Brakesmart question

[FJfonda]

A recent thread got me thinking about Brakesmart again. Can the Brakesmart guys chime in?

- My setup - 12,000lb boat and trailer, electric over hydraulic hydrastar converter, drum brakes, Primus controller. Overall, once dialed in, this system works wonderfully and really makes the rig braking perform as a unit (a far cry from the original surge brake setup).

- The problem - towing an empty trailer requires a significant adjustment on the brake controller to prevent wheel lockup, and visa versa once the boat is back on the trailer.

Would the Brakesmart setup minimize the need to adjust for the trailer load? Also, the 1st 3 or 4 miles of towing after retrieving the boat is done with wet drum brakes, will the Brakesmart, in effect allow, me to increase the force on the brakes as I attempt to stop?

 

[JimBob24]

The Brakesmart uses a transducer which monitors brake line fluid pressure to determine the amount of voltage to be sent to the trailer brakes (instead of the inertia type sensors on many of the electronic controllers). The harder you press the pedal the more voltage is sent to the trailer brakes and it is done in a very smooth, linear manner.



With Brakesmart you still have to set up the controller for the particular load weight and condition as well as the desired stopping force. This is done quite easily through the digital readout on the controller. Once you set it up for a particular load you do not have to make any additional adjustments unless the load changes significantly or you use another trailer.



You select the desired percentage of braking force. In your situation you probably would still need to set the percentage each time you changed the weight on the trailer, i. e. , loaded or unloaded. One advantage of the Brakesmart would be that once you determine what percentage of braking you needed loaded and unloaded you could quickly make those changes by just inputting those settings instead of having to pull your trailer while adjusting your controller. You can change the settings on the digital readout in just a few seconds once you get the hang of the menu buttons.



As far as wet vs. dry brake drums, I doubt that Brakesmart would make much difference. While it senses the electrical connection to the trailer, it does not have any way to determine how much holding force each brake is exerting nor can it detect any changes in actual stopping force.



Jim

 

[FJfonda]

Jim,

Thanks for the information. For the wet brakes, I was more thinking that the increase in the tow vehicle pedal pressure (due to wet trailer brakes) would relate to an increase in the application of the trailer brakes and may slightly compensate for the wet drums.

 

[HBarlow]

Jim wrote a textbook description and explanation above that is succinct, clear, and accurate leaving nothing more that needs to be said.



But, one minor point was possibly overlooked in your original question and description of your equipment... ... that is the fact that you pull a boat trailer.



Most of the time a boat trailer is pulled loaded so you're weight won't normally change and you won't have to adjust the BrakeSmart controller.



Harvey

 

[FJfonda]

Harvey,

Good point -- normally that is true. 80% of the time I tow the boat both ways, the other 20% of the time it is left at the destination to be picked up at a later time.

 

[JimBob24]

Jim,

Thanks for the information. For the wet brakes, I was more thinking that the increase in the tow vehicle pedal pressure (due to wet trailer brakes) would relate to an increase in the application of the trailer brakes and may slightly compensate for the wet drums.

Well, logically speaking, that is probably a valid consideration. Since your wet trailer brakes will not be as effective, you will have to use more tow vehicle brake pressure, which will also increase braking force on the trailer. It would certainly be more effective than an inertia controller since the inertia controller needs to see some deceleration to increase braking output. (Some inertia controllers send out a timed "boost" voltage upon initial braking to compensate for the delay in deceleration).