Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

[DaveJ50]

My new boat is to arrive in about a week and since it is the wet season I can no longer turn around in the back yard and pull down the driveway before backing into the garage.

I have been using my mower (2500 lb 4x4 rear steer JD) to pull my boat up the hill and because of the rear wheel steer, I can turn the boat around at the top and just pull down the driveway and then back uphill into the garage.

This trailer will have surge brakes (Package weight about 2450) and I have a couple of questions.

After I am turned and heading downhill will the surge brakes activate and stay on even after I have stopped the mower or will the actuator release.

Would it be possible to purchase a 5 pin connector and wire it to a cigerette lighter plug so I could defeat the surge brakes when I am ready to back?

I know I could defeat the system before starting but it might be nice to have the brakes just in case things don't go well.

Thanks

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

Surge brakes are mechanical and usually have a lockout pin......the true question is how far down the hill is the boat going to push that mower?

Why not get a front hitch for your tow rig which has the weight and power.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

You shoul dbe able to wire a plug on your mower with a switch to activate the brake lockout.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

The surge brake coupler has no idea if you are on a hill or decelerating. The coupler is responding to a force be it gravity(hill) or decelerating (because the tow vehicle is braking).

In your scenario, it looks like you are pulling up a hill, going down a hill(want the brakes to work) and then backing up a hill into your garage(don't want the brakes to work. When you get to the bottom of your hill, your brakes will be engaged so the problem with the brake lockout is that you will also lock the brake pressure. Some brake lockouts do have a third path that vents the brake line between the valve and the brakes back to the master cylinder. If your valve is like that, then you don't have a problem. If you don't have that type of valve, you need to somehow get the coupler to its neutral state and then energize the valve before you back up to the garage.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

Would it be possible to purchase a 5 pin connector and wire it to a cigerette lighter plug so I could defeat the surge brakes when I am ready to back?


Thanks

Wow you have a cig lighter plug on your lawn mower?

If you talking about an adapter to the truck (7 to 5) then yes they are available at most trailer places.

 

[cribber]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

If your surge brakes are electrical you can absolutely bypass them with your tractor by supplying the correct voltage through an adapter. If they're mechanical you should have a means of locking them out for backing on the tongue near the brake fluid reservoir.

 

[seaboo]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

Yes --there should be either a mechanical lock out (a pin you insert) and/or the coupler might have an electric reverse solenoid lockout (my coupler only has the mechanical lockout, although I could buy a selnoid kit for it).


"After I am turned and heading downhill will the surge brakes activate and stay on even after I have stopped the mower or will the actuator release."

Yes they will activate in this scenario and as LONG as the boat weight is "pushing" on the tractor they will stay on (provided the coupler is working as it should). Now in this scenario you could chock the trailer wheels, inch the tractor forward (to "deweight" the coupler, and the brakes would release).

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

Not all couplers have a lockout pin or lever but it is not hard to come up with a way to lock it out. Can be as simple as drilling a hole and dropping in your own pin.

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

When you get to the bottom of your hill, your brakes will be engaged so the problem with the brake lockout is that you will also lock the brake pressure.

Yes they will activate in this scenario and as LONG as the boat weight is "pushing" on the tractor they will stay on

That is one of the things I was wondering. It seems like it would have to work that way but on the other hand, how does the truck release the brakes without moving forward after selecting reverse?

I plan to take it easy the first time but I have been told that as long as the towing mower weighs the same or more I should be ok.


It is a good bit of mower. I calculate it will weigh about 2600lb with me on. the boat should weigh about 2400. If I have to get off to lockout the brakes until I get my lockout cable for the mower, hopefully that won't be exactly the 220 lbs difference that lets the boat shove the mower clear to the street.

Thanks.

http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu230/DaveJ26362/DSCN0436Small.jpg

 

[seaboo]

Re: Surge Brakes A Lawn Mower And A Hill

That is one of the things I was wondering. It seems like it would have to work that way but on the other hand, how does the truck release the brakes without moving forward after selecting reverse?

Sorry, My fault!!!
I was thinking NOT using a reverse selnoid. If you have the selnoid set up it would "lock out" the brakes by getting current from the reverse lights and disengaging them. Sorry about the confusion.