Electric Brakes - T@G XL

DharmaScout

Electric brakes or not?

It's interesting...I have a 2018 Jeep Cherokee w/ tow package (4,500lbs TW). The US manual makes no mention of electric brakes, however the Canadian version says, "Trailer brakes are recommended for trailers over 1,000 lbs (453 kg) and required for trailers in excess of 2,000 lbs (907 kg). If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (453 kg) loaded, it should have its own brakes and they should be of adequate capacity. Failure to do this could lead to accelerated brake lining wear, higher brake pedal effort, and longer stopping distances."

Will be towing in US mountain west.

Anybody's helpful guidance in this matter is greatly appreciated! Electric brakes or not.

BBsGarage

Brakes are always a good idea, not only for braking in general, but if you run into a swaying situation you can attempt control over the trailer by applying the trailer brakes only.

WilliamA

I had a 2017 Jeep Cherokee as my previous TV. It was a Trailhawk with factory tow package and 7 way harness. Although my dealer insisted it didn't have a brake controller plug hardwired in, I did my research and found the factory brake control plug-in under the dash. You just have to dig for it. I use brakes on my trailers and wouldn't be without them. As my friend Richard used to tell me: Brakes...You "almost never " need -em. He wrecked his vintage Karman Ghia.
I have found that the times I most appreciate my trailer brakes is not when descending Wolf Creek Pass at highway speeds, but cruising around town at 30 mph trying to avoid the dipstick on the celphone dashing across traffic to get to Starbucks. Brakes are for sometimes but dipsticks are everywhere....

WilliamA

DharmaScout

Like you guys, I like to err on the side of caution -- but with that being said, find it odd that nuCamp doesn't include electric brakes on the standard T@G XL (Outback has them!), nor did my dealer mention anything about adding brakes. There must be many T@G owners who are cruising around without them.

LuckyJ

I have to say, I am on the fence here.

Our T@G outback has them, even if they are on the small side. My utility trailer does not and I sometime load it way more than what the T@G will ever be.

But I have found out that they are nive to have. Like William as mentionned, they give you a very good help in trafic. Highway surpise stop, around town for other people surprised and sometime my own surprise and also for that sharp turn in my street in the middle of a 3 miles long down grade that I sometime have to stop before turning left. (Compression help, but not for that final waiting on passing trafic).

So yep, my utility trailer will have a set. But much bigger, and so will the T@G with its new axle this summer.

Verna

http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-brakes/

A quick glance at this AAA link shows that many states only require brakes on trailers over 3,000 lbs, but the state of New York requires brakes on all trailers over 1,000 lbs.

Michigan_Mike

nüCamp builds their trailers in compliance to the national standards and I know that this discussion and concern have come up in the past so it's a good question.

I certainly would never deny that trailer brakes are an added benefit/bonus during travel and while stopping as they do help you stop when the situation arises, and I agree with the points made above. But I will also add that I've had 4 of these trailers, and three of them did not have trailer brakes and I was able to tow all of my trailers safely across the US, Canada and up to Alaska and back without any major problems or issues.

I will also point out that whether you have trailer brakes or not, driving in mountainous regions requires diligence, patience, caution and total awareness to your surroundings and the conditions at hand. I've ascended and descended some long, steep, winding grades over mountain ranges with many switchbacks and narrows roads and believe that experience does makes a difference in both safely making it through and over these winding/taxing areas and in extending the life of both the tow vehicle, trailer/vehicle brakes, etc.

The best advice I can give here is to take your time while driving in mountainous areas, brakes do help while stopping, but also understand that regardless of whether or not your trailer does or doesn't have brakes the weight of any load being towed will push the tow vehicle and will impact your ability to stop quickly should a situation arise (e.g., deer jumps out in front of you, vehicle crosses over into your lane on a curve, etc.).

I agree with William's comment above, people are easily distracted, they text while driving, they are looking at scenery, many are inexperienced and do not care that you are pulling a trailer and are only concerned with themselves and often dart across lanes to hit off ramps, insert their vehicles carelessly in front of you or hang about 2' off your bumper.

I just returned from Arizona and over 5K miles of travel to and from Michigan and was amazed at the careless antics of both car drivers and professional truckers who were crossing over into my lane via inattentive/careless driving. I also saw two travel trailers and tow vehicles flipped over and laying over on their sides and it is always a very sad and sobering experience, wondering how these folks made out and if they were severely injured.

Take it slow, use your tow vehicle and a lower gear when descending steep grades, preserve the brakes as best you can and expect the unexpected as those coming at you will undoubtedly come over the center line and will be there to meet you on a curve.

