Towing above 65

On my old Duramax I stayed at 62 and got 15mpg towing. At 70 I got 11.

BurbMan wrote:
Still not sure why this is so hard to understand: skill, conditions, and equipment. Sometimes 35 mph is too fast. On a nice sunny day on the interstate when the speed limit is 70, I have no problem going 70. Same road at night, depends on how far you can see with your headlights...even on a divided hiway you can't really use your brights if there is oncoming traffic and that usually means you need to reduce your speed accordingly.

I keep my brake controller turned way up so that I when I hit the binders, the TT is slowing the truck. The rig stops pretty darn quick. Which is why I rarely exceed 60 in the rain, because of the potential to lock up the TT axles, I turn the brake power down which increases my stopping distance.

So I say that 75 is not inherently unsafe IF you have the right equipment AND under the right conditions, and then we hear 1000 stories about rain, fog, traffic, deer, bad brakes, ST tires, etc etc etc....NONE of which are the right conditions OR the right equipment. Not sure why this is so hard for folks to understand.

Lynnmor, did you get the new self-adjusting brakes from Dexter? Those are on my upgrade list. I feel like Fred Flintstone under the TT with a brake tool adjusting drum brakes....they've had self adjusting brakes for what, 75 years, and still not standard equipment on an RV?

X2

Still not sure why this is so hard to understand: skill, conditions, and equipment. Sometimes 35 mph is too fast. On a nice sunny day on the interstate when the speed limit is 70, I have no problem going 70. Same road at night, depends on how far you can see with your headlights...even on a divided hiway you can't really use your brights if there is oncoming traffic and that usually means you need to reduce your speed accordingly.

I keep my brake controller turned way up so that I when I hit the binders, the TT is slowing the truck. The rig stops pretty darn quick. Which is why I rarely exceed 60 in the rain, because of the potential to lock up the TT axles, I turn the brake power down which increases my stopping distance.

So I say that 75 is not inherently unsafe IF you have the right equipment AND under the right conditions, and then we hear 1000 stories about rain, fog, traffic, deer, bad brakes, ST tires, etc etc etc....NONE of which are the right conditions OR the right equipment. Not sure why this is so hard for folks to understand.

Lynnmor, did you get the new self-adjusting brakes from Dexter? Those are on my upgrade list. I feel like Fred Flintstone under the TT with a brake tool adjusting drum brakes....they've had self adjusting brakes for what, 75 years, and still not standard equipment on an RV?

rbpru wrote:
Only two choices, hit the deer or thread the slight gap. I will leave it to others to make their choice.

My point was, even at 35 mph, a TT and TV take longer to stop than one would think. A successful hard stop from 70+ has a large element of luck.

That's one of the problems these speedsters don't take into account. I have seen multiple big rig fenders destroyed by deer/elk and moose and rigs turned over by those that try to dodge them.

A wise experienced person towing (with any amount of miles under there belt) learns one thing very quickly.. Expect the unexpected and things will usually turn out just fine.

Only two choices, hit the deer or thread the slight gap. I will leave it to others to make their choice.

My point was, even at 35 mph, a TT and TV take longer to stop than one would think. A successful hard stop from 70+ has a large element of luck.

rbpru wrote:
For those who have never had to “hit the hooks” for an emergency stop, count yourself lucky. The DW and I were on a two lane windy road in MN doing about 35 mph max.

A doe and two fawns darted out. I threaded the gap between the doe and the first fawn knowing the second fawn would have to stop or run into the TT.

Well we all escaped unscathed; but I can tell you it seemed like a lot of pavement went by before we stopped. Still, it was rather quick. In retrospect the TT and TV handled perfectly. I hope I never have to test my reflexes like that again.

Most of us know not to swerve for a animal on the road.

Lynnmor wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
A big reason why I wouldn't have a diesel without an exhaust brake.

That was with a diesel and exhaust brake. The brakes are barely worn, the magnets and armatures are the problem. I am extremely easy on brakes.

Thanks, I better check mine.

myredracer wrote:


Also 2 springs vs 1. Are the Dexter brakes made in the USA or offshore? What brand are the old ones? Axeltek?

The axles on our KZ TT are Alko and the brakes are Axeltek, made in China. KZ advertises that the brakes are Alko or Dexter (depending on where you read) and makes no mention of Axeltek brakes. KZ couldn't tell me anything about the brakes and it wasn't until I spoke to Alko that they said that Axeltek is theirs. Can't find much on the internet about them. Dexter now owns Alko and I wonder what TTs will be provided with from now on?

The old brakes are AlKo. The new Dexters are made in USA. I tried Chinese brakes on a large snowmobile trailer, but the magnet wires broke off first trip.

coolbreeze01 wrote:
A big reason why I wouldn't have a diesel without an exhaust brake.

That was with a diesel and exhaust brake. The brakes are barely worn, the magnets and armatures are the problem. I am extremely easy on brakes.

Lynnmor wrote:

Note the lump at the bottom of the magnet and the wear depth on the holes. Also note the difference in the size and design of the Dexter magnets. I believe that there will be some improvement.

Also 2 springs vs 1. Are the Dexter brakes made in the USA or offshore? What brand are the old ones? Axeltek?

The axles on our KZ TT are Alko and the brakes are Axeltek, made in China. KZ advertises that the brakes are Alko or Dexter (depending on where you read) and makes no mention of Axeltek brakes. KZ couldn't tell me anything about the brakes and it wasn't until I spoke to Alko that they said that Axeltek is theirs. Can't find much on the internet about them. Dexter now owns Alko and I wonder what TTs will be provided with from now on?