Bought a new trailer. Need advice

[dodge man]

I bought a new trailer Friday. Its a 16 foot with a wood treated deck and has a 2 foot dovetail for 18 feet total. It's made by a company called Trailerman. It has electric brakes on 1 axle. I will be towing my BX 2350 with it. I installed a brake controller on my truck and am not really sure how to adjust it. Its a controller I bought at NAPA. I have it set with the trailer empty. Do you need to increase it when you put a load on it or does it compansate on its own? How do you know when its set correct?

 

[jk96]

Most brake controllers have a setting from low to high (1-9 for example) and also have a way to manually apply the trailer brakes on the controller itself. You will have to increase the setting as more weight is being towed. You can increase the controller and apply the brakes manually until the trailer brakes lock up. Then back off just a bit. You should be able to apply full braking without lockup. Hope this helps.

 

[john_bud]

I'm a firm believer that you should have brakes on all trailer axles for loads over 3-4000 pounds. Your trailer bare is probably in the 1700-2000 pound range and with the tractor will be around or over 4000 pounds. That is pretty marginal. A 1/2 ton should be able to handle it, but I would be real queasy pulling with an SUV.

On the controller, you can look up online and get the directions. As jk96 said you do have to adjust to match the weight. First step is to adjust the level, then the power so the brakes will not grab too soon or too hard and lock when you are just feathering the tow vehicle brakes.

jb

 

[Slippy]

I would check the manual. Some of them also have a setting for how quickly the brakes will be applied, like a B1, B2, &B3. For the heavy loads you use B3. And yes, you have to adj them yourself and increase as the load increases. Good way to test it is after you have your load, you manually apply the brakes on the trailer only at low speed. The trailer should stop quickly, but not lock up the brakes. Make sure you properly load you trailer and get the weight balanced with about 60% up front and 40% on back. Move the load and watch the trailer change. To much weight on the back will cause the trailer to fishtail, not good. I find it best if I find the balance point, and then pull forward a few inchs and watch the back end of the truck drop a couple of inches. Then I know it is about right. Best to mark you bed. I have even screwed a 2x4 to the bed when I get it just where it is right after a few tries so next time there is no guess work. Just pull up till the front wheel makes contact with the 2x4, chain it down, and your good to go.

 

[newt92]

Hey Dodge Man, I am sure that in Illinois, you must have brakes on both axles on tandem axle trailers. I think its been a law since around 2000, give or take a year or two. You also must have a brake away system on the trailer too. If I can remember right, its trailers rated for 5000 lbs or more must have brakes on all axles.

 

[dodge man]

I think if you are towing over 5000lbs you need brakes on both axles. At least that's what the sales man told me. Alot of the trailers this size only have brakes on one axle. I've towed trailers this size before, and I know alot of people also do it, without any brakes at all on the trailer. I know that doesn't make it right, but it's done alot. That said, I'm sure it would be better if it had brakes on both axles.

 

[Willl]

Do you need to increase it when you put a load on it

Without knowing exactly which controller you bought, that's a tough one to answer. But with 'most' controllers, yes, you will have to re-adjust.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The guys have given you good info on how to set your controller and load your trailer. I am a boat dealer in Indiana and in turn I sell trailers. Here is a link to a site I use a lot. You do not need brakes on both axles in Illinois, all the law says is you need brakes over 3,000#

BoatUS.com: Trailering Club

Chris

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I think if you are towing over 5000lbs you need brakes on both axles. At least that's what the sales man told me. Alot of the trailers this size only have brakes on one axle. I've towed trailers this size before, and I know alot of people also do it, without any brakes at all on the trailer. I know that doesn't make it right, but it's done alot. That said, I'm sure it would be better if it had brakes on both axles.

If towing over 5000lbs you need brakes on both axles.

Dodge man is exactly right, I bought a 20 ft. trailer it has a weight limit of 8500lbs. the trailer weighs 1500lbs. When i bought my trailer it only had brakes on one axle, i put brakes on the one axle two
different times.

I haul equipment, 125 bails of hay and one time i hauled 200 rough
lumber boards, every time i would haul allot of weight the brakes would usually not hold, or would get real hot.

I went back later where i bought the trailer and bought brakes for the other axle, i asked the guy why don't they come with brakes on both axles and he said, the trailers would cost more.

That's how he sales so many, without extras.


But i prefer brakes on both axles.

 

[Slippy]

There both right. I would not own a trailer and haul 5000lbs w/o brakes on both axles. Even a light load I would want brakes on both. If one brake goes out on one axle you have no brake on that side and it would make the load dangerous no matter how much it weighed. I have an 18ft flat bed with brakes on both axles. I did lose a brake on one side once, and trailer was still usable until I could get it fixed. Would not want to be without it.