mcman56
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Re: Brake Controller Set Up - Tekonsha Primus IQ
Even set to the max power of 13, I do not think the trailer wheels are locking up at 25 mph. This has dual axles with the brakes on the rear axle. Can it be hard to tell if they are locking? With the window down and listening plus looking in the mirror, I see no signs of lock up. I do feel a strong deceleration so they are working to some extent. I was concerned about coming down from 5500 feet but by staying out of overdrive, I only had to touch the brake a few times for very short time periods. (Thanks for that recommendation to stay out of overdrive.) The trip went well. But..... after getting off of the freeway with almost zero use of brakes there were a few miles of surface streets with 4 or 5 red lights to stop at. When I got home, I got a slight scent of brakes. The wheel hubs were also pretty warm on both sides where the trailer brakes are located. Do trailer brakes tend to run hot/ warm? The trailer is new if that is a factor. Thinking back, the slight brake smell could have been coming from the TV. It is an old truck but new to towing. To clairify my question, no skidding with the manual brake test seems to be telling me that there is inadequate braking on the trailer. Warm hubs with little brake use seems to be telling me there is excessive braking on the trailer. This is the part I find confusing.2.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Brake Controller Set Up - Tekonsha Primus IQ
I went through the controller set up and it seems OK now. The default power setting was 13 so that must have been my hot brake issue. Set to 6, the brakes do not lock with the manual/ 25 mph test but I can feel it slow down a bit. I checked the manual and the tow/ haul mode still seems to use overdrive. (It does not say it does not.) I'll use that plus set in 3rd for down hill. I was on the freeway today and down the largest local 50 mph hill and it seems OK. I'll be driving it but want to be prepared as possible to avoid newbie issues because I did not know any better. On this same note, is there a way to safely test the emergency breakaway switch? Thanks for all of the input.2.3KViews0likes0CommentsDumping tanks at home??
I'm new to RVing and am looking into the possibility of dumping the tanks at home. Our house is maybe 3 feet above the street. There is one port to the sewer near the street with a loose plastic cap. There is another up at the house with a cap clamped on. Would either of these work? (30 year old CA house.) The RV drive is on the far side of the house so the only gravity assist method would be to back in an run a hose/ pipe across the front of the house to the port. However, the distance would be almost 35 feet. Slope of the pipe to the upper port would be about 12 inches in 35 feet. Is that enough? Slope to the lower port would be much greater but the run would be a little longer. Would the standard flexible sewer hose be the best choice or would a solid tube be easier to clean completely? I would prefer not to have a stinky hose/ pipe laying around.4.3KViews0likes21CommentsRe: Brake Controller Set Up - Tekonsha Primus IQ
The TV is a Silverado with a 5.3 gas engine. By itself, it coasts super easy down hill so must have some kind of torque converter disconnect. It does have a "tow range" selector on the lever. That may disable overdrive. By hills, I mean I80 from near Tahoe down to Sacramento. I don't know that anythign is super steep but you lose 5500 feet in about a 1 hour drive so there is a lot of down.. I did not do the 25 mph test so that is likly it. I do that the next time I get it out.Based on the literature that came with the controller, I used b2 so maybe I should also try b1. Thanks for this input.2.3KViews0likes0CommentsE2 WD Hitch
I read good things about the easyhitch but some said it was noisy. The E2 hitch was similar but I did not see anything about noise and it was less expensive so I went with that. I just installed the E2 hitch on a Silverado for a toy hauler with estimated 5000 lb weight 1000 lb tongue weight. Using the size calculator on the Easyhitch site, I chose the 1200 lb tongue weight size. It seemed heavy but I like to go with a manufacturer's recommendation. It went close to instructions except for two points. With the defined installation, I could not lift the bars into place even with the tool. I had to lower the link plates 1 hole. When tightening the shank bolts to 250 ft pounds, the top bolt collapsed the conical washers before reaching full torque. The lower bolt did not. My wheel well measurements for the tow vehicle were: Rear no trailer = 35 ¼ trailer & hitch = 34 ½ Front No trailer = 33 trailer with no WD hitch = 33 ¾ trailer with WD hitch = 32 7/8 (this is a tape measurement on concrete so measurement error is likely 1/8 to 1/4”. Does this seem OK? I only have experience with small motorcycle trailers so unless this setup does something really evil, I will not know the difference.892Views0likes2CommentsBrake Controller Set Up - Tekonsha Primus IQ
I'm inexperienced with trailers and just installed a Primus IQ and used it with a newish trailer that likely was never towed with the brakes active. All I did was set a recommended boost per the manual for trailer and tow vehicle of similar weights. A short maybe 10 minute ride around suburbia with a top speed around 45 mph followed. There were lots of stops. It felt OK but I have no experience with trailers larger than little dirt bike trailers. When I got back, I could smell brakes. Placing my hand on the wheel by the brakes, they were noticibly warm to hot. Could this be normal for a first time activated brake system? Is boost really a good idea or could that be the issue? 2002 Silverado with tow package, Fun Runner toyhauler, estimated 5000 lb5.6KViews0likes9Comments
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