It looks as if we may have to cancel our trip for this coming Saturday. We cannot get the brakes on the pup to work and I am very uneasy about going without them. I am torn. My instincts tell me we'll probably be ok without them, but I am very fearful about it and would be in a state close to hysteria for 220 miles until we got there. Opinions?
better safe than sorry.......especially if the grandkids are coming on this trip.......like you said, it would be nervewracking driving slash worrying the whole time..........i say you made the right decision.........the right decision is sometimes not the easy one.........hope this helped.........SCmomma ps........can you not take it to a place to have them fixed between now and saturday?just an idea
It looks to me like the largest 1994 Coachmen Clipper is less than 1600# empty weight...in the State of VA, brakes aren't required on trailers less than 3000#. Of course the terrain you will be driving is a huge factor....lots of mountians call for more braking ability. When you tow with your Ranger, do you feel like you have to fight to keep control? Erring on the side of caution is always best, but too much caution isn't always called for....
Our Clipper is 1650 dry... It seems to tow very well on the short trips we've taken it on. I just wanted to be safe, plus here in NY you have to have the brakes over 1000lbs. I ended up spending $40 for new magnets for the brakes today and they still DONT WORK! At a loss at this point.
Have you check to be you are getting power thru the plug to he brakes? Also check the ground on the brakes....if it's a poor connection the brakes won't work. just some possibilities.................
The brakes are reasonably simple in the way they operate. Assuming your magnets are working, (and they should be), and assume you are getting voltage including the ground, something should work. How are you testing your breaks? With mine, I get no sound at all when the trailer is not moving. I could not tell they are working unless I actually have the trailer moving. I can test that I am getting voltage using a voltage tester, but I really need to be driving to tell the brakes are working. I would start by checking for voltage and then go from there.
Check all your grounds and the fuse for the brake controler thin check to see if you have power at the back of the tv at the plug also check and see if you have power after you plug in the camper check for power at the magnet. also check the brake shoe adjustment you might need to adjust the shoe up.
I wish I was your neighbor...like awsandlin said, brakes are fairly simple. I'd sure hate to see you cancel your trip because of brakes. Now if you told us your TV's transmission went out, I'd say enjoy your weekend at home! Check your ground...check your brake shoe adjustment...check for voltage at the rear of your TV, etc. If you don't understand electrical stuff, I'd be on the phone tomorrow morning trying to find a trailer shop that could trouble-shoot it.
Hook the thing up to a buddies TV and see thats the fastest way to tell if it's truly the pup or the TV. Just throwing in some common sense? Some one has to ruin the thought process. If it still doesnt work then do what fallsrider is saying.
i personally wouldnt cancell a trip over brakes on the pup. i alwys pulled arond 2500 pounds of pup with a dodge caliber and no brakes, but thats just me. just take itt easy dont rush. jmho. happy campin
