rig can't be made/found.
 
   / Elect. Trailer Brakes and Tractors? #7  
Scott,
All you would have to do is get a contact switch. Basically what this is is a switch that you would mount to either one or both brake controllers on the tractor pedals. One piece would go on the brake and the other where the brake hits the metal or whatever on the tractor. When they weren't connected it would cause the brake controller to function and you could set it to whatever tension you wanted or like I said before you could just hook it up directly to the top or side of the instrument panel, bypassing the brakes, and slide the bar over without even stepping on the brakes to stop the trailer.

18-35034-TRACTO~1.GIF
 
 
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