Bob La Londe
2024-03-10 17:47:38 UTC
I picked up a goose neck trailer a while back. I was told it was made
by a farm shop in Ca, and the SN/ID is a CA issued number.
One axle has brake. (No I didn't make a typo.) It has only one brake.
The other side has a standard spindle and hub. Atleast it has a flange
for mounting the shoe back plate. The other axle has no accommodation
for brakes at all.
I haven't really worried about it for local towing and relatively short
grades, but I'll be needing to haul a 3/4 to truck some 350 miles. Part
of it has some extended downhill grades. My truck is a 3/4 ton, 4x4,
wide tires, crew cab, anti-lock brakes. It stops really well, and it
will hold that trailer under normal conditions. Even with a load. I've
used it to haul my farm tractor (6800lbs give or take) over Telegraph
Pass with no issues. If I put the truck in tow haul mode it even seems
to engine brake on the grades despite having an automatic. I have to
say I am modestly impressed with that Allison transmission. ASnyway,
that's on familiar roads, in good conditions, with no surprises.
Traveling across the state through the mountains is another story. I'd
rather have some brakes on the trailer.
So... I decided to see what it would take to get a brake on the other
side, and get them wired up. I pulled the wheel and saw the drum was
labeled Hadco 412. I couldn't find that part anywhere. Not even on the
Hadco website. I went ahead and pulled the drum hub, to check the
bearings and see if I could figure it out from there and just install a
new pair.
The eTrailer website identified the bearings as being from a 5200lb
axle. Great. I only licensed the trailer for 10K anyway. I can't find
a direct replacement for that weight axle, drum brake hub, and bolt
pattern. 1.5 inch inner bearing ID. 0.938. 12x2 brake drum. (Pads
were much narrower at around 1-5/8). 5200lb axle (most likely)... and 5
on 5-1/2 bolt pattern. I can't find a drop in replacement.
I could go to a 6 on 5-1/2 hub, but for sanity sake I'd need to change
the idle axle hubs to match, and then buy or scrounge 5 new (to me) rims
(spare) for the trailer. That starts to push up the cost of the job.
I was already planning to buy five new load range E tires, but they
aren't as expensive as I thought they would be. Still this is turning
into a pretty steep hill to climb.
Wish me luck.
Oh, yeah. There is another option. Out back of the shop I have an old
travel trailer I was thinking about scavenging out anyway. Pull the
toilet and one of the holding tanks for another travel trailer. It has
two axles that look very similar, except it has a six lug bolt pattern.
The tires are garbage, but at least it has 4 rims. Doing a complete
dual axle swap sounds like a lot more work than I signed up for, but its
an option. Both axles have all electric brakes. The cost might be a
little hardware, 4 new seals (I would definitely repack those bearings),
a tub of grease, and probably two days of my time. Two days I do not
really have.
Nothing is ever easy.
by a farm shop in Ca, and the SN/ID is a CA issued number.
One axle has brake. (No I didn't make a typo.) It has only one brake.
The other side has a standard spindle and hub. Atleast it has a flange
for mounting the shoe back plate. The other axle has no accommodation
for brakes at all.
I haven't really worried about it for local towing and relatively short
grades, but I'll be needing to haul a 3/4 to truck some 350 miles. Part
of it has some extended downhill grades. My truck is a 3/4 ton, 4x4,
wide tires, crew cab, anti-lock brakes. It stops really well, and it
will hold that trailer under normal conditions. Even with a load. I've
used it to haul my farm tractor (6800lbs give or take) over Telegraph
Pass with no issues. If I put the truck in tow haul mode it even seems
to engine brake on the grades despite having an automatic. I have to
say I am modestly impressed with that Allison transmission. ASnyway,
that's on familiar roads, in good conditions, with no surprises.
Traveling across the state through the mountains is another story. I'd
rather have some brakes on the trailer.
So... I decided to see what it would take to get a brake on the other
side, and get them wired up. I pulled the wheel and saw the drum was
labeled Hadco 412. I couldn't find that part anywhere. Not even on the
Hadco website. I went ahead and pulled the drum hub, to check the
bearings and see if I could figure it out from there and just install a
new pair.
The eTrailer website identified the bearings as being from a 5200lb
axle. Great. I only licensed the trailer for 10K anyway. I can't find
a direct replacement for that weight axle, drum brake hub, and bolt
pattern. 1.5 inch inner bearing ID. 0.938. 12x2 brake drum. (Pads
were much narrower at around 1-5/8). 5200lb axle (most likely)... and 5
on 5-1/2 bolt pattern. I can't find a drop in replacement.
I could go to a 6 on 5-1/2 hub, but for sanity sake I'd need to change
the idle axle hubs to match, and then buy or scrounge 5 new (to me) rims
(spare) for the trailer. That starts to push up the cost of the job.
I was already planning to buy five new load range E tires, but they
aren't as expensive as I thought they would be. Still this is turning
into a pretty steep hill to climb.
Wish me luck.
Oh, yeah. There is another option. Out back of the shop I have an old
travel trailer I was thinking about scavenging out anyway. Pull the
toilet and one of the holding tanks for another travel trailer. It has
two axles that look very similar, except it has a six lug bolt pattern.
The tires are garbage, but at least it has 4 rims. Doing a complete
dual axle swap sounds like a lot more work than I signed up for, but its
an option. Both axles have all electric brakes. The cost might be a
little hardware, 4 new seals (I would definitely repack those bearings),
a tub of grease, and probably two days of my time. Two days I do not
really have.
Nothing is ever easy.
--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
--
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Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com