Wildwilly101
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Re: Stop light switch kit with SMI Stay-n-play
Here's a quick sketch of how mine is done. Hopefully the link to the picture will work. Materials: 1 wiring harness with diodes that plugs in at the lights (no splicing) 1 Stay in Play kit 1 stop light switch 1 fuse cutoff switch (not shown in drawing) one 7 pin cable Tow bar and accessories Power wiring and cylinder lines on Stay in Play not shown376Views0likes0CommentsRe: Stop light switch kit with SMI Stay-n-play
There is an LED light strip in the Stay in Play kit that mounts on the dash of the motorhome to indicate when the toad brake pedal has physically moved away from rest position (toad brakes activated). I needed the extra Stop Light Switch kit to operate that LED light. Our 2014 Equinox does not have a standard brake light switch that I could have used. It has an analog brake position sensor that tells the computer when to activate the brake lights (among other things like ABS etc). The extra brake light switch is connected one side to a positive, always hot, fused source. The other side I wired to the blue wire in the 7 pin plug that is normally used for trailer brakes. Using the trailer brake pigtail connector under the dash in the motorhome, I wired the LED to the blue wire to indicate when the toad brake pedal moves. That saved me from running a separate wire the length of the motorhome since I don't tow a trailer. It's a very nice feature that tells you when the toad brakes are working and helps in making sensitivity adjustments. The brake lights/turn signals on the rear of the toad are operated by the wiring from the motorhome through the cord plugged into the rear of the motorhome. With the Stay in Play, the brake pedal in the toad will not be activated with every stopping condition like stop & go city traffic, it is a supplemental system. Therefore you want an indicator to tell you when the brake pedal is actually moving in the toad.376Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
Check the diameter of the factory bags and compare to the aftermarket pogo sticks. Again you accuse me of putting out false information. You are dead wrong, everything I posted is absolutely true and factual. It may not align with your contentions that are fuzzy at best, but not false. The rear suspension could not handle the dynamic load at highway speeds. It was fine sitting still. So everyone take this man's advice, put air bags on your truck and hitch up to anything you want, You will be just fine. Right....429Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
So then there is never a reason to purchase a 3500 truck? This is the type of advice that gets people into trouble. I wanted to believe that too since the 08 2500 and 3500 both shared the same front axle, all I needed to do was beef up the rear. The air bags allowed it to set level, but did not provide enough stiffness to manage the dynamic load experienced on the highway. Implying that I don’t know what I’m talking about is ludicrous since you did not experience my circumstance, and are suggesting running an overloaded truck is safe and prudent as long as you put on air bags. No I do not trust you or anything you claim, Trusting people’s claims is what caused this near disaster in the first place. Yes I knew better but didn’t want to spend the bucks on a new truck so I had to find out for myself. There are limits to what air bags can do in a dynamic loading situation as experienced at highway speeds. Suggesting the rear suspension on my 08 is the same as the one on my 3500 discredits everything you claim. A blind man can see the difference. Enough said274Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
Really? New truck is rated 14K GVW old truck 9K gvw. Enormous spring packs compared to very small spring packs. Not even close. Payload rating of 6K compared to payload rating of 2K. Loading of unit was fine, truck suspension simply couldn't handle the weight. No other factors involved. I was well beyond reasonable design parameters.274Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
I forgot to add, new Bilstiens too. Loading was fine, truck was way too light for the job. See sawing was caused by too much pin weight for the truck suspension, not bad shocks and too little pin weight. I was foolish enough to follow people’s advice who claim that simply “beefing up” your truck will be fine, just go camping and enjoy. There are physical limits to the ability of a truck based on design parameters. Some beefing up may very well work in some situations. Mine was not one of those situations. As I said before, I should have known better, but had to find out for myself. Edit: there is a huge difference in the suspension on my new truck compared to the old one, not even close.274Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
I tried the same thing with my 08 Ram 2500 long bed. Installed firestone ride rites, Helwig stabilizer, upgraded tires to 3,750lb rated, and hitched up the new 5er (upgraded from a 28ft bumper pull) 2,700lb pin weight, yes I was over the weight limits. Towed it from PA to FL and back. When I got home I immediately traded in the truck for a Ram 3500 Dually. The truck simply wasn’t adequate to handle the weight. Yes, it sat level and looked fine, but the suspension was too soft to handle the load without see-sawing. I drove 65 the whole way, hit a well hidden dip in the road that threw us into the left lane, began see-sawing and rocking side to side. Thank God there was no one in the left lane. I’ve been towing bumper pulls for close to 30 years, I should have known better.167Views0likes0Comments
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