Brake Controller for camper

[lois35]

hello,

Where do you guys mount the brake controller for the electric brakes on the Aspen Camper. Do you mount it on the tongue of the camper or on your bikes. Any information would be appreciated. what brand controller do you guys have.

Thanks, Lois

[Roadster Renovations]

hello,

Where do you guys mount the brake controller for the electric brakes on the Aspen Camper. Do you mount it on the tongue of the camper or on your bikes. Any information would be appreciated. what brand controller do you guys have.

Thanks, Lois

I have been thinking about building a trailer that we could tow with our Daytona. The trailer I have in mind will need electric brakes so I am very interested in hearing responses about this....

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

hello,

Where do you guys mount the brake controller for the electric brakes on the Aspen Camper. Do you mount it on the tongue of the camper or on your bikes. Any information would be appreciated. what brand controller do you guys have.

Thanks, Lois

I don't recall anyone on here discussing using electric brakes on motorcycle trailers. Your best bet would be to contact the trailer manufacturer, but it looks like you can also find some good info on etrailers.com. Interestingly, here is a comment on the etrailers.com site near the bottom of this page. https://www.etrailer.com/question-32907.html.

One thing we need to mention here is that Dexter Axle does not recommend using trailer brakes on trailers towed by motorcycles. This is because it can be very difficult to control the motorcycle and trailer if there is the slightest imbalance in the trailer braking setup. This condition can be magnified on a Torflex axle with a light motorcycle trailer because the magnets angled position can cause spontaneous activation when jounced sufficiently.

Dexter is the axle supplier Aspen uses. The fact that Dexter offers electric brakes, and Aspen has them as an option, but that Aspen neither sells a brake controller nor lists recommended controllers on their web site, should give you serious pause about using them.

Here is another discussion about the dangers of using electric brakes on motorcycle trailers. http://pbmotorcycletrailer.com/pull-...-not-use-them/.

My thinking is that as long as you stay within the specified towing weight limit of 400#, and ride carefully, you don't need or want electric brakes on a trailer pulled by a motorcycle. I will acknowledge though, that it would be less problematic with a Spyder than a two wheeler.

[loisk]

Our camper has Hydraulic brakes - not electric. As I slow down, thing on drawbar compresses and hydraulic pressure applies to activate camper brakes. Works seamlessly. Stops camper wanting to 'push' spyder eg when braking down a hill. No wiring.

If it works for one Lois, it'll work for another Lois, Lois.
Cheers.

[easysuper]

Most of the info on pulling trailers with motorcycles and electric brakes are talking about TWO WHEELS and not Trikes. I pull an Aspen knockoff and weigh in fully loaded with campfire wood at 430 pounds. I don't have electric brakes but there have been a few times when they may have been nice to have. Like Blueknight has said many times , it's not the pulling but the stopping that is the problem with trailers. I have pulled mine with a 998 and now with the triple over 50,000 miles and have come to the conclusion that the brakes might be a nice feature but I don't think I NEED them.
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[UtahPete]

Most of the info on pulling trailers with motorcycles and electric brakes are talking about TWO WHEELS and not Trikes. I pull an Aspen knockoff and weigh in fully loaded with campfire wood at 430 pounds. I don't have electric brakes but there have been a few times when they may have been nice to have. Like Blueknight has said many times , it's not the pulling but the stopping that is the problem with trailers. I have pulled mine with a 998 and now with the triple over 50,000 miles and have come to the conclusion that the brakes might be a nice feature but I don't think I NEED them.

Maybe that's why the Spyder trailers are so expensive; I was told they have electric brakes that work in conjunction with the Spyder's VSS.

How do you know how much your loaded trailer weighs? Do you have a reliable way to measure this?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Maybe that's why the Spyder trailers are so expensive; I was told they have electric brakes that work in conjunction with the Spyder's VSS.

How do you know how much your loaded trailer weighs? Do you have a reliable way to measure this?

