How do I haul a trailer without using air brakes?

[OPCOM]

About the posts - the offending links have been removed. I'm not too concerned about bare unideltified pictures in this one case although technically those particular ones should not remain.

Since they illustrate a point in the thread they can stay unless a higher power overrides me. But please use other pictures next time, there are plenty on the www.

Better yet, you can edit your post pictures by "managing attachments" where you can delete the pictures you don't like and then replace them with others from another source. Try it! you can't break anything.

The gentlemen are 100% right about the links to auctions. They are not so much getting on your case, but mostly warning you. The several that spoke up, serves to show we take posts about live auctuions very seriously.

So, OK the pickup truck is large but those generator-equipped trailers probably weigh almost as much and combined with the short toungues on them, they will shove the rear of that truck around. One of those trailers can rip the hitch and bumper off a pickup truck if it is out of control. That truck is also high off the ground having a high center of gravity. I would not pull one of them with a 1 ton pickup.

People do it anyway and it's their business. your mileage may vary, Check your insurance.

trailer empty = 2600 lbs
generator set = 1000 lbs each approx (who has the spec?). Are there two of them?

Whatever you decide, be careful as we do not want to lose any members, or have accounts of accidents involving green iron that ought to have been preventable.

Thanks,

OPCOM, the nice moderator...

 

[Blythewoodjoe]

I have to point out something here. I personally like military stuff. Ok I love it, but before you jump in and buy a surplus generator, I think any body looking for a decent generator should look over the civilian market real good. I have two Mep 701a gens and I love the green paint job, but I also bought a 3500 watt unit the other day that runs great, is quiet and weighs so little I can pick it up with one hand. Of course I am not a girly man so it may take most people two hands. Anyway I digress. The key words here are: quiet, light weight (I know, that's two words), cheap. This generator can be picked up at Tractor supply for $279.00 plus tax. I plan to install a compartment on my M886 and run a AC unit and what ever else I want off of it.

My point, you can't go wrong with a spare $300, easily portable generator while you study up on these very fickle military units. Did I mention the military units are loud, heavy and take a certain amount of breast feeding to operate. Here's a picture of my user friendly unit.

 

[wreckerman893]

Did I mention the military units are loud, heavy and take a certain amount of breast feeding to operate.

In other words they can put your titty through the wringer.

 

[Metternacht]

Hello, I have been lurking for a while but as I have a little experience with this I
Just thought I would chime in here.

We run a 60kw diesel Generator for our offices emergency power. Most building electronics run 60hz as mentioned. But buildings panels are also 3 phase power vs single phase.

If you are going to run anything directly from the generator you would use single phase. If you are going to hook the generator directly into your house and run your entire panel then you would use 3 phase.

3 Phase requires a transfer switch manual or automatic to isolate the house from the grid and prevent back feeding the power lines. Failing to do so can injure or kill linemen trying to repair the lines.

We have a 200 Amp manual transfer switch to transition between generator and line power.
The generator itself is very quiet unit, Noise is a big issue with generators, if you have a loud generator your wife and neighbors may not be very happy after several hours of listening to a loud generator.

An Alternative with large generators is to use a spider box or power distribution box. it accepts single phase power via a 50 amp cable and distributes it to up to 6 20 amp and 1 30 amp circuit. Its a bit messy but is cheaper than the wiring necessary for a transfer switch.

Do a lot of research, a generator is a great idea, if executed properly can be a lifesaver. We ran ours for a week straight during a major wild land fire that was making line power unreliable. Since our Business is dependent on stable power it allowed us to keep operating as if nothing was burning outside.

There is a lot to consider, and I wont discuss 3 phase power rotation, that just gives me a headache.

I hope this helps

 

[aboonski]

You know what, I hauled a lubrication and air service trailer all the way from Columbia South Carolina to West Melbourne Florida with am M1008A1 CUCV. I would NOT recommend doing something like this for anyone without having some way to slow or stop the trailer in the event of an emergency. I made it home with this thing but would never do this again unless I used my Deuce for the retrieval. The Lube trailer weighs all of 6500 pounds! I took interstates almost all the way home doing 55 mph and slower speeds when the limit was under 55. I worried all the way to my driveway! Because of the trailer weight I found myself going downhill very fast and easing up on the gas pedal going uphill - a technique often used by truckers to prevent excessive strain on the drivetrain of their tractors. I left huge spaces between myself and the cars in front of me because of the stopping distance I would need to bring my truck to a stop. My suggestion would be to find someone with a similar trailer and borrow it for a test drive. Start and stop under variations of situations - going uphill, downhill, emergency stops, etc. to familiarize yourself with possible scenarios. There's nothing like experience to prepare you for the possibilities on your way home with your winning bid!

 

[tennmogger]

IMHO a three phase personal home would be a rare thing....
..but I might have completely misread the intention of the post.

Most are simply 240 single phase, giving 2 (balanced) sets of 120 vac circuits.

.......
If you are going to run anything directly from the generator you would use single phase. If you are going to hook the generator directly into your house and run your entire panel then you would use 3 phase.

3 Phase requires a transfer switch manual or automatic to isolate the house from the grid and prevent back feeding the power lines. Failing to do so can injure or kill linemen trying to repair the lines.
...chop.....

 

[rideni]

I used an equipment trailer to pickup a generator trailer and 105 with no problem that way I had brakes as well.

 

[steelandcanvas]

If you are going to run anything directly from the generator you would use single phase. If you are going to hook the generator directly into your house and run your entire panel then you would use 3 phase.

