Find Trucking Jobs. Regional Truck Driving. Dedicated Trucking. Tanker Driver. Solo Truck Driving. Local Truck Driving. Team Truck Driving. No Experience Truck Driving. Experienced Truck Driving. OTR Trucking. Intermodal Driver. Hazmat Driver. Installing trailer air brake system Discussion in ' Questions From New Drivers ' started by rreidnauer , Mar 22, Mar 22, 1. Hello all. I just bought a little truck '91 Chevy Kodiak equipped with air brakes, but has no provisions for trailer air brakes.
I want to use it to move my backhoe on a dovetail trailer which I've yet to buy How involved would it be to install a trailer air brake system, or would it be smarter to just plan for an electric brake trailer?
Wait, employers can't reach you! By checking this box and clicking the "Send me job offers" button below. I understand that my consent is not required to get job alerts. Mar 22, 2. Last edited: Mar 22, Mar 22, 3. The truck is 23, GVW. I figure the hoe is 12K, and a 9 ton trailer will probably come in around 5K. Oddly, the truck has a pintle, but no brake provisions. I don't mind installing an electric controller, but I've been finding several nice air brake equipped trailers that I have had to currently rule out.
Mar 22, 4. You could install glad hands by the pintle hook but the cost for all parts would be prohibitive. In fact, it took less than an hour to complete the task on a Chevy Silverado Because the Silverado had the factory-installed tow package, this was a simple plug-in operation. Had the truck not been equipped with the tow package, we would have needed to add a jumper wire for the power source for the trailer brake controller and connected a couple of wires in the rear of the vehicle at the trailer plug.
Most tow-capable vehicles have the wiring readily available, it just might not be connected. On our truck, the harness plugs into a port underneath the dash.
The instructions for the harness may list the location as well. We mounted the trailer brake controller in the change pocket under the radio. Since this is a time-delay unit, we could mount it anywhere, even upside down. Once the harness is connected to the unit, the ignition was turned on and the system was checked.
Pressing the stop button causes the reader to quickly jump up to 99, which is full application. Pressing the brake pedal causes the display to read up to the max gain, which is adjustable by using the two arrow buttons on the left.
Out back we needed to mount a 7-pin trailer plug connector. We could have mounted this under the truck with a bracket, but we chose to cut a hole in the bumper for a more factory-looking install.
This takes some time, so be patient. Next, the exterior plug was centered and squared to the vehicle, and we pre-drilled the four mounting holes and then used stainless-steel screws to secure the plug to the bumper. The result is a factory-looking installation with proper trailer brake controls. We tested the system hauling a foot Pace American enclosed trailer loaded with a 4,pound car. With the trailer brakes now functioning like they should, the truck is much better at slowing and stopping.
In a heavy crosswind, the enclosed trailer was getting pushed around, which before would have been a bit scary. With the trailer brakes, we were able to tap the actuator button and bring the trailer back in line without issue. If you are going to haul a trailer on a regular basis, you need a proper brake controller.
Want to know more about towing? Here are 11 trailer towing tips to keep you safe on the road. Know How. A life-long gearhead, Jefferson Bryant spends more time in the shop than anywhere else. His career began in the car audio industry as a shop manager, eventually working his way into a position at Rockford Fosgate as a product designer. In , he began writing tech articles for magazines, and has been working as an automotive journalist ever since.
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Skip to content Hauling a trailer may be part of your job, part of your hobby, or just an occasional jaunt to pick up some materials.
Trailer Brake Types There are two main types of trailer brakes, hydraulic and electric. Enter The Electric Trailer Brake Electric trailer brakes operate under a similar principle to an emergency brake, only they are not cable operated, rather a magnetic piston pulls when energized, operating the brakes.
The Voyager XL is a proportional trailer brake controller. It is plug and play, but you have to have the right connector. Time-delay controllers like this one operate on a basic timing circuit, so the brakes are engaged the same way every time you press the pedal. The button on the right is the actuator for engaging the trailer brakes manually. This is the harness we chose for our truck. There are a couple of options on the plugs for GM trucks, the year and model determine where the red wire goes, the instructions are clear for each vehicle.
Under the dash is a panel that covers the ports. The hex knob in the center unscrews to release the cover. Behind the cover is the electrical port block. The harness simply plugs in, then the cover can go back on. We mounted the trailer brake controller bracket under the dash, in the coin pocket below the radio.
The harness is a direct plug-in to the controller. In order to connect to the trailer, a 7-pin plug is required.
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