all it should take is manually activating the trailer brake controller <50 times while driving. if it takes more than 5 mins, something is wrong. Definitely go manually adjust them.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-13954.html

 

I was thinking it could change the collapsed and extended range however as I was thinking about it I doubt the range is really any different than a coil sprung truck. My truck has 4 different ride height settings. But when you think about it, when the truck is lowered its not sitting on the bump stops so the shock isnt limiting the travel. And on the flipside when the truck is in its highest setting it's not like the wheel is in full droop so once again the shock shouldnt be limiting it. All its really doing is adding/ removing air thus changing spring rates, I think. Hell, I actually have no clue how it works, lol. Thats all speculation

Im pretty confident the rears will work. It should take me more time to get the truck on the lift than actually pulling off the damper so Im not too concerned about it. I'll pull off the old one take some measurements to compare and if all is well then great and if all else fails my buddy has the same truck with coil springs and he's wanted to get 5100's for his truck anyway so Ill just give them to him.
I have confirmed that the magnets are working on all 4 corners and the brakes do activate at all corners however I am still able to turn the wheels with the brakes activated so I think they're still too far out of adjustment. I just need a moment to take a look at them. Last weekend was a bust and since the trailer is sitting in my driveway by the time I get home from work Im fighting with lack of daylight and mosquitoes so its not fun. This weekend is looking promising however so can't wait to cross it off the list.

 

nice looking trailer!

do you have sleds too?

 

Oh yea 1996 formula III, 2002 viper custom mountain, 2000 SRX big bore, 2015 viper 270hp turbocharged.

 

 

Viper Mountain sled has SRX pipes, 780 big bore, 162" arctic cat skid, coolant runs through Polaris ultra tunnel coolers and rear bumper. Trail SRX has 800 big bore, arctic cat ZR skid, 240 picks. Formula III is my first new sled so I can't sell it! Just put a fresh motor in it, has an M-10 rear skid and bender SRX can. The new viper with the turbo is just fricking scary fast period.

 

I decided to flip the air cleaner and chop the side panel for colder air intake.
2871 Garrett BB 270hp pump gas, 370hp race fuel.

At 270hp it's horsepower to weight ratio is around a 1200 hp race weight evo. Sled weighs 540 plus me.

 

Perfect. I would really like an enclosed some day. Definitely feel like the side escape door is a necessity.

 

Sick sleds

For the side scape, mine doesn't have one but this is easily overcome in two ways. Firstly is by getting the ramps to raise the front just enough for the doors to clear the fender. What I mean by that is a whole 2-3 inches, this also helps as a perm pull up point and to steady the car. Second is to climb out the window. I know several people with huge side doors on the driver side that claim it makes the trailer flimsy, nobody's pointed that out yet but it starts to become an issue depending on build quality and how it's loaded.

 

nice sleds! boost + snow is fun!!!!!!

 

put some time in on the trailer. Its always a disaster on race weekends so we're trying to keep stuff off of the floor.

made 18' of aluminum shelving:


spare parts, and more spare parts


command central. We are running two 6v batteries and one 12v. stereo is tied into the trailer speakers. LED load lights outside for the occasional light night car repair.

 

When I put all new brakes on my trailer, I had the same issue. Driving and manually activating the brakes made it better, but then I went back and adjusted them again. They were much better after that. Lock up the tires on a fully loaded trailer at only about 80%.

 

Also, not sure I posted before but I got a new to me truck this year. 2015 sierra half ton with the 6.2 and 8 speed. I daily it and have put about 3k miles of towing on it already. Much torque and way better mpg than my old silverado with the 5.3 and 4 speed.. Just got home from Oscoda and drove the last few hours in rain. Hit it down to merge while already going about 40 and it spun the tires, lol.

 

Nice pickup finding one with a 6.2! I considered one but seemed the ones closer in spec to what I was after ended up being a denali and then they didnt have the 6.5' bed. Either way bet you got all them torques for a gasser; hope it continues to serve you well!

On my end Ive made some progress the past few weeks but its coming along very slowly due to very limited time so I've been chipping away 30 minutes here and there. I tried adjusting the brakes again manually but this time I used a small flathead to hold the tab back then spin the star adjuster. That is exactly how it needs to be done so yeah Im a dummy and was chasing my tail with that. But hey know I know and anyone else with the Nev-R adjust brakes keep that in mind.

However once again during the test run I still was unable to lock them up using the manual button. I figured at this point it must be electrical and I found that Im only getting 8v at the magnets. At that point I decided to rip into the wiring and get rid of the crappy butt connections that were all corroded after only 2 years sitting out in the elements. I picked up a junction box as well as new 7 pin as I it seemed like a nice thing to have for ease of wire maintenece down the road. Plus it keeps things tidy which I like. I havent got that all wired up yet as once again short on time but hope to maybe sometime this weekend.

I was however doing some reading and found out that apparently my truck with the ITBC has logic in it that wont allow full voltage under 30mph. So it seems my brakes may have been fine after my last successful adjustment however that code it quite annoying. How the hell am I supposed to dial the controller in if I dont know the threshold where the brakes will lock up both trailer unloaded as well as with a car on it? Guess thats what happens when an OEM tried to make these things safe. My best idea with that at this point is to either test the trailer in a buddys truck and find out how many volts are needed to lock them up then do some basic math to set it in my truck. Or buy an aftermarket unit which I really do not want to do.

In other exciting news, I did manage to install the Bilstein 5100s on the rear of my truck. They fit fine, shocker! But what is more exciting is that the bounce that I once felt its now gone. The truck rides so good with the air ride and now it feels even better. Im temped to see if I can get the 5100s to fit on the front but that will probably be a lot more tricky. Maybe next year, lol.

Lastly, I did test loading the evo up on the trailer and taking it around the block. For starters it was too low to get on the trailer even with the dovetail. I guess the ramps are too short. I was about to grab some wood then figured Id see if I could use my set of race ramps I have and my luck would have it they fit absolutely perfect, essentially lock into the trailer ramps so they wont slide out. Worked perfect but just something else I need to remember to pack. But with the ramps in place I successfully winched the car up on the trailer. That was a pretty slick setup and with the solar trickle charger Im quite happy with how that turned out.

Strapping down was simply I used t hooks in the front and axle straps crossed in the rear around the subframe. Im thinking with how simply the t hooks are Id like to do that in the rear as well so I might try it next time. I know there are numerous debates on crossing straps vs not crossing them so with I might try a couple different setups and see what works the best to stay tight while towing.

I also ordered 2 stabilizer jacks to weld onto the rear of the trailer. While it was fine loading it up I think a little extra stability would be nice.

My only other plans as of now of course is for starters to finish the wiring now that I ripped it apart and then I would like to weld up a tire rack and maybe come up with an on board air compressor setup. Overkill, maybe but so what! Just gotta find a decent 12v setup. I think with a small tank that I fill before leaving it could work out quite well.

Once thing that I wasnt sure of was how far forward to put the car. With the air ride the truck doesnt really squat as it self corrects to level it out so its hard to go off that. I didnt get up to highway speeds so I didnt get any trailer sway but do you guys think I loaded the car too far forward?

 

Car looks a little far forward, but you have to get a feel for how the truck drives. Too much tongue weight is far better than not enough.