Anonymous Poster
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Tractor-Towable LARGE Dump Trailer
- Thread starter glennmac
- Start date
Mainah
Member
Charlie...
Thanks! Great info. BTW, getting closer to being able to change my profile. I ordered a L3710 today with a Woods HBL84 rear blade. Should have it inside of two weeks....two LOOOONG weeks
Thanks! Great info. BTW, getting closer to being able to change my profile. I ordered a L3710 today with a Woods HBL84 rear blade. Should have it inside of two weeks....two LOOOONG weeks
Mainah
Member
Bird...
Thanks for correcting the 6-way plug wiring...it's been a while since I hooked one up I had things confused. I guess what I'd hoped was that just hooking up that unused terminal would activate the trailor brakes...naaaa nothing could be that simple.
Thanks guys for the pricing info...I'll start looking around for the controller.
Thanks for correcting the 6-way plug wiring...it's been a while since I hooked one up I had things confused. I guess what I'd hoped was that just hooking up that unused terminal would activate the trailor brakes...naaaa nothing could be that simple.
Thanks guys for the pricing info...I'll start looking around for the controller.
gordon
Veteran Member
A side note on brakecontroller installation. It's a good idea on the brake controller wire to protect with an auto-reset circiut breaker instead of a fuse.
Reason being if you do get a short in the line or a shorted magnet on one of the wheels you still will have at least a pulsing brake action instead of no brakes at all. With a fuse once blown thats it no brakes at all.
Just a thought.
Gordon
Reason being if you do get a short in the line or a shorted magnet on one of the wheels you still will have at least a pulsing brake action instead of no brakes at all. With a fuse once blown thats it no brakes at all.
Just a thought.
Gordon
Bird
Epic Contributor
<font color=blue>I'll start looking around for the controller</font color=blue>
Jim, you can certainly find them locally at a lot of auto parts stores, RV dealers, etc., but you might want to start shopping at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.brakecontroller.com/products.asp?cmd=StoreFront>this site</A> for comparison purposes. The Tekonsha Voyager is the one my brother recently installed on his Suburban. And of course you can find lots of other sites, too, for brake controllers.
And I never did it/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif, and never blew a fuse, but Gordon's suggestion is certainly correct if you want to do it right.
Jim, you can certainly find them locally at a lot of auto parts stores, RV dealers, etc., but you might want to start shopping at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.brakecontroller.com/products.asp?cmd=StoreFront>this site</A> for comparison purposes. The Tekonsha Voyager is the one my brother recently installed on his Suburban. And of course you can find lots of other sites, too, for brake controllers.
And I never did it/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif, and never blew a fuse, but Gordon's suggestion is certainly correct if you want to do it right.
RickB
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- Just a Scag
Surge brakes are useless when you are skidding backwards down a hill. If one is going to the effort of having brakes, have real ones, electric, hyd, or air!
Mainah
Member
Bird,
Thanks for that URL...was good to see they had the wiring harnesses too. How involved a project is it to install the controller? Something best done by a professional or could a consumer do it?
Thanks for that URL...was good to see they had the wiring harnesses too. How involved a project is it to install the controller? Something best done by a professional or could a consumer do it?
Mainah
Member
Gordon...
Thanks for the tip...never would have thought of a circuit breaker but it make so much sense!
Thanks for the tip...never would have thought of a circuit breaker but it make so much sense!
Bird
Epic Contributor
<font color=blue>Something best done by a professional or could a consumer do it?</font color=blue>
Jim, I just plain don't know how to answer that. It just depends on how much a consumer knows about the electrical wiring. I've had 3 installed by dealers (since there was no extra cost when I was buying a travel trailer at the same time) and I guess I've done 3 or 4 myself. If you know how to find the right wires, wire up the connector at the back of the vehicle, etc., no big deal. And all the ones I've seen did come with adequate instructions.
Jim, I just plain don't know how to answer that. It just depends on how much a consumer knows about the electrical wiring. I've had 3 installed by dealers (since there was no extra cost when I was buying a travel trailer at the same time) and I guess I've done 3 or 4 myself. If you know how to find the right wires, wire up the connector at the back of the vehicle, etc., no big deal. And all the ones I've seen did come with adequate instructions.
gordon
Veteran Member
Bird hit it pretty much on the head about doing it yourself. Average controller only has 4 wires to hook up. Use an auto reset circiut breaker on the brake controller circiut also on the 12 feed to the plug if your installing that as well.
Main thing is finding a good ground for the controller. Also when you wire the plug make sure you have a good ground for that as well. This is where alot of people make mistakes when doing their own wiring on the ground circiuts.
Also when drilling the fire wall (some you have no other way to get the wires through) make sure you know what is on the other side before drilling. Can be an expensive mistake if you happen to drill into the computer or the brake booster.
Another side note on brake controller installation. If you do it yourself or have someone else do it. DONT use scotch-lock connectors. Use crimp connectors, no if's ands or butts.
When I was an R/V tech the shop I worked for only allowed the use of a scotch lock connector in one place and that was only if the brake wire going to the pedal didn't have enough room to tie a crimp connector in. That was for all wiring in the entire 12 vt systems. Yes people might have great luck with the scotch lock connectors but to do it right use crimp connections.
Gordon
Main thing is finding a good ground for the controller. Also when you wire the plug make sure you have a good ground for that as well. This is where alot of people make mistakes when doing their own wiring on the ground circiuts.
Also when drilling the fire wall (some you have no other way to get the wires through) make sure you know what is on the other side before drilling. Can be an expensive mistake if you happen to drill into the computer or the brake booster.
Another side note on brake controller installation. If you do it yourself or have someone else do it. DONT use scotch-lock connectors. Use crimp connectors, no if's ands or butts.
When I was an R/V tech the shop I worked for only allowed the use of a scotch lock connector in one place and that was only if the brake wire going to the pedal didn't have enough room to tie a crimp connector in. That was for all wiring in the entire 12 vt systems. Yes people might have great luck with the scotch lock connectors but to do it right use crimp connections.
Gordon