Quote:
I have a question specifically of 3023 owners. Just took ours out for the NYS safety inspection.
This has bothered me since we bought in 2000. Regardless of settings on the controller, even in manual mode, I have never been able to get the trailer brakes to lock up. They will gradually stop the tow vehicle in the driveway by themselves.
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It is my opinion that this model (1995 / 3023) is borderline a single axle trailer based on my measured weight and tire weight ratings. Maybe it's also borderline for brakes?
Thoughts?
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I am not an expert on trailer braking. However, I have developed "contaminated runway braking tables" for commercial airliners operated by my airline. So I am very familiar with braking coefficients. Let's say, based on my experience, that as road surface friction coefficient (measure of ability to adhere) decreases linearly, stopping distances increase non-linearly.
For example, a 12.5% decrease in friction coeff. may result in a 15% increase of stopping distance, say going from .4 to .35. Yet a 50% decrease from .4 to .2 can increase stopping by well above 100%.
Dry , grooved, new concrete may have a coefficient as great as 0.75 (where 1.0 would be zero slippage twixt tire and road), whereas an ice covered road can see a coefficient as low as 0.05 (or less). A wet road might be around 0.35 to 0.25. So where am I going with this?
The fact that a brake controller may not cause the trailer's brakes to lock-up on a dry road probably has NOTHING to do with the controller. If the max possible signal is sent from the controller to the trailer's brakes, the burden is now on the trailer speed/tire/weight/surface friction coeff./brake power, to determine if lock-up will occur.
Dry, grooved concrete road: Trailer 95% of max. allowable weght., at 60 mph ---> probably NO lockup. Just too little brake "friction" on the discs to overcome the other factors posited, especially the power developed by tire-to-road contact friction.
Wet, grooved, concrete road: Same trailer speed, conditions as above (half the road friction coeff.)--> lockup may be easily achieved in such a condition.
Dry, ancient, oily blacktop --> maybe same results as on a wet concrete road. Who knows?
Point is, there are any number of possible conditions to allow or prevent lockup. Having said the above, I haven't really worried about getting my brakes to lock up, when performing manual brake application (trailer only), during my initial 25 mph calbration on normal road surfaces. I just look for significant stopping force to be generated, and then fine tune during combined tv/trailer braking. I have a 2002 2720SL, which has nearly the same weight specs as a 3023. Therefore, your '95 may very well have underpowered brakes (or not :-/).
Obviously, I've been of no help at all. Not going to waste all this typing time though ;D.
Cheers --> Denny_A