Trailer brake system opinions

[Omineca]

Then I guess that, over the years, I have seen quite a few theoretically impossible single vehicle accidents involving trailers with electric brakes.

You need to have your electric brakes in prime condition (theoretically much more possible than in reality) and to have the gain adjusted for the specific weight you are hauling on that trailer, so that the trailer brakes act to impose a little more deceleration on the trailer than the tow vehicle brakes are exerting on it. Otherwise your scenario of linear and lateral forces applies equally to electrically braked trailers.

Just drive with anticipation and caution and such theoretical considerations are effectively moot.

 

[Texasmark]

Then I guess that, over the years, I have seen quite a few theoretically impossible single vehicle accidents involving trailers with electric brakes.

You need to have your electric brakes in prime condition (theoretically much more possible than in reality) and to have the gain adjusted for the specific weight you are hauling on that trailer, so that the trailer brakes act to impose a little more deceleration on the trailer than the tow vehicle brakes are exerting on it. Otherwise your scenario of linear and lateral forces applies equally to electrically braked trailers.

Just drive with anticipation and caution and such theoretical considerations are effectively moot.

Well I was doing just that....at 35 mph on a state highway going through town. Obviously you want to set your brake controller to cause the trailer to pull against the tow vehicle (slightly) when stopping and that has to be set every trip for the existing conditions .......otherwise you would be in the surge brake category.

On the number of accidents one has to consider the volume of trailers with electric vs other types and the ability of the driver to drive his combination and set it up properly.....just like the DA that loads his trailer tongue light.......I had a not too bright co-worker who loaded several concrete culverts on the rear of his 16' tandem trailer. He was on the highway traveling 60-65 MPH half a mile ahead of me and going down a hill at the bottom was a bridge that was uneven with the highway causing his truck and trailer to bounce up slightly....but that was enough to set it in motion. Brefore he got it stopped, it had jackknifed to the point where it bashed in both sides of the rear fenders of his PU.

 

[Omineca]

Plenty of those fellows on the road. Usually passing everyone else too.

Other commonly encountered accidents-waiting-to-happen are the lifted truck with a tandem axle trailer hanging off the bumper at a steep angle, and very likely the trailer only braked on the front axle which barely touches the asphalt.

Then there is the "big" Class A or C motorhome that is really a short wheelbase chassis with a 10/12/14' overhang, towing way over any safe weight; the overhang means that the trailer has huge leverage on the RV and the type of braking on the trailer is pretty irrelevant.

One that is relevant to the frequently slippery surfaces up here is the weight distributing hitch. They are often used as a substitute for getting the tongue weight right, but in any case when the road is slick they cause the trailer to resist turning behind the truck and the unsuspecting driver will suddenly find him or herself heading obliquely into oncoming traffic. I think you have a right to kill yourself, but that other people should be able to set their own schedule.