Brakes.....or lack of.

[freeofecho]

I am due to pick up my '58 overlander in the 15th of april. I have been reading the forums every day trying to learn as much as possible before I make the journey back home to San Diego with the trailer. I emailed the dealer and asked him about getting some sway bars and about the condition of the brakes. Below is his reply.

the trailer does have brakes however they are not
hooked up and in need of repair.We can sell you equalizer head and arm bars
for around $300

Ok, great. I assumed the trailer had brakes since it had been towed 400 miles to his location. How dangerous is this? Can I tow it from New Mexico to San Diego without brakes? What about sway bars? He mentions an equalizer head and arm bars for $300.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by freeofecho

I am due to pick up my '58 overlander in the 15th of april. I have been reading the forums every day trying to learn as much as possible before I make the journey back home to San Diego with the trailer. I emailed the dealer and asked him about getting some sway bars and about the condition of the brakes. Below is his reply.

the trailer does have brakes however they are not
hooked up and in need of repair.We can sell you equalizer head and arm bars
for around $300

Ok, great. I assumed the trailer had brakes since it had been towed 400 miles to his location. How dangerous is this? Can I tow it from New Mexico to San Diego without brakes? What about sway bars? He mentions an equalizer head and arm bars for $300.

Maybe you can give us more info?
What are you going to tow this 58 with?
Is the trailer going to be complete and loaded?
Do you have a brake controller?

You might ask the dealer to get the electric brakes and lights working on a standard 7-pin flat RV type vehicle connector. $ 300.00 for a standard weight distributing system is not cheap, but not a rip off either, in my opinion.
The whole thing really depends on what your tow vehicle is capable of.
I shlepped my 1963 Overlander home from Seattle without WD, without brakes. I tow with a Suburban 1500, and it went fine. I do not recommend it, however.

[dwightdi]

He did not say what brand W/d hitch he quoted for $300. It might be an ok deal but you have time to price around. The new twin Cam Reese/ Drawtite look very nice and sturdy. You can buy four new backing plates complete with shoes for less than $150 and they go on with only 4 bolts each. Might be worthwhile ordering them and taking them along. The drums are most likely ok.

[freeofecho]

I will be towing it with my 2001 Expedition. The trailer will be empty except for the normal interior stuff. I dont have a brake controller.

[Ohanastar]

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll love your Airstream! Just thought I'd share with you what we did locally. We live in Cardiff and right after picking up our '64 Tradewind outside of Julian, we went to "RV Specialists" on Carrol Road in San Diego. Our brakes were fine but we purchased a Reese hitch and sway bar set-up which they installed. The price was $391.00 plus $90.00 for installation. We knew it was steep but being brand-new to Airstreaming we were looking for someone who knew what he was doing to help us out. (They also did some other work for us.) They were very knowledgeable, willing to work on a vintage rig, and they took care of us quickly...which was great because I had 4 months of cleaning I had yet to accomplish! Good luck on your pick up!

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by freeofecho

I will be towing it with my 2001 Expedition. The trailer will be empty except for the normal interior stuff. I dont have a brake controller.

Where in NM are you getting the trailer? If you have to drive Flagstaff to Phoenix you have a couple of serious downhills...

[freeofecho]

The trailer is in Hatch New Mexico. I have never been out there and havent plotted the route yet.......Just how steep are those roads you speak of?

[freeofecho]

Ohanastar, nice to know that there is a place on Carrol road that is kind to vintage owners. I will have to check it out. Although I am looking forward to the adventure, only having to go as far as Julian would look pretty nice about now!

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by freeofecho

The trailer is in Hatch New Mexico. I have never been out there and havent plotted the route yet.......Just how steep are those roads you speak of?

Freeofecho,

From Hatch, NM to San Diego, CA is not too bad it is basically flat, a couple of grades in Arizona. I think that the worst grade will be I8 in San Diego County. An Overlander is a pretty long trailer and winds will affect it. I would consider having the brakes fixed. You can always put new backing plates on and run a wire directly underneath to the plug. I would hesitate to tow that far without brakes on at least one axle. We pulled our Liner, empty, from Tampa to So Cal with brakes on one axle, without problems.

Bill

[azflycaster]

If you are going from Hatch to San Diego, you will not be going through Phoenix . You will be on I-10 through Tucson and hills should not be a problem. Tucson has an Airstream dealer with a very good service department. Oasis RV is located just South of I-10 near the Tucson airport, just in case.

Flagstaff to Phoenix has several hills, most are not too bad, but just North of Phoenix (30 miles) is the Black Canyon City hill which still gives me white knuckles when I tow down it. It is steep and curvy. When I brought my Trade Wind home from Navajo Dam, NM I hit a storm just before that hill. I spent the next 1 1/2 hours in my trailer at a rest stop at the top of the hill waiting for the storm to pass. Glad to hear you will not be going that way.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

I would hesitate to tow that far without brakes on at least one axle.
Bill

Is this a one or two axle trailer. I have seen pictures of both from that era.

[freeofecho]

Good to know about the dealership in Tucson, I am sure I will stop in and see what they can do for me. Thanks everyone for letting me know the road condition between here and there. I am bringing my boyfriend along to do the driving so I am free to sit in the passenger seat and repeat my mantra......Slow down!, Watch out for that guy!, EEEK!....aparently I am a terrible passenger......so HE says!

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Is this a one or two axle trailer. I have seen pictures of both from that era.

az,

It really doesn't matter, if two axles, you need working brakes on at least one, if one axle you need working brakes on one.

Bill

[freeofecho]

AZ, it has two axles.
Photos have been uploaded to my profile.

[bryanl]

The issue isn't grades or hills, it is basic safety and compliance with state laws. Find a site like State Towing Laws (this seems to be offline or gone but surely there are other compendiums that you can find) to see the requirements. Usually it is when the trailer is 3000 lb or more that brakes are required.

$300 for a load leveling hitch is awfully high. For an Equal-i-zer brand that might be reasonable for used but for the typical Reese or EAZ Lift it seems way out of line.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Leipper

$300 for a load leveling hitch is awfully high. For an Equal-i-zer brand that might be reasonable for used but for the typical Reese or EAZ Lift it seems way out of line.

Not really.....
http://www.reese-hitches-online.com/...und_bar_wd.htm