Quote:
Originally Posted by rebekahna
Is there any point in trying to restore this or should we just switch to electronic? So new at all this and going through the preservation versus restoration debate. We have two tow vehicles - 00 Dodge Durango and 64 Ford wagon both capable of towing. Thanks!
|
Airstream still made a few trailers in
1960 that had hydraulic brakes.
In order to use those brakes, the tow vehicle brake system had to be modified. The rear brake line on the tow vehicle was tapped, and the brake fluid from the tow vehicle, when the brake was applied, went ot a coupler that tied on to the front of the trailer.
Back then that was sort of OK, as all vehicles had a single brake system, which had a large supply of brake fluid.
When the split brake system became standard on vehicles, that so to speak, made the system that your trailer has, obsolete.
The main reason being, that when the brakes were applied on the tow vehicle, the coupler required more fluid than the rear brake system on the tow vehicle had available. That meant when you had the coupler installed on the tow vehicle, you would have zero brakes on the tow vehicle because of the lack of adequate brake fluid.
You choices at this point, would be to install a new axle just like the one you have, equipped with electric brakes and new hub and drums.
Current style hub and drums will not fit your present axle, since the bearing sizes are very different.
Or, you can upgrade the trailer and use the suspension system that Airstream switched to with the
1961 models, which would be more expensive.
Andy