Greetings Chitown AirStreamers!
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Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers
We'll be putting an electric brake on our new tow vehicle - our question , do I need to do anything to the AS? Does the AS already have brakes from the factory?( Hope this doesn't sound stupid) or do we need to upgrade something on the AS? Thanks- still newbies!!
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If my memory is correct, your coach is a mid-1960s which means that it has at least one axle with electric brakes (my '64 Overlander originally only had electric brakes on one of its two axles). While your coach likely has factory electric brakes, you may find them to be inoperable for any number of reasons - - wiring, magnets, shoes/springs related hardware, etc. You may find that the trailer connector wiring will need adjustment to match that used in your tow vehicle (likely the current industry standard) since Airstream used its own unique wiring schematic for the connector plug in the 1960s.
One thing that you might want to check for is a "variable-resistor" on the tongue of the trailer. This was a device used with early hydraulic brake controllers and was usually mounted on the tow vehicle - - for some reason, my '64 Overlander had one on the tongue and this signficantly reduced the effectiveness of the brakes with the modern electronic controller in my tow vehicle - - once this "variable resistor" was removed from the wiring the brakes were much more effective.
Good luck with your brake setup!
Kevin