Pay attention to tire wear, inspect the tire tread/inflate them properly and as needed, do not exceed the rated tire speed (most are rated for maximum speed of 65 mph) as the tire side walls do heat up , look for road hazards (loose metal objects, wood/blown tire pieces/debris, etc.) and maintain the proper tongue weight and .

Sorry for the long missive here, but believe that experiences passed along to others is a means of eliminating accidents, saving lives and helping people out.

Safe travels!

LuckyJ

@Michigan_Mike right on the money!

DharmaScout

Seems like the kind of great advice every new owner should have when they purchase their trailer! My RV dealer just hooked it up and waved good bye!

It is a daunting experience if you've never towed -- having a thousand-plus pounds behind you, at times seemingly at the mercy of uncontrollable events in a vehicle that's not necessarily setup to handle the unexpected.

But like you say, Mike, many T@G XL owners, including yourself have successfully navigated thousands of miles without trailer brakes using conservative driving and situational awareness.

I was torn between the camper van and the T@G due to the unknowns of towing. But I was drawn to the freedom that seems to come by leaving the camper at the site and exploring in a smaller vehicle. Been tent camping for years and this just seemed like the natural upgrade. I suppose the fear factor of towing will wear off once I put some miles behind me.

BBsGarage

Dont fear towing, like several people have said, go slow and keep your space in front of you. Find an empty parking lot and practice backing up as well. Its difficult at first but once you realize how it works it not bad at all.

Michigan_Mike

I think it's like most things and the unknown, fear is the body's defense mechanism that kicks in and actually benefits people as it creates caution, alertness and therein, safety comes into play.

It is through repetitive actions that allow us to both learn and increase our knowledge & comfort level in the things we do daily in life. I've really been both impressed and amazed at the number of people who join the forum, ask questions and through gained knowledge, excel and go on to be advocates and help others venturing into these trailers, camping and traveling across the US. I have many friends, both male and female who started out as we all have, as newbies in pulling trailers down the highways and exploring beautiful areas in the US, Canada, etc.

I had a brother who was in a very serious accident over in Canada many years ago with his wife and the trailer was destroyed. They both escaped unharmed and it was a result of someone else's poor driving and turning in front of them that caused the accident. I thought about their incident before purchasing my first trailer (a Little Guy 4-wide), but that soon became a distant memory as I had so much fun exploring and finally made it over to the west coast and cruised up the California coast and Big Sur.

The point here is that we all start out as newbies and if you take things slow, ask questions, exercise caution, inspect your equipment, give yourself plenty of space and don't drive beyond your abilities things should be fine. And I agree, practice makes perfect! I still do a walk around my trailer and inspect things before I leave or the camp site. Check your hook up, check the hitch (ensure it is seated properly and secured!), check your lights, check for any gear left on site, check that doors & hatch are locked, check the tires/lugnuts,etc. and make this s habit.

Backing does take practice but can be mastered if you take it slow, take time to walk around and check the area you are backing into so you don't rip off a fender, back into a rock, tree, picnic table, etc.

Take your time, ask questions, explore, be safe and have fun!

nbrandt

I have traveled for two years now without brakes on my 2017 T@G (5w). It requires diligence and extra room. After reading these posts again, I sense that I am going to add brakes to this trailer over the winter. Does one get them through nu-camp or order them directly from Dexter? Secondly - can any numbers be provided? Third, my vehicle (used Volvo XC60) did not come with a tow package. Does anyone have any experience with wireless controllers? I see that etrailer has just come out with a new one. Do they work, or should one steer clear of them?
Thanks for the help and advice.
nbrandt

tagurit

We got all our parts from etrailer.com, was not hard to do. I also recommend the Hopkins Insight controller, makes a clean install in import vehicles that may not have a convenient location to mount a traditional controller.

LuckyJ

@nbrandt said:
I have traveled for two years now without brakes on my 2017 T@G (5w). It requires diligence and extra room. After reading these posts again, I sense that I am going to add brakes to this trailer over the winter. Does one get them through nu-camp or order them directly from Dexter? Secondly - can any numbers be provided? Third, my vehicle (used Volvo XC60) did not come with a tow package. Does anyone have any experience with wireless controllers? I see that etrailer has just come out with a new one. Do they work, or should one steer clear of them?
Thanks for the help and advice.
nbrandt

Fisrt,mjust want to say that you will love trailer brakes in day to day travel. But I would keep you good driving habit. I see brakes as a nice helper in emergency situation, and also as a way to reduce starin on the TV in downhill travel, specially on short steep one with sharp turn. For long decline, I still prefer engine compression, saving the TV and TD brakes for emergencies.

