Kaulike,
I'm glad you looked at the DMV you don't want to put yourself in a situation that would make you automatically negligent if something unexpected were to happen. What do you intend to use as a tow vehicle after you get your new baby home? If for some reason you decide to throw caution to the wind look carefully at your route. Elevation change and hills will heat the brakes up quite a bit and not being the owner who would know the condition of truck you are borrowing makes it a greater risk.
Be Safe and Good Luck
__________________ AZstreamin goin' where the weather suits my clothes....
Not that I'm aware of. A 3/4 ton truck will do OK to get it home but go slow and leave extra room. If you wreck, you're at fault if the state laws apply. I would do it but not on anything larger than that or farther than that. Take the terrain into consideration too...If you need to descend, use low gears, not just the brakes.
Only one answer, spend $100 and get a brake controller. If the F250 is not too old there is already a wire harness that the controller can be plugged into without cutting or splicing if you use an adapter which is about $15. Prodigy makes a truck specific adapter for the F250. Installation is about 10 minutes. The controller can be easily removed after the tow job.
Also, besides your own safety, herrgirder is right, the liability if something goes wrong could be disasterous.
John
SOLD to the gent on the left! First stop tomorrow will be at an auto parts or RV shop to find one of these. I do have some mountainous terrain to deal with, and besides being legal I really want to be safe. Thanks!
To answer other q's, we are bringing it home to gut it, make it weathertight, and then will rent a truck again to tow it out to our property, where it will sit for at least a year as office/campsite while we build our dream house. Then another while longer until I build my dream garage/barn. Then we start the serious restoration on the Overlander, and only after that will we start looking for the right tow vehicle. Might be that long before we can afford to go traveling anyway!
SOLD to the gent on the left! First stop tomorrow will be at an auto parts or RV shop to find one of these. I do have some mountainous terrain to deal with, and besides being legal I really want to be safe. Thanks!
To answer other q's, we are bringing it home to gut it, make it weathertight, and then will rent a truck again to tow it out to our property, where it will sit for at least a year as office/campsite while we build our dream house. Then another while longer until I build my dream garage/barn. Then we start the serious restoration on the Overlander, and only after that will we start looking for the right tow vehicle. Might be that long before we can afford to go traveling anyway!
Thanks again for all the advice!
In other words, don't expect to hear from you again for a long time. We all dash out for our dreams. Good luck with your house and shop. Wire the hell out of the shop and don't forget the 30/50 amp service on the side so you can work on the Airstream close to the tools. Insulate the shop and don't paint the floor. Good luck.
If you are referring to the brake controller which tapped into the hydraulic system, the period is in the 1970's. I purchased one for my PowerWagon in about 1974.
No. Those controllers were widely used into the 90's I think. Simple hydraulic activated and powered rheostats feeding battery to the trailer brakes. Had one on my '81 burb, for instance.
What I was referring to was a system with no controller at all as described in an earlier post. This system had a tap on the hydraulic brake lines in the tow vehicle. You'd run a flexible hydraulic line from that to a secondary master cylinder on the trailer mounted near the jack post. It usually had a handle to set and release the 'parking' brake as well as a chain for the breakaway function. It faded out of use about the same time as they started using dual hydraulic systems in vehicles as a redundant safety feature, I think. Every now and then you'll hear from someone buying a vintage 60's A/S that encounters one and doesn't know what to do with it or what it is.
And Randy, I think you'll find even the Jordan uses the brake light switch.
Bryan,
If we are talking about the 2020 Ultima, there is no brake light switch wire. There actually is an older 2100 actuater still produced that I forgot about but gets no airtime because it is the same as any other time based unit. They are installed by 5 and dime dealers and I have never even thought about carrying them in the last 5 years but they are out there. They were Jordan's worst nightmare but they were cheap to buy (and for what it worth, the smallest brake controller in the world) The 2020 Ultima that I was referring to does not use the brake light switch. I promise friend, it uses a stainless steel cable instead. I was thinking top line units and forgot about the ole 2100. We only sold the 2020 Ultima.
I love to talk controllers when I have the time, I almost bought the company.
I think that the new disk brakes have presented problems with some controllers. From what I remember I think the issue was related to too much gain. I've not spoken to anyone using the Jordan and the disks to know how it faired when Airstream made this change.
Jack
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Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.
'03 GMC Savana 2500
'08 Vespa GTS 250
What are the opinions on the somewhat older Tekonsha models like the Voyager or Envoy? I can easily get a Ford harnessed version to fit my 97 F250.
Is there a difference worth the extra money to get a Prodigy?
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Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
The problem with the new disc brake systems is probably that the pumps on them detect voltage while most brake controllers are used to supplying current. The better controllers also provided a pulsing current which the hydraulic pumps do not like.
The Voyager and Envoy are, I think, in essence just dumber versions of the Prodigy.
What are the opinions on the somewhat older Tekonsha models like the Voyager or Envoy? I can easily get a Ford harnessed version to fit my 97 F250.
Is there a difference worth the extra money to get a Prodigy?
Alan,
I have had both and much prefer the Prodigy
Aaron
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....so many Airstreams....so little time...
WBCCI #2449 AIR #2495
Why are we in this basket...and where are we going
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....and don't paint the floor.
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