On Sun, September 19, 2004 9:57 pm, PoohDog629@aol.com said:
>
> Do I have to have a controller in the
> cab to control the brake bias on the trailer?
I think you've already gotten some pretty good information, but there's
one thing I want to be sure to emphasize. An electric brake controller
does not only control the brake bias. It provides electric power to the
trailer brakes. If you have electric brakes on the trailer and do not
install a brake controller, you will have *NO* *BRAKES* on the trailer.
That said, Tekonsha seems to be the best brand of brake controller.
They're easy to find on eBay new in box for about half price. Make sure
you get one new in the retail box, as it comes with detailed installation
instructions.
The only other thing I can think to add to what others have posted is to
be sure to pay attention to your weight ratings of all of your equipment.
Watch the total trailer weight as well as the tongue weight. The truck
has one rating, and the hitch probably has its own separate rating. You
have to go with the lower (weakest link you know). The hitch should have
a sticker on it, and it probably has two sets of numbers: with and without
weight distribution, so be aware of the difference. Also, check the
carrying capacity of the trailer, and pay attention to the GVW of the
whole combined setup. If you need any clarification, just ask (it's a lot
of numbers to check, it took me a while to figure out what they all
meant).
As an example, according to Dodge my '95 is rated to tow 5100 lbs. The
aftermarket U-Haul hitch is rated to 5000 with weight distribution, and
3500 without. So even though the truck is rated to 5100, without weight
distribution I'm limited to 3500 because of the hitch.
There is a safety margin built in to these ratings, and I'm sure you could
get away with exceeding them by a small bit. I'm sure lots of people do.
IMHO, the reason it's so important to be strict about obeying the ratings
is more of a legal aspect than anything. I'm not sure what the laws are
like in your state, but in some areas they can pull you off the road if it
even looks like you've overloaded the truck, and force you over to the
scales to check against the published weight ratings. Also, even if the
highway patrol doesn't get you, in the unlikely event that you ever had an
accident and you were over the limit by a single pound, I have to think
that your insurance company would refuse to honor your coverage.
Guaranteed they'll stick to whatever the manufacturer publishes whether
it's realistic or not (just ask any R/T owner about published towing
ratings).
It's not a bad idea to check your local laws (as well as laws of any
states you might travel through) regarding things like lights, towing
mirrors, safety chains, trailer brakes, weight distribution, etc.
However, if it were me, I'd probably just make sure to cover all my bases
and put all the safety equipment on there. That way, you'll be covered
legally no matter what.
-- Jason Bleazard http://www.bleazard.net Burlington, Ontario his: '95 Dakota Sport 4x4, 3.9 V6, 5spd, Reg. Cab, white hers: '01 Dakota Sport 4x4, 4.7 V8, Auto, Quad Cab, black
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