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Has anyone performed a M200A1 trailer brake conversion?

Gb1

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I am writing to determine if anyone as developed a method to adapt a pickup truck electric brake controller to control a M200A1 trailer air/ hydraulic brake system? Or conversely is it possible to modify a pickup truck with aftermarket parts to control the air brake interface on a M200A1 trailer?
 

Coug

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There are controllers out there to replace air over hydraulic with electric over hydraulic, but the question as always becomes, what are you intending to do with this trailer? It's heavy, short length, high center of gravity, lots of tongue weight, and way overspecced to be towed by anything that isn't large enough to need air brakes. For the price of modifying the trailer, and the value of the trailer afterwards (which is almost always the same as what it was before you do any conversions like this) you're almost always ahead in the game with either purchasing or building a trailer that meets your needs.


The answer to this problem 98% of the time is either buy a bigger truck to tow it with (that has air brakes) or sell the trailer and buy/build something smaller that's better suited to be towed behind a pickup.
However that 2% of the time where the solution isn't doing something else, if you can explain to us exactly WHY you need to have this trailer to tow behind your pickup (which you haven't mentioned exactly what type of pickup it is, but if it's smaller than a 3/4 or 1 ton truck the only responses you will receive are that what you are thinking is extremely unsafe/stupid, and we don't want to be involved. That and the fact that unless it's a pickup that's been lifted at least a foot the hitch won't come anywhere near being the correct height, (which we'd still probably not want to have any part of as a high center of gravity truck towing a high center of gravity trailer is just asking for trouble) you'll have to spend even more money either lowering the trailer or adapting the hitch somehow.


Easiest solution if you really want to use this trailer, install a different axle with electric brakes, possibly different axle springs to lower it, and smaller wheels/tires to lower it further. At that point you'll have a trailer that easily connects (or more easily) behind a pickup, but the chassis will still be pretty heavy compared to most civilian trailers.
 

Gb1

New member
10
0
1
Location
Sheridan/OR
There are controllers out there to replace air over hydraulic with electric over hydraulic, but the question as always becomes, what are you intending to do with this trailer? It's heavy, short length, high center of gravity, lots of tongue weight, and way overspecced to be towed by anything that isn't large enough to need air brakes. For the price of modifying the trailer, and the value of the trailer afterwards (which is almost always the same as what it was before you do any conversions like this) you're almost always ahead in the game with either purchasing or building a trailer that meets your needs.


The answer to this problem 98% of the time is either buy a bigger truck to tow it with (that has air brakes) or sell the trailer and buy/build something smaller that's better suited to be towed behind a pickup.
However that 2% of the time where the solution isn't doing something else, if you can explain to us exactly WHY you need to have this trailer to tow behind your pickup (which you haven't mentioned exactly what type of pickup it is, but if it's smaller than a 3/4 or 1 ton truck the only responses you will receive are that what you are thinking is extremely unsafe/stupid, and we don't want to be involved. That and the fact that unless it's a pickup that's been lifted at least a foot the hitch won't come anywhere near being the correct height, (which we'd still probably not want to have any part of as a high center of gravity truck towing a high center of gravity trailer is just asking for trouble) you'll have to spend even more money either lowering the trailer or adapting the hitch somehow.


Easiest solution if you really want to use this trailer, install a different axle with electric brakes, possibly different axle springs to lower it, and smaller wheels/tires to lower it further. At that point you'll have a trailer that easily connects (or more easily) behind a pickup, but the chassis will still be pretty heavy compared to most civilian trailers.

Thanks for your thoughts Coug. I was wanting to build a fire trailer. Something I can tow around our 80 acres of forestland. I would set the trailer close to a slash pile during burning or place the trailer in the area when we are forestry mulching...just in case.

I saw the trailer and believed it could handle the water weight I wanted to tow And felt it would be a project I could work on in my spare time. I was thinking about putting two - 200 gallons or 3300 pounds between the rails keeping the center of gravity as low as possible (verses putting a horizontal leg tank on top of the frame rails). I may be able to reduce some tongue weight by shifting the tanks aft a bit. I’ll need to do the weight calculations. Then add a high pressure gas motor driven pump and 200 foot of 1 inch non collapsible hose on reel.

