Product Manual

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The board should be 4 feet or longer so it will extend
several feet above the actuator. Keep the end of the
board a few inches off the ground, and position it to
press against the front end of the actuator’s coupler.
Press the board towards the rear of the trailer.
Keep pressing the top of the board to stroke the
actuator and its internal master cylinder. If the trailer
brake system is operational, the brakes will apply and
keep the trailer from rolling away from you. Properly
adjusted uni-servo or duo-servo type brakes will
prevent you from moving the trailer back more than
a few inches. Free-backing type brakes will initially
provide rolling resistance, but continued force on the
board will switch them into free-backing mode, and
you’ll be able to move the trailer backwards.
If you have uni-servo or duo-servo brakes, and stroking
the actuator (as described above) causes the trailer
to roll away from you freely or with only minimal
resistance, the brakes are NOT applying properly.
If you have free-backing brakes and stroking the
actuator (as described above) causes the trailer to roll
away without initial resistance, then the brakes are
NOT applying properly. The brake system MUST be
evaluated to determine the cause of the problem and
corrective action MUST be taken before the trailer is
used. Use this procedure each time you tow your trailer
to check your surge brake system operation.
4.3.5.4 Test Surge Breakaway System
Before towing, check that the breakaway lever and
lanyard are properly positioned. If the breakaway lever
and lanyard are not located correctly due to either
the lanyard being pulled during use or by accident, it
MUST be reset prior to the trailer being moved.
See the Surge Brake Actuator manual for the correct
resetting and testing procedure.
^ WARNING
The breakaway system is designed to
operate if the trailer separates from the tow
vehicle.
DO NOT use the breakaway system as a
parking brake.
4.4 Uncouple Trailer
Follow these steps to uncouple trailer from the tow
vehicle:
1. Park the trailer on a fi rm level surface and block
trailer tires.
2. Disconnect electrical connector.
3. Disconnect breakaway brake switch lanyard.
4. Disconnect safety chains from tow vehicle.
5. Unlock the coupler and open it.
6. Before extending jack, make certain the ground
surface below the jack pad will support the tongue
load.
7. Rotate jack handle to extend the jack and transfer
the weight of the trailer tongue to the jack.
8. Raise the trailer coupler above the tow vehicle
hitch.
9. Drive tow vehicle forward.
4.5 Tongue Weight
It is critical to have a portion of the trailer load carried
by the tow vehicle. That is, the trailer tongue must exert
a downward force on the hitch. This is necessary for
two reasons. First, the proper amount of tongue weight
is necessary for the tow vehicle to be able to maintain
control of the tow vehicle/trailer system. If, for example,
the tongue exerts an upward pull on the hitch, instead
of pushing down on it (because the trailer is overloaded
behind its axle(s)), the rear wheel of the tow vehicle can
lose traction or grip and cause loss of control. Also, even
if there is some weight on the tongue, but not enough
weight on the tongue, the trailer can become unstable
at high speeds. Remember, the faster you go the more
likely the trailer is to sway.
If there is too much tongue weight, the tow vehicle is
prone to jack-knife. The front wheels of the tow vehicle
can be too lightly loaded and cause loss of steering
control and traction, if the front wheels are driving.
In addition to tow vehicle control, tongue weight is
necessary to insure that the trailer axle(s) do not exceed
their Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
In the following table, the second column shows the rule
of thumb percentage of total weight of the trailer plus
its cargo (Gross Trailer Weight, or “GTW”) that should
appear on the tongue of the trailer. For example, a large
trailer with a loaded weight of 6,000 pounds, should
have 10-15% of 6,000 pounds (600-900 lbs.) on the
hitch.
Tongue Weight as a Percentage of Loaded Trailer
Weight
Type of Hitch Percentage
Ball Hitch or
Ring & Pintle
10-15% for large trailers
6-10% for small trailers
Coupling To Tow Vehicle