Tow TR2720 with Chrysler mini van

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I think it would be interesting for you and I to have a stopping contest.

You load up the TM anyway you like. I load up to match. Leave both TVs empty. I will heavier than you because of the vehicle weight.

Then we drive on a flat straight road at 55 mph (California legal limit), take your hands off of the steering wheel and slam the brake pedal to the floor until stopped.

Compare results.

I have made a panic stop similar to this. But I did have one hand on the wheel, but I found no need to correct any steering.

Without running a test we will never know. But my gut tells me I will stop sooner and possibly straighter.

Why would this ever happen in real life? Hold a cup of coffee in one hand and suddenly notice that the car in front of you skidded to a stop for no apparent reason.

Let's not argue about my cup of coffee while towing.

I'm just thinking out loud.

The only people who have ever actually tested any of our tow vehicle stopping distances and published their results is Consumer Reports. The last time I looked at any of their work, they were saying that the F150 stopped in a shorter distance than the Silverado 1500, as I recall.

But they do not test towing or loaded vehicles. No one has ever done tests like this with RV's and talked about it, but it sure would be good to find out more about braking performance while towing.

I have to say that the least appealing part of your test scenario was the coffee cup/no hands part. I practiced today a little with the Adventuremobile running solo and it seemed like it might stop pretty straight. But at 55 with the TM, I'm thinking we probably should try to have our hands on the wheel.

You've got me thinking about where I can drive 55, stomp on the brake, and get out and measure, all without being a danger to myself and others. It'd be worth the brake pad wear and tear to be able to compare hard numbers solo and towing.

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

You've got me thinking about where I can drive 55, stomp on the brake, and get out and measure, all without being a danger to myself and others. It'd be worth the brake pad wear and tear to be able to compare hard numbers solo and towing.

Westbound CA 108 near Twain Harte. But it is downhill about 10 degrees and is not perfectly straight.

Another interesting test would be change the road conditions to be a dirt fire road. Just the local dirt graded off. No top coat hauled in to improve the surface. But the speed would probably be more like 35-40 than it would be to 55. This is where I think simulated ABS trailer brakes would be valuable.

[Mr. Adventure]

The road should be legally 55+, good sight lines, and close to level. Ideal might be a lightly traveled highway with a level mile or so approaching a spot with an excessively wide, broad shoulder at the stop point that you could aim into, so that your stop ends out of the traffic lane. It wouldn't hurt to be near enough to the truck scale to be able to accurately weigh in and get adjusted, just for the occasion.

With that, there could be lots of interesting variations:
towing
solo
w/wo WDH
w/wo trailer brakes (simulating trailer brake failures and varied brake controller settings)

(I probably won't do the w/wo coffee test)

I'll start working on it, but it could take me a while to find the right place to do this, and then get around to the grand experiment. And, let me know if you'll be in the neighborhood anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

I'll start working on it, but it could take me a while to find the right place to do this, and then get around to the grand experiment. And, let me know if you'll be in the neighborhood anytime soon.

As much fun as I would have doing a side by side test, you are a long way from the pacific ocean.

But if you have the time and inclination to run some tests I am certain that several of us would be interested in the measured results.

If you proceed I suggest starting a new thread for the topic.

Many times when we head south, we experience all kinds of stop and go traffic as we take the Beltway around WDC. And on a number of occasions I have had to stop unexpectedly from cruising speed of around 60 mph.
The Venza handles it quite nicely, partly due to the 4 wheel disc brakes, but also due to all of the rubber on the road as it has 20 inch wheels.
Point being, I've had to do- if not panic stops, something close to them, and I was impressed with how straight my tv and TM stayed and in what a short distance they stopped in.
Maybe we should meet at the Bonneville Salt Flats...to prove one does not need a tank to tow and stop a TM.

Originally Posted by moaboy

...
The Venza handles it quite nicely, partly due to the 4 wheel disc brakes, but also due to all of the rubber on the road as it has 20 inch wheels.
Point being, I've had to do- if not panic stops, something close to them, and I was impressed with how straight my tv and TM stayed and in what a short distance they stopped in.
...

Your trailer should be stopping itself, assuming it's brakes are working and the brake controller is set up properly.

Sounds like your setup is working fine.

With my old truck and non-integrated brake controller, I had to dial down the trailer brake voltage whenever coming off the highway to get gas. Otherwise they would get very jerky. Once I forgot to dial it up when going back onto the highway and had to make an emergency stop at around 45 mph. The trailer pushed the truck forward and jack-knifed. We were lucky; it would have been a lot worse if the trailer brakes were not working at all.

Even if your TV could theoretically stop the trailer's weight, it's more likely the trailer will jack-knife and keep on going right by you if the trailer brakes are not working.

[Brittany Dogs]

My trailer brakes do not completely lock up even if I dial up my Prodigy 2 to the highest setting and manually slide the brake engagement to the max position. I thought I have read you do not necessarily want the tires to lock up.

Do I understand this correct? That you want the brakes to grip a lot but not necessarily to the point of lock up?

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by Brittany Dogs

My trailer brakes do not completely lock up even if I dial up my Prodigy 2 to the highest setting and manually slide the brake engagement to the max position. I thought I have read you do not necessarily want the tires to lock up.

Do I understand this correct? That you want the brakes to grip a lot but not necessarily to the point of lock up?

Several people have posted that their trailer wheels don't lock up, including me (the prodigy manual suggest this as a test). My guess is that the 15" tires may have enough additional mechanical advantage versus the 14's that the brakes can't lock up on dry pavement. But you really don't want your brakes to lock anyway, because they'd be a lot happier going sideways if they did. But I'd bet they'd lock just fine on rain or, heaven forbid, snow.

[rvcycleguy]

Originally Posted by Brittany Dogs

My trailer brakes do not completely lock up even if I dial up my Prodigy 2 to the highest setting and manually slide the brake engagement to the max position. I thought I have read you do not necessarily want the tires to lock up.

Do I understand this correct? That you want the brakes to grip a lot but not necessarily to the point of lock up?

Yes, a controlled stop is much safer than a skidding stop. Anytime the tires are slidding, they are out of control. Think about the ABS systems. It is designed to not skid. Yes, it pulses and has no comparison to a TM brake but the basic principle is the same.

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

Several people have posted that their trailer wheels don't lock up, including me (the prodigy manual suggest this as a test). My guess is that the 15" tires may have enough additional mechanical advantage versus the 14's that the brakes can't lock up on dry pavement. But you really don't want your brakes to lock anyway, because they'd be a lot happier going sideways if they did. But I'd bet they'd lock just fine on rain or, heaven forbid, snow.

I doubt that I could lock my TM brakes, because if my truck ABS system engages then it will pulse the voltage/current back to the TM. Theoretically, this will reduce the probability of the TM brakes locking.