I have not heard that BRP trailer has BRAKES ..... and I'm SURE they DON'T ..... I was an LEO for 36 + years and saw the After-math of veh's pulling trailers that have ... JACK - KNIFED ....the results were often DISASTEROUS .... lot's of folks here say they have pulled their OVER_LOADED trailers 1000's of miles with No issues ... and I think they were LUCKY ... Trust me - you do not want to JACK-KNIFE a Spyder/trailer combo ..... Remember you are not in a CAGE veh....and are very likely to be thrown OFF your Spyder .......I'm not GUESSING on this !!! ..... I was an Accident Investigation Expert ..... ride safe - ride happy ....... Mike

[UtahPete]

I have not heard that BRP trailer has BRAKES ..... and I'm SURE they DON'T ..... I was an LEO for 36 + years and saw the aftermath of veh's pulling trailers that have ... JACK - KNIFED ....the results were often DISASTEROUS .... lot's of folks here say they have pulled their OVER_LOADED trailers 1000's of miles with No issues ... and I think they were LUCKY ...

I agree. That's why I was asking how they knew the weight of their loaded trailers. There are 3 points of suspension that have to be weighed; each wheel and the tongue. The tongue weight also needs to be approx 15% of the total trailer weight. The tow rating provided by BRP is based on a number of factors, including the ability of the Spyder's brakes to handle the additional load.

[easysuper]

I have not heard that BRP trailer has BRAKES ..... and I'm SURE they DON'T ..... I was an LEO for 36 + years and saw the After-math of veh's pulling trailers that have ... JACK - KNIFED ....the results were often DISASTEROUS .... lot's of folks here say they have pulled their OVER_LOADED trailers 1000's of miles with No issues ... and I think they were LUCKEY ... Trust me - you do not want to JACK-KNIFE a Spyder/trailer combo ..... Remember you are not in a CAGE veh....and are very likely to be thrown OFF your Spyder .......I'm not GUESSING on this !!! ..... I was an Accident Investigation Expert ..... ride safe - ride happy ....... Mike

I think that avoiding accidents is not just "LUCKY" but has a lot to do with one's driving and towing ability while driving a car, truck or motorcycle. I have pulled trailers of ALL kinds, including stock trailers, 42' fifth wheel, and even tandem and I have NEVER relied on LUCK to avoid accidents. I think relying on electric brakes on a motorcycle trailer to keep me out of trouble just may not be a good idea, but that's just me. When one chooses to pull a trailer with a motorcycle or a car for that mater, they just need to remember that there is a new set of rules to drive by, speed and distance is a big part of it. When we talk about being overloaded then you are relying on LUCK and that's never a good idea, at 430 pounds and the tongue weight at 40 I don't feel that's over weight but some may think so. In my opinion ANY accident on a motorcycle can be disastrous.

[easysuper]

Maybe that's why the Spyder trailers are so expensive; I was told they have electric brakes that work in conjunction with the Spyder's VSS.

How do you know how much your loaded trailer weighs? Do you have a reliable way to measure this?

My tongue weight is easy with a scale I have at home in the garage and the trailer total weight is done at a scale about 5 miles from my house where I can drop my trailer and get a digital readout.

[UtahPete]

Question:
Im going to be pulling a small pop-up tent trailer with my 2012 Heritage Softail Classic Harley Davidson motorcycle. What is the best brake controller set up to use for the electric brakes on the Dexter axle of the trailer? The trailer is an Aspen Sentry made by Trailmaster.

Expert Reply:

I spoke with Aspen trailer to get some details for you, they recommend a time delayed brake controller for their trailers with electric brakes. The representative there said that many of their customers have excellent performance from the Activator IV electric trailer brake controller by Draw-Tite, # 5504.

I also inquired about the connector on the Aspen Sentry trailer with electric brakes. You should have a standard 6-Way round connector, like part # PK11604, but it will be wired a bit differently. The Aspen Sentry trailer has separate brake and turn signal circuits, so you will need to use a circuit tester and determine the correct wiring configuration for the 6-Way vehicle side connector, # PK11609. You will have a ground wire, a left turn signal wire, a right turn signal wire, a brake light wire, a electric brake output wire, and a taillight wire, using all 6 pins in the 6-Way connector. Just make sure the motorcycle connector is wired the same as the trailer connector.





