dcairns Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 I have never done any of this new fangled towing stuff, so I am trying to get my SS ready for towing a 20ft RV trailer. Looks like such things weigh around 5000 lbs. What is with the electronic brake controler? Do I still need one of those if I got the trailering option on my SS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 The SS does NOT come with an electronic trailer brake controller. Any trailer over a ton needs its own dedicated brakes, and in some states it is mandatory (AZ for example requires regular trailer brake inspections to get new tags). The 'towing package' just means GM bolted on a drop-hitch and tranny cooler. If your trailer has 'self-contained' braking then you do not have to add anything to your truck; by this I mean that there will be a master cylinder & piston mounted on the tongue of the trailer so that as you slow inertia exerts forward pressure on the tongue (from the trailer) and activates the piston and the trailer's hydraulic braking system. This is not an elegant system but it works and you see it a lot on rental trailers. It also has the problem of locking up the wheels when you are attempting to back the trailer up an incline. If the trailer is manufactured with electric brakes then you will have to install an electric brake controller, basically a pressure switch tapped into the hydraulic lines of the SS brake system. It in turn sends current to the trailer in proportion to the hydraulic force you are applying. Electric brakes can be 'trimmed', you can adjust the rate of attack that the trailer brakes engage (vs. pedal pressure) as well as the 'cut-in point'. If you are not savy working on brakes you purchase the controller and installation service from a trailer dealer, many throw such in as an add-on item in the sale of the trailer. Your trailer shounds heavy enough (and I assume long enough wheelbase too) that you will not need sway control bars; this also depends on the tongue length as well. But sway control bars are always a help. And never tow a fifth-wheel with an SS, doing so will damage your truck (according to owners manual). Mr. P. Edit - don't forget that the ass-end of an SS is softly sprung; you want 12-15% of the trailer's weight on the ball, so you are going to put about 600-800 lbs on the truck's hitch, if not a bit more - and I'm pretty sure that will bottom the rear of the frame firmly on its little rubber snubbers... you *might* need air bags or helper leafs or ??? Just check before you hit the open road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithl3 Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 Dave, I just put on a Teconsha Envoy right on the bottom of the drivers side dash. It's black and has a dial controller right in front for quick adjustment. Pretty nice unit I think for 50 bucks off of ebay. Good luck with whatever you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted April 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 Looked at Tekonsha's website and got some more info. Looks like the one you have uses the brake light wire to arm and uses an inertial system to apply proportional braking force on the trailer. Sounds pretty slick. And no need to tap into the SS’s hydraulic system. Although I would guess that working off the hydraulic tap gives the best results, since it is reading exactly what you are commanding the truck brakes to do, rather than guessing. I already have airbags under consideration to keep things level. Air Bags for Load Leveling I will have to look into those stabilizers and see what is involved there. I am planning on renting the trailer near the destination, so I won’t be towing it cross country. Towing from So Cal to Glacier National Park would get a bit expensive from the MPG perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmsss Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 just go to your local chevy dealer, purchase a harness for the electric brake controller. It plugs into the junction box under the dash. Very simple. Need to buy brake controller seperate. Technosha is what I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigW Posted May 13, 2005 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 just go to your local chevy dealer, purchase a harness for the electric brake controller. It plugs into the junction box under the dash. Very simple. Need to buy brake controller seperate. Technosha is what I have. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> except I have the DrawTite electirc brake controller you can adjust braking from the drivers seat with a slider for more or less braking. I tow a 27 foot trailer weighing 5700lbs about 500-600 lbs tongue weight full. It does bottom out the springs, tows it very nice. But if your going to do alot off towing then I would recommend a load distibuting hitch setup you wont need bags with this unless the trailer is ungodly huge but remember out tow rating is 7800 lbs with towing pkg from dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peerson Posted May 13, 2005 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 When my truck was delivered, they brought a harness for the electric brake controller with it. I haven't needed to pull anything with it yet. I guess that all I have to do is find out where to plug it in to the truck's wiring and the back of a controller? I haven't even looked, yet. Are the electrical connections on controllers all the same? Or will I need to buy an adapter to fit the unit? T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigW Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 The harness will have wires that need to be hooked up to the brake controller most controllers have instructions to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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