Brake Controllers
There have been many changes in vehicle design over recent years. Modern vehicles are not necessarily stronger than old vehicles in regard to towing. We, as owners, need to understand our vehicle towing capabilities to prevent costly damage and accidents. We, as owners, also need to know how to equip our vehicles and how to fit and load what they intend to tow. There are now towing limits which apply to towing a trailer, Caravan, Float, Boats, Car Trailer, etc. Australia wide.
Trailers which have only a single axle and a GTM not exceeding 750kg do not require brakes. Trailers of GTM over 750kg must have brakes. Trailers of GTM over 750kg and not exceeding 2000kg must have braking on the wheels of at least one axle. Trailers of GTM over 2000kg must have braking on all wheels. Many new trailers/caravans/floats/boats now come fitted with electric brakes.
Now that our new norm is that many new trailers/caravans/floats/boats now come fitted with electric brakes, we now require an electric brake controller. Simply put, an electric trailer brake controller (also used for Caravans, Floats, Boats, Car Trailers, etc) is the device used to control the electric brakes on the trailer, which therefore mimic the action of your tow vehicle brakes. The extra weight of your vehicle and trailer combination requires greater stopping distance when braking. The use of an electric brake controller enables a safer towing experience for you and your family.
At West Coast Trailer Parts & Accessories, we keep a range of various popular electric brake controllers in stock for your convenience. We have them on the shelf for you to purchase, take home and install yourself. Or, you can talk to our staff about the choice you would like and having our qualified staff install it for you. Our most popular electric brake controllers we stock are:
- Ark Electric Brake Controller (see the range)
- Redarc Tow-Pro Elite (check out the video)
- ElecBrake Bluetooth Electric Brake Controller (you'll see just how easy this is).
Today we’re gonna talk about electric brake controllers. These days with towing a trailer, it’s not just as simple as it used to be. Our old trailers were self-braking, so they had their own cable or hydraulic brakes; but these days a lot of new trailers, new caravans, horse floats; they all have electric brakes; thus we need a brake controller days.
These are the most common ones that we sell.
We sell the traditional old brake controller, which sits under the dash; you control it with a button/slide on the side.
Another most popular one we have these days is the Tow-Pro Elite. It has a button on the dash.
My favourite one is the ElecBrake Bluetooth Electric Brake Controller. Now, let me show you how easy it is. All right kids, we're gonna show them how easy it is. It's as easy as one, two, three.
- Firstly, we plug in the (adapter) socket
- Then we plug in the trailer (socket)
- and then three, plug in the (ElecBrake Bluetooth) brake controller
Done!
The controller itself is fastened to the trailer, which means you can loan your trailer to your brother, your sister, your mother, hire out your trailer, and you don't have to hire out your car as well. It's controller via an app on your phone, or we now have a remote controller for them.