[VAC] Re: Stromberg tow car kits

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ken,
 Dunno if it's a "Stromberg tow car kit", but I've seen a setup that had
a small hydraulic cylinder permanently plumbed into the tow vehicle's
brake system. It rode in a storage clip while not in use, then slipped
into a bracket on the tounge of the trailer and actuated a master
cylinder for the trailer brakes when towing. It did NOT have the tow
vehicle's brake system directly connected to the trailer brakes. As
others have said, this system is long obsolete, and with good reasons.

One of the reasons that hydraulic brakes aren't much used on travel
trailers is because they're problematic when used on an intermittant
basis. I've had older vehicles that 'sat' a lot, and the brakes were
very iffy when first used after a long rest. OTOH: I have a flat-bed
utility trailer with house trailer axles and electric brakes that has
sat around here for several years. As in 10 or more. I dragged it out of
the weeds, repaired the wiring and installed a compatible plug, and the
brakes went right to work after 2 or 3 applications (to clean off the
rust).

If you're actually going to use this trailer, you should strongly
consider updating the brakes to the regular electric type. You can find
several discussions of controllers in Tom's archives.

FWIW: I just installed a Warner hydraulic-actuated brake controller in
my Dodge. Got it from Can-Am RV, price was about $150.00 US, including
delivery. Installation wasn't all that bad; I added a flexible hose
between the controller and the steel line so I can drop the knee bolster
below the steering wheel w/o bending the line. The special 'Tee' fitting
required for the hydraulic connection was in stock at my local NAPA
store.

It worked very well on its maiden voyage of 75 miles. I towed that
above-mentioned flat-bed trailer today, and a fairly hard brake
application will cause the wheels to slide on the single axle that has
brakes. I need to install the resistor that I bought from a List Member
to correct that problem.

                                     <<Jim>>