[AT] Trailer brakes

[Louis]

Don,

I recently had a problem with my trailer brakes. You could feel them
kind of come on but not real good, them sometimes they wouldn't come on
at all.  But the controller didn't indicate any kind of a problem on the
panel.  I was thinking I had a bad connection somewhere in the trailer
wiring.  I was close.  The terminal in my connector was corroded.  I
cleaned up the connectors and they work fine now.  About a 5 minute job.

Lou

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Don Bowen
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] Trailer brakes


I know this has been discussed many times here but here goes again.  I 
had a somewhat harrowing experience yesterday.  The road into this place

is a steep graveled quarter mile long.  The top end is very steep with a

short shallow section before another steep piece.  My two wheel drive 
pickup cannot pull the trailer up the hill.  Yesterday as I started down

the brakes on the trailer failed.  The trailer pushed me down the hill 
and about all I could do was pump the brakes, slide, panic as the 30' 
drop off got closer, let off on the brakes to head for the other bank, 
rinse and repeat.  I finally got it stopped on the shallow part and 
called a friend.  We chained his pickup to the back of the trailer and 
went down very slowly.  It defiantly made the heart beat much faster.  
It took a good application of Pizza and beer last night to set things in

order again.

I thought the brakes were not working right.  As I applied the brakes 
they would start to come on then grab then let go then grab again.  I 
stopped and got the brakes working where they seemed to be ok on the 
pedal and manual.  That is until I went over the hill when they grabbed 
then never applied again.  Not even manual worked.  I thought it might 
be a ground so I hooked some jumper cables between the pickup and 
trailer but that had no affet.  I am thinking the controller may be bad 
but I am looking for suggestions on what it could be and how to test.  I

am headed for california in a week but the trailer stays here.

-- 
Don Bowen           KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

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