Brake controller

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Michael Wood

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I need to put a brake controller on my 88' R30 and wondered if any of them came prewired for them that long ago.
I know a lot of the newer trucks come wired for them but didn't think the older ones did and don't know when they started doing it.

Never put one on before and wondered how hard it is.

Didn't find much searching on here about it.
 

HotRodPC

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It's easy. You have like 3 or 4 wires. Just buy one and follow the simple instructions and be done. You'll have to get the inertia type now since I'm fairly certain the type that you tap into your master cylinder were outlawed due to causing brake failure when they sprung a leak and emptied the master cylinder. The intertia type are not hard to install at all and also much smaller and take up alot less room.
 
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HotRodPC

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Here's a couple different ones. You don't have to break the bank and go high dollar. Some are digital and a bit more. Just a basic controller will be about $25-$30, then you have to buy some wire to reach your trailer plug at the back of the vehicle. I'd get one for 1-2 axles and make sure it has a manual trailer control without having to touch your brake pedal.

Reason you want the manual trailer control is in the event you're in high wind or going down hill, or for whatever reason the trailer starts fishtailing and you turn the combo into a snake, then you damn sure don't want to slow the towing vehicle down but you do want to slow the trailer. So you just apply the manual trailer brake and give the towing vehicle some throttle and drive out of it til it's safe again.
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https://www.walmart.com/ip/Reese-To...spUiTEJQHhG8AsBumKHJNsWBcq_68NfxoCUagQAvD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/CURT-51110-V...lectric+brake+con,aps,1419&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
 

Michael Wood

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I don't REALLY need one, the truck has more than enough brakes for what I need but I have to rent a small tractor with a bucket at Home Depot and they require you to have trailer brakes.

I have to go about 3 miles towing this across my small town and think it's silly but their rules are their rules...ugh.
 

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I don't REALLY need one, the truck has more than enough brakes for what I need but I have to rent a small tractor with a bucket at Home Depot and they require you to have trailer brakes.

I have to go about 3 miles towing this across my small town and think it's silly but their rules are their rules...ugh.

Well, it's not really silly. Not everyone is just going 3 miles and they're concerned about liability. If they were smart and that concerned about it, like U haul, they don't require an electric trailer brake set up. Their trailers have surge brakes built into the tongue so as you slow down it's applying the trailer brakes. But NO, our squares were never pre wired for trailer brake controllers.
 

Frankenchevy

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Some rental places won’t even let the tow vehicle be over a certain age no matter the tow capacity.
 

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Some rental places won’t even let the tow vehicle be over a certain age no matter the tow capacity.
That's why you call first with a fake name and phone # and ask questions. If they say No, then you call back and make reservations and tell then you're towing something that is they claim safe for their trailer, like a Ford Escape. Gotta even be careful saying something like Honda Civi, if they feel you'll damage the oil pan loading it, they won't allow the rental.
 

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What this guy could so, is buy the controler, hook it up to a power wire under the dash so the little red light comes on and they'd probably call it good. Do you really think them just over minimum wage employees give a rats ass to check to see if it's really hooked up and functional?
 

Frankenchevy

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That's why you call first with a fake name and phone # and ask questions. If they say No, then you call back and make reservations and tell then you're towing something that is they claim safe for their trailer, like a Ford Escape. Gotta even be careful saying something like Honda Civi, if they feel you'll damage the oil pan loading it, they won't allow the rental.
I meant renting something silly like a 7” chipper. I went somewhere 6 or 7 years ago in my square, which is a one ton mind you, and their policy didn’t allow me to tow it with anything more than 20 or 25 years old. I went elsewhere.
 

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I meant renting something silly like a 7” chipper. I went somewhere 6 or 7 years ago in my square, which is a one ton mind you, and their policy didn’t allow me to tow it with anything more than 20 or 25 years old. I went elsewhere.
That's ********.
 

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Michael Wood

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Thanks people. I ordered one so I can install it in a coupe days when it gets here.
 

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That's why you call first with a fake name and phone # and ask questions. If they say No, then you call back and make reservations and tell then you're towing something that is they claim safe for their trailer, like a Ford Escape. Gotta even be careful saying something like Honda Civi, if they feel you'll damage the oil pan loading it, they won't allow the rental.

In Mean Green, back in '98 I rented a man lift that weighed 10,000 pounds. They didn't even question it. The truck had the single master cylinder, drum brakes, but it hauled it just fine. Stopping, I had to allow extra room and I wasn't going over 50-55 mph the whole way home and also to return it. Had a big tree that needed pruning and I tried climbing it first and said no freaking way. The lowest branches were 15 feet off the ground, and it stretched almost as high as that lift would go. Filled the backyard, except where the lift was, with branches to about 6 feet high. Got a cord of wood from the branches.

In '03-'04 I went to U-Haul to rent a car dolly to tow my Cherokee. Not even a trailer, just the dolly. They wouldn't rent it to me because of the bumper. The same bumper that hauled that heavy man lift without issue, the bumper that grandpa welded to the frame and is also bolted. No go.

About a year later I was helping my brother stab an engine in his Blazer. We used Mean Green to get the engine hoist. They wouldn't rent it with a split ball installed. I told them about hauling the 10,000 pound man lift with the same setup, but they made me buy a ball and install it right there.

When I was looking into buying that '66 from ******** Tom Craigslist up in Elk Grove, the guy that backed out on me while I was waiting for funds to hit my account, I was calling around to figure out how to tow that truck home. I discovered that the tow vehicle has to be a heavier duty rig than the vehicle being towed. I had a 3/4 ton, and the truck I was trying to buy was also 3/4 ton. No go. I'd have to rent one of their moving trucks to tow it. I was going to to lie when I drove up to rent the trailer. Luckily DH Tom backed out and I found a '65 locally.

Having this past knowledge under my belt, when I got married in 2017 and had to tow her car home with us, knowing Crusty Biscuit having a bolt-on bumper and no Class III hitch, we took her dad's truck to get the dolly, and I had to wire up the trailer wiring plug into my system. Towed that car home without issue. Bumper didn't fall off, nothing happened. When I took it back to U-Haul I used my jeep because it has a hitch on it and I didn't want to get questioned about it.

I understand the liability part, but it is a pain. And for @Frankenchevy to go in with 1 ton and they wouldn't let his rig tow a chipper, that's ridiculous.
 

Michael Wood

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I think a lot of it has to do with regulating stupidity.

People have no common sense anymore and don't adjust speed and account for stopping distances so they have to make sure they account for most of the variables when your towing something.
And with no personal responsibility acceptance and everybody wanting to sue somebody they have to cover their own butts.
Somebody towing a 10,000 lb. something with their Jeep Wrangler and gets into an accident they would blame everyone but themselves.

They would Sue the company that rented them the equipment, the people that they hit, the property owners who's tree jumped in front of them ect...ect...

I understand but on the other hand it's just annoying for me when I try to rent something. I have been pulling trailers for 40 years and everything from a 4x8 harbor freight trailer,
to triples in my tractor trailer across country.
 

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