1972 27' air stream

[im4texas]

Hello
My two daughters just purchased a 1972 27ft air stream. They are pulling it with a chev tahoe. They went to a hitch comany and got a hitch and a brake controller installed. The controller is a draw-tite Activator III Electronic Brake Controller. Now that they got it home the manuals talk about the Kelsey-Hayes controler and the resistors. What needs to be done to make this thing work??
Thanks

[desertair27]

Congrats on your new purchase.I'm surprised you haven't had any responses to your question.
I think the Kelsey Hayes controller was the recommended controller of choice back in the day.i would if you haven't already use the search tab and read up on your new brake controller and your brake actuator on the trailer.
Good luck and I'm sure the experts will chime in shortly.
Mike

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[tphan]

So when the trailer is plugged into the Tahoe, do any of the lights on the trailer work? Did you follow the set-up instructions that came with the new controller? How can you tell the trailer brakes are not working? Need more info...

[bhayden]

Kelsey Hayes was the standard back in the day. My parents had one installed on our '72 Pontiac Safari wagon for towing the horse trailer. There was a variable resistor under the hood. It had a big wing nut and the contact between two wound resistors could slide back and forth. One position it basically shorted straight across (zero resistance, max braking) and the other direction the current would have to flow all the way through both (max resistance, almost no electric assist). The idea was you balanced the amount of braking for the load/rig.

So much for the history lesson. Modern electronic controllers do this with various degrees of magic. I agree, start a thread titled set-up of electronic brake controller. On ours you just turn a knob and it gives you a digital read out of a number [more history, on the Kelsey Hayes there was also a knob you turn on the brake controller inside the car that determined how soon in the throw of the brake pedal the electric brakes engaged]. If you have the manual (or look on line) you should be able to see what the adjustments are. Some are so sophisticated they work it all out on their own.