Recently Purchased
2010 Palamino 24' "Y" Series Pop Up Camper. Tow Vehicle: 2013 GMC Terrain V6 Three trips so far. Another this coming week. Loving it. Had a small pop up that was designed for a small car or la...
Forum Discussion
popupcamping wrote:
For me ,to get a new axle, brake controller(which I hate the thought of mounting in my vehicle), battery and mounting and all the wiring and my time, I think I will stick with what is working now.
This is the kind of thinking that gets us in trouble more often than not. It's the times when it all goes wrong and I don't have all of the safety or backup equipment I need that is the worst kinds of situations. It is similar to insurance - you never expect to need it but when you do, you are thankful you DO have it. The big difference here is that having or not having insurance generally does not affect other people in the heat of the moment. Having or not having trailer brakes CAN harm other people beyond the occupants of our TVs.
As for what brake setup you need, you will have to verify the model number and subsequent capacity of the axle. There's a better than good chance that it is a Dexter axle. It should have a label on the axle tube, often on the top side of the axle tube. My guess is that it is a 3,500 pound axle. If so, the appropriate kit for you would be a 10" assembly, Dexter Brake Assemblies PDF, K23-454-00 and K23-455-00 but verify, along with a hub-drum kit if your hub does not already have an integrated drum, Hub PDF, like K-08-247-94. Again, verify all of these are the proper items for your particular set up.
See https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes-sf-Electric_Drum_Brakes.aspx for a list of brake parts. Since my hubs already have drums, I just needed the 10" LH and RH brake assemblies (Code 23-26 and 23-27 respectively, $36 each). If you need hubs with drums, see http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Hubs_and_Drums.aspx
Add to it a break-away switch (if you have a PUP battery already) for $7-$10, or one with a dedicated battery ($30-$50), brake controller like a Prodigy P2 and appropriate wiring.
With all of that above, you're about $325 with shipping plus misc. supplies.
If I hadn't sold my first PUP before realizing the importance of trailer brakes, I would have added them, and it was a relatively light weight trailer at 1,600 pounds. There's no guarantee in life that this will or won't save me in a bad situation, but age is teaching me to at least set myself up for success instead of hoping "as is" works well enough, especially with my precious cargo aboard, let alone thinking of others' safety.
