Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

 RESPONDING TO:

 

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:54:00 -0600
From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Trailer one brake locking up
To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <20120417135400.GA21120@att.net" ymailto="mailto:20120417135400.GA21120@att.net">20120417135400.GA21120@att.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Great leads, everyone.  I'll let you know what the problem turns out to
be.

I had a similar problem on my horse trailer 2 years ago, that went away
and never was diagnosed.  This winter over multiple trips into the high
mountains the wiring proved to be unreliable.  Lights working, then not,
then working again.  Brakes locking, then not working at all.  Luckily,
I am a belt-and-suspender type person and drive defensively.  Then it
all started working normally again.  Now the task is to find a mechanic
who can find the problem.

I also expect to be towing a SAR communications trailer that has its own
peculiarities.  It weighs as much as my horse trailer with 1 horse loaded
but it has a single axle and no brakes.  It has so much less margin for
error.

Stay safe,

    Una Smith
    New Mexico


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:09:19 -0500
From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Trailer one brake locking up
To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <7690BB706BBA4B1F9FCF6D79A0538CD1@irvsbigbox>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

There are usually two problems with small trailers. They have high centers
of gravity (especially if a tower is mounted on the roof), and they don't
want to stop.  Generally, your tow vehicle should weigh 3 times what the
trailer weighs and expect to go through vehicle brakes rapidly.  Another
problem is the coupler.  They are usually the cheapest kind of ball coupler.
stamped sheet metal, and everything is short-- tongue, wheel base, chains,
cables.  Greater Philadelphia SAR had a "tool box" unit that had the body
above the axle and really didn't like potholes--small wheels.  Behind a
Suburban it shook at 50 and often turned on one wheel. It is still parked at
the county fire academy lot.
Irv Lichtenstein

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Una Smith
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:54 AM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Trailer one brake locking up

Great leads, everyone.  I'll let you know what the problem turns out to
be.




------------------------------

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End of MSAR-Riders Digest, Vol 109, Issue 8
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Just some of what we had gone through... and been advised...

Braking systems can be a pain in the a-hem.  And 9 times out of ten its wiring, or a crack there in, bad grounding.  Many trailer problems are often because a short someplace in the wiring.. since trailers sit much of the time the wiring can go bad in the most unreahable places just from none use.  It can get dried and crack and then moisture starts working on the metal and then you garner a shorting of some description messing with brakes and or lights.  Or if its lights... just the simple road with potholes can wreck havoc with lighting.  They will loosen and then garner dirt in the sockets and cause them to blink and fuses can pop or come unglued.  But most often its been wiring and sooner or later between the weather, potholes, the roadgrit and mice.. the full harness needs replacing.  Road grit can vibrate oiut casuing a temporary issue.

 

  I have heard from others that have aluminum trailers, the light weight trailers seem to have more trouble than the older heavier weight trailers do  with lighting because of more vibration and less stability. The old "iron" trailers were solid and more stable, but still road vibration caused lights to blink and road dirt getting into the sockets and or shaking wiring losing the ground..  But for what that is worth.. just our offering of our experience.  Mice can get into the most ridiculuos places when wiring is concealed.  One of the things a lot of horsemen forget or dont know is to grease the ball  or plate of the hitch....years back..  I didnt know at the time if this guy was putting me on, but said if the ball  of a tagalong was not greased it could effect the grounding of the harnesses.. he was an old cowpoke, so I figured he knew what he was saying.  Sure nuff!  He slapped some vaseline of all things on the ball and that old trailer stopped it and a young me from doing stupid.   When we were on the road a lot, we had less problems with trailers that were used more often than when taking them out of storage.   "Dustbnnies" can be a pain to diagnos!

 

Hand braking brake boxes if not adjusted properly to the load can often be a simple problem too.   Always test them and adjust them before getting on the road as the load may not always be the same weight as last time, load shift if you have stuff other than the horses like hay that is used on the road..  and periodically check them on long hauls.  Sway can be a horrible issue especially with LIVE weight.  Sway bars help, but they dont prevent stupid or rollovers.

 

Dirt in the couplers..making faulty grounds too. 

 

Good luck with your problems. Staysafe.

        Karen

 

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