I’ll doubt I would take it on the street unless there is a fire emergency close by. I’ve taken the fenders and front plates on each side off ( probably reduced the weight by a couple of hundred pounds). I repositioned the hand brakes on a small fabricated bracket. We do have some slope our the logging roads. Some as high as 30%. Maybe if I go down hill on the smooth stuff I’ll be ok without brakes towing with a 4WD F-350 1 ton. I might be over thinking it. Do you think I should scrap the whole project? I don’t have any experience with these trailers.

If you or anyone else have any other thoughts let me know.
 

Coug

Well-known member
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Location
Olympia/WA
It will probably work just fine as long as you take it slow and easy, but unless the slopes are perfectly straight and level side to side I'd recommend against doing it with a loaded tank of water, as that much weight will push the tail end of the truck around easily unless you also plan to put a couple hundred gallons of water in the back of the truck as well for weight. Jackknifing or getting pushed sideways off a trail are very real possibilities when you're pulling a heavy trailer off road with no way to slow it down.

And honestly, for a couple hundred gallons of water and a pump, this trailer chassis is WAY overkill. People have used these with 5th wheel plates and semi trailers. I don't know the actual rating of the axle/springs, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's in the 16-20k lbs with how the military rates equipment for off road use.

So it's certainly doable for what you are planning, but there are much better options out there that will do the job better and safer.

(also, if your tank is only half filled with water, the water sloshing around will give you issues as well. Probably not much if it's only a couple hundred gallons total capacity, but just one more thing to consider when driving off road and a tall trailer a shifting load is bad juju.)
 

Gb1

New member
10
0
1
Location
Sheridan/OR
There are controllers out there to replace air over hydraulic with electric over hydraulic, but the question as always becomes, what are you intending to do with this trailer? It's heavy, short length, high center of gravity, lots of tongue weight, and way overspecced to be towed by anything that isn't large enough to need air brakes. For the price of modifying the trailer, and the value of the trailer afterwards (which is almost always the same as what it was before you do any conversions like this) you're almost always ahead in the game with either purchasing or building a trailer that meets your needs.


The answer to this problem 98% of the time is either buy a bigger truck to tow it with (that has air brakes) or sell the trailer and buy/build something smaller that's better suited to be towed behind a pickup.
However that 2% of the time where the solution isn't doing something else, if you can explain to us exactly WHY you need to have this trailer to tow behind your pickup (which you haven't mentioned exactly what type of pickup it is, but if it's smaller than a 3/4 or 1 ton truck the only responses you will receive are that what you are thinking is extremely unsafe/stupid, and we don't want to be involved. That and the fact that unless it's a pickup that's been lifted at least a foot the hitch won't come anywhere near being the correct height, (which we'd still probably not want to have any part of as a high center of gravity truck towing a high center of gravity trailer is just asking for trouble) you'll have to spend even more money either lowering the trailer or adapting the hitch somehow.


Easiest solution if you really want to use this trailer, install a different axle with electric brakes, possibly different axle springs to lower it, and smaller wheels/tires to lower it further. At that point you'll have a trailer that easily connects (or more easily) behind a pickup, but the chassis will still be pretty heavy compared to most civilian trailers.

I wanted to pick back up on this thread. I’ve seen a few of the electric to hydraulic brake controllers advertised. The products have different PSI and Bar capabilities. Does anyone know the minimun, maximum or nominal hydraulic system operating pressures within M2001A trailer brake system?
 

Coug

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,958
4,311
113
Location
Olympia/WA
I wanted to pick back up on this thread. I’ve seen a few of the electric to hydraulic brake controllers advertised. The products have different PSI and Bar capabilities. Does anyone know the minimun, maximum or nominal hydraulic system operating pressures within M2001A trailer brake system?
So what I saw was 1000psi and 1600psi actuators.

1000psi are for drum brakes
1600psi are for disk brakes.

The M200 will have drum brakes.
 

Coug

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,958
4,311
113
Location
Olympia/WA
work hard
You will figure it out
but still will no be that good.
Get heavier truck
?
The brakes on it should be overkill for the load as rated by the military. The trailer is well within the truck's ratings and capabilities.

What reasons would it not be that good?
 
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