The trailer itself is 350# unloaded, with a 40# tongue weight, so it's within the towing specs for the Spyder, meaning you probably don't need to use the electric brakes on the trailer. But if you want to, then it looks like you're also going to have to rewire the tow vehicle to accommodate the extra wire needed to activate the brakes.

[Fatcycledaddy]

I have a bunkhouse camper i installed electric brakes on many years ago. I towed it with my Yamaha venture royal for about 50,000 miles with no problem, now about 18,000 miles with the spyder. I use a prodigy rf controller that mounts to the tongue and had a remote that plugs into a 12 volt outlet to adjust the brakes.
I always adjust then so that I can't feel them when they engage but I also can't feel the trailer pushing me.
If adjusted correctly you will never feel any adverse pull on the bike side to side or otherwise.

[Copperman]

Maybe that's why the Spyder trailers are so expensive; I was told they have electric brakes that work in conjunction with the Spyder's VSS.

My wife and I both have the RT622 trailer and they do not have electric brakes.

[UtahPete]

My wife and I both have the RT622 trailer and they do not have electric brakes.

Thanks. I must have misunderstood the salesman's explanation.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Our camper has Hydraulic brakes - not electric. As I slow down, thing on drawbar compresses and hydraulic pressure applies to activate camper brakes. Works seamlessly. Stops camper wanting to 'push' spyder eg when braking down a hill. No wiring.

U-Haul uses them on their heavier trailers so pickups and trucks not equipped with electric brake controllers can pull them.

Many years ago, maybe 40, I was playing around with this exact concept for trailer braking. But I did not have a trailer and the complexity of a sturdy tongue design that would move as needed was more than I wanted to mess with. Plus I had other things in life to worry about. The past few years I've often wondered if I squandered away an opportunity that could have made me rich!

[WA5VHU]

The brake controller in our Roll-a-Home was factory mounted out of the weather inside the trailer in the "basement" near the right rear corner. The previous owner towed it with a Goldwing and used the brakes and said they worked fine. I have not connected the brakes to our Spyder yet, we have towed the camper a few times with no difficulties stopping. So far...

You might want to look over at http://www.motocampers.com/ as they are a forum dedicated to cargo and camper trailers towed by motorcycles.

[Peter Aawen]

Maybe that's why the Spyder trailers are so expensive; I was told they have electric brakes that work in conjunction with the Spyder's VSS.....

On the V-twin's with trailer mode, selecting trailer mode changes the braking & gearchange mapping, enforcing the necessary engine revs to keep the centrifugal clutch locked up before changing & adding greater rear brake bias to help improve the loaded/towing braking capabilities AND adjusting the way the VSS responds to some inputs, all aimed at improving the ability of these Spyders to tow safely!!

The 1330 powered Spyders didn't have the centrifugal clutch, getting the 'electic over oil pressure governed hydraulic' clutch instead, & so had no need to change the gear change mapping in the manner that the V-twins enjoyed, & that, along with the extra weight & low rev torque that came with the bigger motor improved their towing safety anyway, so the rest went by the by, probably to a small overall detriment to the Spyder's towing ability, but certainly making them somewhat cheaper & simpler to make/run & definitely not harming its overall economy! But none of this ever had anything to do with the cost of the trailers' manufacture or necessitating the inclusion of electric brakes on the trailers.

[harry1025]

i use a hand held suitcase scale for tongue weight go to truck stop or public scale to weight empty then loaded adjust from there little money involved and time but better safe than sorry when done list whats in the trailer and use this list for future trips

[MisterP]

Our camper has Hydraulic brakes - not electric. As I slow down, thing on drawbar compresses and hydraulic pressure applies to activate camper brakes. Works seamlessly. Stops camper wanting to 'push' spyder eg when braking down a hill. No wiring.

If it works for one Lois, it'll work for another Lois, Lois.
Cheers.

FYI this is commonly called a surge brake and very common on boat trailers below a certain weight. If you have one change the brake fluid regularly as it collects moisture and can corrode.