3 Phase requires a transfer switch manual or automatic to isolate the house from the grid and prevent back feeding the power lines. Failing to do so can injure or kill linemen trying to repair the lines.

Residential power is almost always single phase. Commercial/Industrial power is almost always three phase.
All seperately derived power that could possibly energize the Utility's lines must have a transfer switch, or interlock breakers which prohibit both sources to be closed at the same time, no matter how many phases.
(My source: Commercial/Industrial Electrician 28 years)

 

[Metternacht]

Residential power is almost always single phase. Commercial/Industrial power is almost always three phase.
All seperately derived power that could possibly energize the Utility's lines must have a transfer switch, or interlock breakers which prohibit both sources to be closed at the same time, no matter how many phases.
(My source: Commercial/Industrial Electrician 28 years)

I Stand Corrected.
Live and Learn, The other options are less appealing.

 

[m16ty]

If you are going to hook the generator directly into your house and run your entire panel then you would use 3 phase.

What are you going to hook that third leg to?

 

[Metternacht]

What are you going to hook that third leg to?

Probably the foot that is currently residing in my mouth. I was referencing the set up that is installed at our offices. Which is a commercial 3 phase system. Our generator is set up to run 3 phase power to our panel and energize our systems.

I made a mistake in applying the same to residential, which several others have correctly pointed out.

I apologize for the bad information.

-M

 

[steelandcanvas]

Probably the foot that is currently residing in my mouth. I was referencing the set up that is installed at our offices. Which is a commercial 3 phase system. Our generator is set up to run 3 phase power to our panel and energize our systems.

I made a mistake in applying the same to residential, which several others have correctly pointed out.

I apologize for the bad information.

-M

Good sense of Humor! Apology accepted! A true Gentleman!

 

[Metternacht]

Good sense of Humor! Apology accepted! A true Gentleman!

Thanks, One should have at least 2 skills in life. Recognize when you are wrong and admit it. And be able to laugh at ones self.

-M

 

[OPCOM]

If the bought generator is 3 phase and the stator has 6 or 12 leads, it can almost always be rewired to be single phase. I did this with the Mankato 40K 208V 3PH diesel unit in my backyard, and now it is a 30K single phase 240V unit. The voltage had to be adjusted slightly but most regulators allow this.

Note some smaller (3-6KW) single phase civvy sets are decently self regulating but not electronically adjustable for voltage but they set volts by RPM. so going to 58Hz lowers the volta and 63Hz raises it.

 

[SANMAN53]

I TOWED MY 4 Wheel 4 Ton General Purpose Bolster Trailer FROM FT MEADE TO SCRATON PA WITH MY CHEVY 03 1500 PU WITH NO PROBLEMS YOU KNOW ITS THERE BUT IT STOPPED ALSO MY M101A1 WHICH WAS A BREEZE.

 

[derf]

Ive been thinking. I would love to come up with a system to convert the air brake trailers into surge brake trailers. Some kind of adapter that mounts between the truck and trailer and uses a air tank and compressor and surge type actuator to activate the trailers air brakes.

No offense but you'd better be careful. Any homemade, non DOT approved braking system may expose you to harmful litigation. If some Yahoo in a Honda swerves in front of you and hits the brakes and you hit them (this could happen with or without trailer at any time), then an ambulance chaser could wear you out in court claiming you were using unsafe, unapproved equipment. Even if your system worked great and was superior to other braking systems, you would not be able to prove it in court.

The key to this thread is safely controlling your load.

 

[derf]

How do haul a trailer without using air brakes?
I want to buy a 1 an 1/4 ton trailer, but I don't have air to run the brakes...
Will the brakes be locked up?
Can I adjust them or something to haul it away?
Thanks in advance...

No offense to you, either, but the mods to the truck shown in your avatar may actually lessen your ability to pull a load safely. HP is good. Braking is better. Center of gravity may be a factor.

You probably shouldn't have pulled 18klbs. with that rig. Just because you were able to get away with it once and were comfortable with it doesn't mean it was right. 18klbs spread over several axles with brakes and low COG will handle differently than 8klbs on one axle with shorter tongue/wheelbase, higher COG, and different track width. If either one goes outta kilter it will flip a truck like a Tonka toy.

Again, from the standpoint of safely controlling a load and then being able to prove that you were operating in a safe manner you might fall short in court. I know people do it all the time and get away with it. But, if you rammed me or even dented my bumper with 18klbs behind that rig I would be pissed.

I don't believe in profiting from others' mistakes by suing. But, OTOH, I believe people who knowing or ignorantly operate vehicles in an unsafe manner and cause damage, injury, and/or fatality should be severely punished.

Yeah, any Bubba could get a huge load moving behind his F-150 and he might be able to stop it, too, given enough distance. But, IMHO, it is selfish and dangerous to do so.

On the gen side you should look at your entire home load. It will probably be in the 10-15kW range. Get a gen that will cover the load plus maybe 20%. The big factor for me is consumption. The military doesn't care what fuel costs. I do. Some military gen sets are efficient. Some aren't.
A good commercial gen set could possibly power your home and consume 1 gallon per hour or less. If fuel is $3 a gallon then that set might cost you $72 to run for 24 hours.
Military gen sets are conservatively rated. A 10kW military set might run what a 12.5kW commercial set would run in certain conditions. Commercial gen sets are kinda loud, mine sounds about like a lawnmower. Military gen sets are very loud.