Sorry but I don't know the correct term for the assembly with the lunette ring attached that actuates the surge brakes, so for the rest of this post I'll just refer to it as......."it".
I've been researching for ways to make my M1101 ride level while hooked up to my truck. None of the "solutions" I've come across so far interest me for one reason or another. I don't want the leverage on my truck from a 10"-12" riser nor do I want the bending issues that come with them. I also don't want to permanently alter any part of the trailer. So what I plan on doing is to build a new "it" from scratch with (for my application) 10" of additional drop. I'm not all that familiar with the inner workings of the surge brakes so I wanted to run this by yall and get your thoughts, and also to ask why it isn't a more popular method, at least as far as I can tell from my searches.
I had a hard time finding a metal supplier that carried 2 1/2" x 3" tubing, but I did find some 2"x3"x1/4" so I bought a couple feet. I have a slice of 7/16" plate in the scrap pile I'll weld to the bottom of the horizontal member to take up most of the slop while leaving it loose enough to slide in and out. I haven't measured the angle of the drop member yet but will most likely bring the angle down a little bit while adding my additional 10" of drop. Naturally I'll add as much of a gusset as will fit for good measure.
With proper welds, would/should this set up be a viable, strong and SAFE way to achieve a level ride height? Would that much drop alter the way the surge brakes operate?
I'm a welder by trade, but my work doesn't involve any real structural work where safety of the general public may be at stake so I'm a little nervous that even with a large gusset there would be too much leverage, especially laterally. Any tips or ideas would be appreciated.
I've been researching for ways to make my M1101 ride level while hooked up to my truck. None of the "solutions" I've come across so far interest me for one reason or another. I don't want the leverage on my truck from a 10"-12" riser nor do I want the bending issues that come with them. I also don't want to permanently alter any part of the trailer. So what I plan on doing is to build a new "it" from scratch with (for my application) 10" of additional drop. I'm not all that familiar with the inner workings of the surge brakes so I wanted to run this by yall and get your thoughts, and also to ask why it isn't a more popular method, at least as far as I can tell from my searches.
I had a hard time finding a metal supplier that carried 2 1/2" x 3" tubing, but I did find some 2"x3"x1/4" so I bought a couple feet. I have a slice of 7/16" plate in the scrap pile I'll weld to the bottom of the horizontal member to take up most of the slop while leaving it loose enough to slide in and out. I haven't measured the angle of the drop member yet but will most likely bring the angle down a little bit while adding my additional 10" of drop. Naturally I'll add as much of a gusset as will fit for good measure.
With proper welds, would/should this set up be a viable, strong and SAFE way to achieve a level ride height? Would that much drop alter the way the surge brakes operate?
I'm a welder by trade, but my work doesn't involve any real structural work where safety of the general public may be at stake so I'm a little nervous that even with a large gusset there would be too much leverage, especially laterally. Any tips or ideas would be appreciated.
