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T@B brakes

idahoweedguyidahoweedguy Member Posts: 4
in Dutchman and Vintage TaB Archives
Greetings from a brand new member. We recently bought a 2006 T16 as a project, and of course, we got a little more than we expected. It turned out that whatever connects the long north-south rod on the surge brakes to the wheels is gone. Has anyone else dealt with this and are there parts available for these older trailers? Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.
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  • RomanaRomana Member Posts: 38
    Not sure but maybe this helps. 
    Romana - 2005/6 Thor T@B T16
    Towed by 2003 Toyota Tundra Stepside
    Port Townsend, WA
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  • Grumpy_GGrumpy_G Member Posts: 530
    Parts are still available in Europe (e.g. Trailertek in the UK), I'm not aware of any US source. Dexter did away with the mechanical surge brakes when they took over. 

    The rod in question is just M10 rod. Zinc plated, and add some sort of sleeve where it goes through the guide. 
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  • MuttonChopsMuttonChops Member Posts: 1,698
    @idahoweedguy in addition to the two PDF documents @Romana posted the attached
    AL-KO Chassis document might be helpful . . . I don't recall were the copy was found on the web . . .
    '18 320 S,  pitched axle, 3020HE; PNW based
    TV: '17 Colorado V6 Z71 4x4, Tow Package, GM Brake Controller
    Adventures:  54   Nights:  341  Towing Miles 43,780
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,732
    There may be helpful files here:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6382/dutchmen-t-b-resources#latest
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • idahoweedguyidahoweedguy Member Posts: 4
    Hey it's me again. My first comment seems like a lifetime ago. It's been a long and winding road and I won't bore you with the details, except that shipping parts from England (Trailertek) is OMG expensive, at least the way I did it. But that is now history. I'm now looking at a total brake system replacement and would like to hear from anyone who has done that. I notice that Dexter has brake system parts listed on etrailer and am looking at going that way. Thank you for all the info you sent in April.
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  • FishDoctorFishDoctor Member Posts: 60
    edited June 2022
    When you say "brake system replacement," do you mean switching from surge brakes to electric brakes? I recently replaced the electric brakes on my 2017 T@B and it was pretty easy and the brake assembly was not that expensive, but the electric wiring was already in place. That said, I have seen videos about adding electric brakes to trailers, including running the wires, and it looked relatively straightforward. To make the switch for your T@B, you would be removing the surge brakes, including the hydraulic lines and the actuation assembly and replacing that with the proper wiring. I assume that you might need to replace the hitch coupler to remove the hydraulic coupling. I don't have direct experience with the surge brake system, but your tow vehicle would need to have a 7-pin plug installed and wired to get working electric brakes.
    Downers Grove, IL
    2017 T@B S Max, Blue and Silver -- "The Blueb@rry"
    States Visited Map
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  • Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    edited June 2022
    On the Al-KO frame, the surge brake unit is in the coupler and an actuator piston in the rear of the coupler unit pulls on a mechanical brake cable to apply the brakes.  From what the manual shows, there are no hydraulic lines to the brakes, only the bicycle type mechanical brake cable.  You would need to replace the complete wheel and drum assembly to convert this to electric brakes, and add the safety break-away switch on the tongue.  You should be able to retain the original coupler, and the hydraulic unit will give some damping between the trailer and the TV.
    Cheers 
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • FishDoctorFishDoctor Member Posts: 60
    Denny16 said:
    On the Al-KO frame, the surge brake unit is in the coupler and an actuator piston in the rear of the coupler unit pulls on a mechanical brake cable to apply the brakes.  From what the manual shows, there are no hydraulic lines to the brakes, only the bicycle type mechanical brake cable.  You would need to replace the complete wheel and drum assembly to convert this to electric brakes, and add the safety break-away switch on the tongue.  You should be able to retain the original coupler, and the hydraulic unit will give some damping between the trailer and the TV.
    Cheers 
    That all makes sense to me. Good info, Denny! I wasn't sure how the surge brakes on the older T@Bs worked.
    Downers Grove, IL
    2017 T@B S Max, Blue and Silver -- "The Blueb@rry"
    States Visited Map
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