Month: August 2020

If you’re among the 30 million RV enthusiasts and RV renters in the U.S., then you already know the importance of trailer brake controllers. When towing your trailer on the roads, your safety should be the top concern, and a single axle trailer brake goes a long way in helping you brake smoothly. If you haven’t installed trailer brake controllers, this is why you should. Here are the advantages of installing a single axle trailer brake control.

1. Gives You More Control

Electric trailer brake controllers help you monitor your trailer through the towing vehicle system that is installed in your towing car. This gives you more control as you can adjust the brake controllers as you drive. Single axle trailer brake control will also help in controlling trailer sway. Sometimes when you’re driving on rough roads, your trailer may sway dangerously and affect your mobility. With electronic trailers sway control, you can control your trailer sway from your driver’s seat.

2. Boosts Road Safety

You may have seen a trailer topple over or jackknife, and result in serious damage on the towing vehicle as well. Trailer brake controllers help you avoid a similar fate. When shopping for the best trailer brake controller, you should consider the weight of your trailer, and the horse and towing power of your vehicle. Knowing how to tow safely will prevent highway accidents that can be very catastrophic when they happen. Ensure that your trailer’s weight is not too much for your vehicle’s horsepower. Although the best brake controllers will help you brake smoothly and evenly, your vehicle should have enough towing power to comfortably pull the trailer.

3. Maintains the Service Life of the Brake Pads

Without a single axle trailer brake control system, your towing vehicle will provide all the braking power. With time, your brake pads will start to fade and wear out, and you’ll be forced to replace them consistently. This is not an expense you would desire to factor in your budget every now and then. When your brake pads wear out, the trailer may not immediately stop when you step on your vehicle’s brakes. This will cause the trailer to forcefully jerk your vehicle forward before it finally stops. This doesn’t help much when you’re making an emergency stop, and an accident may happen. It puts you and other motorists on the road in danger.

Now that you know the benefits of trailer brake controllers, you may wonder how many types of brake controllers are available for your use. Here are the two main types of brake controllers.

Proportional Brake Controllers

This type of brake controllers utilize inertia-based sensors, that can sense when your towing vehicle is slowing down or about to stop. When your tow vehicle slows down, the sensors automatically applies the same intensity to the trailer’s brakes. Hence, your trailer stops in tandem with the towing vehicle when you’re stopping gradually or making an emergency stop. Proportional controllers ensure smooth braking and also cause less wear and tear on your braking system. You can get electric or air brake controllers.

Time-delayed Brake Controllers

Time-delayed brake controllers send a predetermined power output to the trailer’s braking system. They utilize a sync setting that sends a signal to the brake controllers, which, in turn, sends voltage to the trailer brakes. Therefore, there’s a time delay between when you apply the brakes, and when the trailer stops. The sync setting allows you to adjust and control this delay. Time-delayed controllers are easy to install as they don’t utilize sensors. They’re also more affordable as opposed to the proportional controllers.

Trailer brake controllers are extremely important in ensuring towing safety. When buying a single axle trailer brake control, you should trust a reputable dealer near you, to sell you the best quality. The best brake controllers will boost your road safety by a long shot. Hayes Towing Electronics Products are Proudly Made in the U.S.A.

Driving a trailer, or trailering, should usually be a very smooth experience. However, there is one situation that is a real cause for concern. This issue can occur if you whether are driving recreational purposes or whether you are driving for business purposes, such as transporting freight from one place to another. This problem is called trailer sway, and that is the perfect description of the issue. Something causes the trailer that you are pulling to sway back and forth, like a pendulum on a clock, and eventually, the trailer can swing so far that it will tip over. Here’s a look at some things that cause this problem and some ways of correcting trailer sway if it happens to you.

WHAT CAUSES TRAILER SWAY?

Some causes of trailer sway include oversteering, going over the speed limit, high winds, and crosswinds. The winds are actually a major factor that impacts the problem of trailer sway, and also can affect towing safety. This makes trailer sway control a very important concern when discussing trailer safety. A study was done by Knott Laboratory concerning accidents pertaining to commercial vehicle towing shows that a crosswind of 35-mph on a large trailer could give force amounting up to 3,440 pounds.

Other factors that may make a driver start correcting trailer sway are roads that are uneven and difficult to navigate; vehicles that are passing the trailer, and loading that has not been done properly. This especially pertains to loads that have not been secured within the trailer.

PREVENTING TRAILER SWAY

There are a few ways to prevent trailer sway:

• Make sure your cargo is loaded within the front half of the trailer box, which should include at least 60% of the cargo in your trailer.
• Make sure that your tow vehicle has not been overloaded.
• Make sure that the maximum gross weight of your trailer has not been exceeded.
• Make sure that cargo has not been loaded on the outside of the trailer or that cargo is sticking out at the back of the trailer. Simply put, cargo should only be loaded on the interior of the trailer.
• Make sure to keep your driving speed consistent, and be sure to keep it at a maximum of 55 mph or less.

CORRECTING TRAILER SWAY

There are a few ways to prevent trailer sway:

• The first thing you do is reduce your speed, take your foot off the gas pedal.
• Secondly, after slowing down, make sure you stay at least 10 miles an hour under the speed limit when you first noticed that your trailer was starting to sway.
• Third, avoid using the trailer brake system and avoid speeding up.
• Fourth, keep the steering wheel steady in a position that will keep you going straight ahead.
• And finally, when it is safe, make sure you pull over, stop. And then move the load inside your trailer. Make sure the heaviest of your freight in the trailer is stationed in the front.

Recap: Correcting Trailer Sway

Safety is a top priority. When you are on the road, make sure to pay attention to all the conditions around you. In order to have a successful trip, whether it is for business or for pleasure, it is important to maintain control of your vehicle at all times and take all the precautions necessary to make the outcome of the travel experience a positive one.

Hayes Towing Electronics Products are Proudly Made in the U.S.A.