• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

trailers for lbcs

Share this page

A couple of note from a "professional". Surge brakes are not allowed on new trailers as the don't work all the time. A trailer with electric brakes can be applied with out the tow vehicl'e brakes being activated. I would stay away from a curtin(sp) side trailer. Ran one and they are a pain after a while. Do look at a used stock trailer. These can be aluminum (light weight) and can have plexiglass installed over the open parts. We have one for our show cattle and converted it to MG trailer when the cows were sold. They are light weight and have excellent brakes AND no one looks inside to see if there is any thing in the trailer. They have two doors that are lockable. Just my opinion. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bow.gif
 
The main problem with horse or stock trailers is the width between the axles. You will more than likely find that it is in the 80 something inch bracket and not suitable for wider vehicles.
I brought home my B in our stock trailer some 29 years ago.
Cheers, David.
 
LLAngus said:
Surge brakes are not allowed on new trailers as the don't work all the time.
Click to expand...
I know of no prohibition on surge brakes on new trailers. If there is any such prohibition, it has not been published in the Federal Register that I have seen, and I check this daily for federal law and regulation updates. What is your basis for this claim of them not being allowed?

Surge brakes are still the dominant type of brake actuator used on boat trailers. 50 state legal.
 
It turns out my porche cayenne IS set up for electric brakes. Those idots have no idea what they sell on the cars. I bought the toe package and they put on a converter for my 4 pin connector, non braking trailer. They kept telling me it could not be done with out re-wiring and re-programing the computer. A trailer dealer told me what to look for and there it was. Hey I'm an idot also I guess but the owners manual says nothing about trailers.
 
I have no idea about yor Porsche wiring.
As far as the surge brake set-up on boat trailers, I can only reason that they will only be pulled a short distance.
I operate several semi and under 15000 trailers and would HIGHLGY recommend electic braking systems.
Please remember to have a proper tow vehicle to handle the load of the trailer as well as the cargo.
Cheers, David.
 
One more comment on the braking issue. I have electric on BOTH axles (some offer a less costly option of brakes on only one) and when a tie down strap snapped when the side draft of an 18 wheeler at interstate speed went by me, the resultant movement of the trailer car put the trailer into a fishtail motion that I was only able to control by using the brake controller. If I had surge brakes, we could easily have been rolled over by the trailer motion. Yeh, taught me a lesson on how to use the straps and avoid contact with the frame that could chafe them. Don't wish that kind of experience on anyone!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif
 
Sound like a scary ride indeed. When using nylon ratchet straps, the ends should be fixed to the suspension, not the chassis. The reason is that while the vehicle is in tow, the chassis will move up and down with the motion of the road. When the straps are fixed to the chassis, the vehicle is only heald from vetical motion...when the vehicle moves to the compression of the road springs, the straps become loose and will fail upon de-compression of the springs.
Cheers, David.
PS Be sure to use straps with the correct weight rating.
 
To chassis attach or suspension/wheel attach, what a can of worms that one is! As well what angles do you attach at.

Anything attached straight up and down to the chassis will go slack and slam tight as the vehicle bounces. All are prone to falling off or breaking when attached this way. Doesn't matter if it's a chain, a cable, or a fabric strap.

Anything attached nearly horizontal to the chassis will not go slack as the vehicle bounces. Affixed this way breakage or the risk of falling off are greatly minimized. Be it chain, cable or fabric strap. The more horizontal the angle, the less tension is affected by the vehicle bouncing.

Of course, when attaching straight up and down to the chassis, one has the ability to pull down hard and bottom out the suspension. That works well to. Not terribly common with cars, but it's standard procedure for tying down motorcycles on a trailer or even in a truck bed.
 
My source for the surge brake issue is my trailer dealers. Also, agree with the electric brake as the best not matter what.

1 M miles and still going.
 
I like the flushing kit idea, but wonder about forcing water in and around the inner lip seal where it meets the axle.
Cheers, David.
 
Lets work on some clarifications here with the issue of surge brakes.

Back in the 1950's or so, a standard for *COMMERCIAL* truck brakes was set. It was clumsily worded, and was interpreted to be a complete absolute prohibition on braking systems that were not actuated by the main truck. This requirement for *COMMERCIAL* trucks is why vacuum brakes are #1, and electric brakes are #2. Both are controlled from the truck, while surge brakes are self contained on the trailer.

In relatively recent years, *ONE* individual took it upon himself to declare that surge brakes were illegal across the board, including for private non-commercial use. Interesting, as the regulations did not support this individuals claim. The regulations he was basing his interpretation on were for commercial use only. None the less, a good bit of uproar ensued. Companies like U-Haul were particularly concerned as they commercially rented surge brake equipped trailers to individuals. The commercial ban on surge brakes had always been a sticky-wicket for them, one they danced on by claiming the trailers were not in commercial use.

It was put to rest officially and finally, with 49CFR571. This federal regulation specifies the requirements of the fully legal surge brake systems. One of the most notable changes was in the definitions of commercial use, being revised to freight and motor carriers engaged in the transport there of.

So again, as previously noted, surge brakes are indeed legal on a federal level. You cannot use them on your semi if you are hauling freight commercially.
 
Let's put this to rest--surge brakes suck. Go electric if you have a choice. Don't care if they are "legal". Given a choice go with electric. In my million miles commercial I have seen surge brake trailers jack knife going down hill and the drivers could have saved the trailer if they had electric controlled in the cab.
 
Ah, come on. Should we discuss "sissy bars" now...that is what I call the "stabilizer bar" set-up. I must trow in that I currently operate 6 trailers, and none are fitted with surge brakes. 9 horse semi, 28ft doubles, 3 horse gooseneck slant load, 2 horse bumper pull, 32 ft enclosed gooseneck car trailer, and 24ft open car trailer.
Cheers.
 
Well you have a few more than I do now. Owned a 42, drove a 53, leased two 45. Own one pull horse trailer, a goose neck alum (used for show cattle now haul MGs), 26 Wilderness and various small trailers. No sissy bars and no surge.
 
Off the breaks for a moment. What is the feeling about wood vs. steel deck? The wood would need replacing but I fear the heat of the steel on the tires.
 
I have diamond tuft steel decking....have had wood in past but when I had new trailer built, opted for steel.....because its solid (no cracks between boards), it protected my MG that lived on it for 6 months & 15,000 miles across continent from road hazards/mud/etc.
 
Back
Top