chucksmartt
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Post by chucksmartt on Dec 26, 2014 18:08:26 GMT -8
I have a '56 Shasta that I'm in the middle of 'restomoding' ie it's not going to be original. Hope I don't get too much flak for that. But the question I can't get an answer to is, Are the brakes 6 or 12 volt??? They klank real good when I hook up a 12 volt battery to them and the wires on them look like 8 guage. I know that cars were converting to 12 volt somewhere in this time frame. Some have suggested hooking the two sides in series instead of parallel. When I figure out how to post a picture on this site, I will. Any ideas?
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Dec 26, 2014 19:25:06 GMT -8
It makes no difference, besides they are not 6V or 12V, because they are just magnets, and they work by the variable current that you apply from the controller.
There is old 6V and 12V "brake controller's", as well as hydraulic, but that is a whole different subject.
Just use a modern proportional controller, they are less than $100.
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Post by bigbill on Dec 27, 2014 5:24:08 GMT -8
John is right, back in the day you used a coil resistor that usually mounted on the front inner fender then you hooked the brake wire to the place that worked the best for your rig. In today's world you just mount a modern controller in the vehicle and dial in the brake performance you need. Hydraulic controllers are no longer used as they don't agree with modern anti lock brake systems plus they are much more difficult to install as the brake system had to have a T installed in the brake line then a line ran from the T to the controller, allowing for line failure if not properly installed. Once installed your only adjustment was spring tension on the brake handle (controlled by a little screw knob) making the brake pressure have more or less effect on the trailer brakes. The modern electronic control is the best thing that ever happened to trailer brakes.
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chucksmartt
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Post by chucksmartt on Dec 27, 2014 11:18:25 GMT -8
Thank you for shedding some light on my brake quagmire. Good info, again thank you so much.
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