One thing I wonder, is if the regular T@G meaning none outback/boondock that come standard with brakes have the 7 pins trailer plug? If so, the connection should be in the black plastic box under front A-frame.

Have fun.

WilliamA

@nbrandt said:
I have traveled for two years now without brakes on my 2017 T@G (5w). It requires diligence and extra room. After reading these posts again, I sense that I am going to add brakes to this trailer over the winter. Does one get them through nu-camp or order them directly from Dexter? Secondly - can any numbers be provided? Third, my vehicle (used Volvo XC60) did not come with a tow package. Does anyone have any experience with wireless controllers? I see that etrailer has just come out with a new one. Do they work, or should one steer clear of them?
Thanks for the help and advice.
nbrandt

"Ask any two trailer owners, you'll get 3 different opinions"

or

"I said, what does that mean? I really remind you of money?"
"she said, who am I, to blow against the wind
I know what I know, I say what I said, we come and we go
that's the thing that I do with the back of my head."
Paul Simon

My first teardrop was a Little Guy 5 wide that I pulled all over with a RAV4, then a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. It didn't have electric brakes but I always felt it needed them. Oddly enough, the times I felt the least comfortable pulling it were in town at 25-30 miles per hour. It was impossible to anticipate when the dipstick ahead of me was going to pull out or do some other thoughtless maneuver that put me into panic mode to avoid piling into them. That trailer weighed 1,000 lbs wet. My T@G is a third heavier and a lot bigger, cross-section speaking. I think pulling a trailer this size (and larger) isn't about deciding if one needs brakes. The unfortunate part of the equation is that you don't get to decide when you need them. That determination is generally decided for you by the aforementioned dipstick that just pulled out in front of you.
It's perfectly reasonable to expect you could drive your car,truck,TV with only front brakes. Most of the time, it would be just fine with only front brakes. Would you? I wouldn't.

Last January, I took off for Az/Ca in a snowstorm. It was not a fun trip for the first 8 hours, but I was fine. I set my trailer brakes for the slippery conditions and took it nice and easy. No problem. I am positive I could not have made that same trip without trailer brakes. There just wouldn't have been enough braking control with only the Jeep brakes on the slippery roads. With trailer brakes, it was still a long trip the first day, but it was never terrifying or unpredictable. Just slow. I'll get down from my soapbox now.

For sourcing a brake kit, I'd first check with Dexter. Their website is straightforward and has everything one might need. It can be said though, that trailer brakes are pretty generic and one needs only get the correct size to fit the spindle. The backing plates and hardware are a horse-apiece. The nice thing about Dexter parts is you can be assured of good fit and match and availability of parts later. Dexter dollars seem to be a bit steep compared to aftermarket kits, but that's up to the purchaser to decide. Any competent trailer joint should be able to spec up a brake kit.

As to the RF brake controllers....hmmmm... For my money, it answers the question no one asked. I know there are many who have had good luck with them and that's great. For me, my trailer brakes are the tip of the spear for my safety when I hit the road. I've had to listen to George Jones through my car radio because the wifi picked up some truckers wireless music player so I certainly won't let a potential George Jones run my trailer brakes. It's too easy to hardwire trailer brakes and controller for me to take that chance. As an aside, while running the 2 (yes, 2, not 50) wires back for the trailer brakes, it's an easy job to add 1 more and have a solid charge-line for the trailer battery from the TV battery. If one isn't of the mechanical persuasion, this sort of work can be done for not much money at any competent trailer place. Once hardwired, you never have to worry about thoughtless dipsticks taking your safety following distance, or George Jones either, for that matter......

WilliamA

Sharon_is_SAM

@nbrandt, if you go the route of a RF controller, be aware that some European models have reported difficulty pairing the device. Etrailer has a discussion regarding this on the Techonsha Prodigy RF controller which we use with our TaB without problem. BTW, they have great customer service.

WilliamA

@tagurit said:
I also recommend the Hopkins Insight controller, makes a clean install in import vehicles that may not have a convenient location to mount a traditional controller.

I have Insight Controller lust. It solves pretty much all of the usual BC mounting issues. My Jeep dealer curses me every time I go in because my controller is mounted so they can't get at the ALDL without taking the controller down (I really should move that) but if I find a bag of fifties, I'm getting an Insight controller.

WilliamA