Re: [A/S] Brakes on a '63 Safari

["Tuna" <rctowns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Have you checked the archives of this list, and the Vintage Airstream Club's
list at www.tompatterson.com ?

The quickest way to find out if the trailer has electric brakes is to look
underneath the trailer at the inside of the trailer's wheels (the opposite
side from where the hubcaps/lugnuts would be)... there will be a rubber
grommet with a pair of 14 or 16 gauge wires coming out of the backing plate.
These are the wires which connect to the tow vehicle's trailer-brake
controller, or to a battery/breakaway switch arrangement.

If your trailer has electric brakes, the quickest way to test if they're
functioning at all is to apply 12volts from a car battery *briefly* to each
pair of wires... if there's a clicking sound, that's the brakes being
actuated. If that's the case, then you can jack the trailer up off the
ground so that the wheel spins freely, then apply the 12volts to the wires,
and see if the brakes will stop the free spinning wheel. You don't want to
apply the full 12 volt battery current to the brakes for very long, though -
too much current.

If your wheels do not have electric brakes, it is not a big deal to have
them replaced with wheels/backing plates which do... any utility
trailer/horse trailer place could do the job in an hour or two. You'll need
a brake controller up in the tow vehicle, obviously.

If the tires are more than a few years old, even if they're not showing
wear, you'll want to replace them, too. "Load Range D" trailer or light
truck radials are going to provide the best ride, but most modern tires may
be too wide to fit into the wheel wells with adequate clearance - you
definitely want to take the whole trailer down to the tire place and have
them do the removal/replacement. They can grease the wheel bearings for you,
too.

If your trailer has the old-style leaf-spring suspension, it is possible
that the springs are worn, and should be replaced. You can have the
leaf-springs replaced, or, you could have the whole axle swapped out for a
torsion-bar axle as Airstream did with all their trailers after the early
'60's. A couple of years ago, I bought a complete torsion-bar axle with
wheels, electric brakes, and coil spring shocks for around $600, including
freight.

On single-axle trailers, the 'truck' (axle/wheels/suspension/frame-rails)
needs to be in top shape - you don't have the leeway that a tandem axle
provides in the event of a tire blowout.

Tuna
'48 Trailwind
Reno, NV