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