TT brakes in stop & go traffic.

[Cahriad]

Just got done with a trip that involved some city driving that had me sitting at stoplights and in stop and go traffic for long periods of time during rush hour.
Is there any issue with the electric trailer brakes overheating and creating problems when sitting with my foot on the brakes?

Thanks

[tmfaulksr]

Well the overheating from "riding the brakes" is similar for any vehicle. in my case my controller is reset to a less sensitive setting for those times so we do not experience jerking during continued move stop-move stop. as you stated, this is in severe slow-moving traffic.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Cahriad

Just got done with a trip that involved some city driving that had me sitting at stoplights and in stop and go traffic for long periods of time during rush hour.
Is there any issue with the electric trailer brakes overheating and creating problems when sitting with my foot on the brakes?

Thanks

You bring up a valid point,the elect.brake MFG say never use your "E Brake" by pulling the Pin for a "Parking Brake" so I would think with your "Foot on the Brake" would also Bring the Magnet into play,thus even though your stopped the Magnets are Building "HEAT"! The final answer is Above my Pay Grade! Youroo!!

[TheWolfPaq82]

Depending on your T.V., my 2014 GMC 2500HD has the "Hill Hold" or whatever they call it, that when I sit at a stop for a period of time, I can let my foot off the brake and the transmission will hold the vehicle in place. It's only when I press on the accelerator does it engage and I begin moving again. I've done it several times while towing and it is able to hold the vehicle and trailer in place while sitting at an incline...uphill and downhill.

[2Evil4U]

Typically, modern brake controllers reduce voltage to the brakes once they don't sense deceleration. Shouldn't be a problem.

[ben31]

Differential Brake Controllers actually let off most of the pressure as you are sitting still. Therefore, they shouldn't build up that much heat.

[larrytbm]

The magnets will be in full contact with the drum so any heat will dissipate thru the steel mass of the drum (assuming you haven't just come 10 miles riding the brakes down a mountain).

Factory brake controllers apply voltage based on force applied to the vehicle brake pedal, so at a stop minimal current will be flowing unless you like to sit at a light with your foot mashed to the floor.

The problem with the break away switch is not the magnets but the switch itself. The magnets can handle heat as described above but these cheap switches can't. The plastic housing will melt and deform and if it doesn't fail right away, it may not work at all when you really need it.

[rsdata]

I would think that unless you are on a hill, your X thousands of pounds that you are trying to pull will not let the TV move at all at idle... I usually let my foot off the brake when sitting in traffic... not too many hills in city traffic to worry about holding on the brake.

[jtesta1]

Ask that 80 thousand pound truck behind you if he disconnects his trailer brakes when he's behind you. Your trailer has brakes for a reason, if you hit me from behind and i find you didn't use your trailer brakes I'd sue the crap outta you.

[toslow]

Originally Posted by larrytbm

The magnets will be in full contact with the drum so any heat will dissipate thru the steel mass of the drum (assuming you haven't just come 10 miles riding the brakes down a mountain).

Factory brake controllers apply voltage based on force applied to the vehicle brake pedal, so at a stop minimal current will be flowing unless you like to sit at a light with your foot mashed to the floor.

The problem with the break away switch is not the magnets but the switch itself. The magnets can handle heat as described above but these cheap switches can't. The plastic housing will melt and deform and if it doesn't fail right away, it may not work at all when you really need it.

it's such low voltage that i really don't think that heat would be an issue from setting in traffic.

from the way i understand it, the brake shoes apply mostly from design. pulling from the way they apply from the drum turning on them and pushing them like a wedge

[babock]

Originally Posted by jtesta1

Ask that 80 thousand pound truck behind you if he disconnects his trailer brakes when he's behind you. Your trailer has brakes for a reason, if you hit me from behind and i find you didn't use your trailer brakes I'd sue the crap outta you.

Who said anything about disconnecting the trailer brakes?

[emm-dee]

Sorta related. If you’re planning to upgrade to disc brakes the only system that allows continuous brake application while stopped is the Titan. Other systems recommend against extended application, although they don’t say what extended is. It has to do with overheating the hydraulic pump and fluid.

[rmoore0852]

Originally Posted by 2Evil4U

Typically, modern brake controllers reduce voltage to the brakes once they don't sense deceleration. Shouldn't be a problem.

That's exactly what my Prodigy controller does. Higher voltage while stopping, once stopped it drops to 1-2 volts. The emergency breakaway switch applies the full 12-13 volts to the magnets. The heat in a brake system is caused by the friction of trying to stop a rotating wheel. Overheating is an issue on long downhills when trying to control speed. In stop and go, no heat is generated when sitting still. Then you let off the brakes and roll forward, again no heat generation. Then you stop, but the heat generated has lots of time to dissipate before you need to stop again. Driving in slow stop and go traffic is no big deal compared to what your brakes have to do every time you take a freeway exit ramp and have to slow down.

[babock]

Sitting at a light with 2V is only around 5 Watts assuming the magnet is 0.75 Ohm. It's nothing to worry about at all.

[Stormrider151]

If I'm just crawling in a traffic jam where I'm constantly having to brake I'll back off the gain some so the brakes are not working so hard. Once traffic clears I reset it to the original gain. I do the same on a rain slick road.

[babock]

My bet is the brakes don't get hot enough to matter.

[babock]

Let's say you are in traffic doing 5MPH to 0 stops. Compare that to one stop from 60MPH to 0. You can do 144 5MPH stops to generate the total amount of heat that one 60MPH stop does and you are doing the slower stops over time.

Not worth setting the gain down.