Re: [VAL] 71 soverign electric brakes and getting one reaady to tow

[overlander64 <overlander64@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Steve!

Welcome to the world of Vintage Airstream ownership!


Firs of all, your '71 Sovereign is going to be quite a load
for your Jeep Cherokee even when empty (in fact will
probably somewhat in excess of the factory trailer tow
rating).  The empty weight as published by Airstream for a
'71 Sovereign is 4,840 pounds (twin) or 4,910 pounds
(double) with a hitch weight of 480 pounds or 490 pounds
respectively.  The weight of either of these coaches when
ready for a vacation outing will likely be around 6,000 to
6,500 pounds depending upon how conservative one is in
packing.  See:

http://www.airstream.com/airstream/product_line/customer_service/docs/weights-1.pdf

Second, Airstream utilized a non-standard wiring pattern for
its Bargman connector up until quite recently.  You can find
the diagram that was originally utilized in 1971 at:

http://www.airstream.com/airstream/product_line/customer_service/docs/7wayplug1966-81.pdf

You modern tow vehicle is likely wired to the modern
standard found in the link below:

http://www.marksrv.com/wiring.htm

When rewiring the trailer connector, it is usually necessary
to have a 12-volt source available to check each of the
wires to verify that it functions as noted in the diagram. 
I followed the battery check on both of my coaches, but as
it turned out, both had wire color coding matching that in
the link for their particular model year.

Third, in regard to a brake controller.  A brake controller
is a necessity as trailer brakes are required by law in most
jurisdictions for coaches with a weight of 3,000 pounds or
more.  Without a brake controller, the only thing that
happens when the tow vehicle brake pedal is depressed is
that the coach's brake lights will illuminate.  The brake
controller does a number of things including automatically
applying the trailer brakes as the tow vehicle's brake pedal
is depressed as well as permitting the driver to
independently apply the trailer brakes (often done to bring
a coach back into line if it begins to yaw).  The most
popular brake controllers among Airstreamers include:

Tekonsha Prodigy:
http://www.tekonsha.com/prodig.html

Jordan Research Corp. Brake Controller:
http://www.jordanbrake.com/

BrakeSmart MasterBrake Controller:
http://www.masterbrake.com/brakesmart.html

My personal choice is a controller that is not common among
Airstreamers, but I have had extremely good service from
various versions of this controller over the past 25 years. 
My choice has been the Hayes-Lemmerz Energizers XPC with its
remote manual control as described in the link below:

http://aftermarket.hayes-lemmerz.com/html/energize_xpc.html

Good luck with your Sovereign!

Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI/VAC/Free Wheelers/Computer Club #6359
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400
VORTEC/4.10 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado
Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)