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The Towing thread

314K views 2K replies 156 participants last post by  SouthernComfort 
#1 ·
Please place your queries and comments regarding towing, towbars, wiring, Brake Controllers, and any other Aussie towing matters here.

This way the information will be contained, and others will not need to plough though other irrevelent threads to find info.
 
#699 ·
From reading that, the car applies the brake of individual wheels, and retards the motor to correct the sway. Hence it would not activate activate the brake lights and would not know what to tell the ESC in the caravan.
I don't know how the ESC on a caravan works. Does it only kick in once the brakes are activated or when it detects the caravan being unstable and kicks in on its own without driver input?

I would hope the latter.
 
#689 · (Edited)
Thanks allypall
I have read that it's a great system hope I never have to use it.
But it dose not confirm whether the brake lights come.
It would be good if they did so the caravan is being braked as well.
AL-KO have a new ESC system for the caravan at $1300 all good to have but if the caravan brakes work via the Jeeps TSC then we don't need Alko's system.
So the question remains do the brake lights come on ? :confused:

Ps seen your new van on the caravans forum great van looks great have you had a shake down trip yet.
 
#691 ·
#690 ·
Some discussion whilst waiting for the answer...

Unless omitted by oversight, the system should have been designed to activate the brake lights. It's a mandatory requirement for all braking systems to do so. Note that other systems which develop braking forces in the Jeep activate the lights, so it's extremely likely the sway control does too.

Cheers,
Steve
 
#695 ·
The collision avoidance system activates the brake lights Max. I'd put that much closer to the mark than traction control, as this is designed to move the vehicle in the direction of travel intended.

If the WK2Jeeps document is word correct, the system is attempting to slow the vehicle... not just tidy up the sway.

But as I said it's discussion. A confirmed answer would probably only come from M if anyone.

Cheers,
Steve
 
#696 ·
I think it would be best if a couple of you hooked up a trailer and went and tested it to get a definitive answer.
 
#698 ·
Steve
Yeah forgot about the gyro gear loose stuff to avoid collisions, thanks for the correction. But it is consistent with my view that active brake lights are and should be only an indicator of speed reduction not stability tech or traction aids being activated.
Max




Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk
 
#700 · (Edited)
Steve
Yeah forgot about the gyro gear loose stuff to avoid collisions, thanks for the correction. But it is consistent with my view that active brake lights are and should be only an indicator of speed reduction not stability tech or traction aids being activated.
Max
Nope, not talking about gyros. Actually I don't know what "gyro gear loose stuff" is!

"System applies brake pressure on one front wheel to counteract the yaw induced by the trailer and applies brake pressure to all four wheels to slow the vehicle"

This sounds like speed reduction to me... and I reckon if the brake lights didn't come on when this is happening it'd be madness.

Cheers,
Steve
 
#701 ·
I've had the TSC come on a couple of times on the dirt road between Cooma and Braidwood in NSW - slick clay surface, high centre crown and raining.
Not travelling fast but a number of times the Jeep felt the van come down the crown and just flickered the light. Only on for a second or so.
Didn't feel any power loss, more like an engine miss.
No feeling of the vehicle braking.
Didn't look to see what the display on the P3 said - that would have shown power to the van brakes.
By my standards, nothing dramatic was going on with the van, but whatever must have been enough to trigger.
System works on mine anyway - but I don't plan to try it out at speed.
John
 
#706 · (Edited)
Gr8ness, Generally, your description is correct. With a proportional controller, there is always a voltage applied to the trailer brakes when the brake pedal is pressed, even when at rest. In your point 2, the level of braking applied to the trailer brakes will be determined by the base voltage preset you have made. Typically, this is around 6v (give or take) with the override lever fully to the left. That theoretically is what you should need to almost lock the trailer brakes.
If you vary this, the baseline voltage to the trailer brakes will also vary when you press the brake pedal. Theoretically, with a higher trailer mass, a higher voltage will be needed to get the same baseline braking action. The actual setting you use will depend largely on the point of onset of trailer wheel lock and the driver's personal preference. My crossover needs about 8v to lock its wheels.
TSC does not activate the trailer brakes. It only operates the ESC on the towing vehicle in an effort to stop trailer sway.
 
#707 ·
Jarse,

Thanks for that. I was unaware there was a 'baseline' brake signal.

Does that mean in effect, with a proportional controller, that as soon as activated (by pressing the brake pedal, not TSC ) that the controller sends the pre-set 'baseline' braking force (say 6 Volts) to the trailer brakes PLUS any additional braking voltage proportional to the deceleration. Which, when I think about it makes sense!

For a moment there I thought the basic controllers may have had an advantage over proportional types. Clearly not.

I have a lot to learn before being unleashed onto the roads. Do they teach this sort of stuff on the towing courses mentioned elsewhere in this thread?

All the more reason for a 'towing endorsement' to your drivers licence. Stop people like me going out there half cocked, as it were.

Maybe if there was a 'towing endorsement' and you had it, you could get Trailer/Caravan Registration and Insurance at a discounted rate....

Nay, never happen.
 
#708 ·
I think you have it pretty right although exactly how a manufacture programs their proportional controllers, is probably a closely guarded secret. My concern was what happens when stopped at traffic lights with the brake pedal depressed? Is the full current running through the trailer brakes? Could the wiring overheat? Tekonsha's reply was,
"...with little or no deceleration the unit will only send 1/4th of the power setting to the brakes."
Sounds good to me.
 
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#709 · (Edited)
Gr8ness, That's correct. The controller sends a small initial voltage to the brakes when you touch the brake pedal. Using mine as an example, it sends about 0.7v when at rest. Assuming you were to do the same in a steady state of motion (not decelerating), you would expect a similar result. That equates to very little, if any braking force. Of course, the initial voltage would vary, depending on your setup and boost setting. You might just be able to hear the magnets buzzing in the drums if you're standing next to them.
The controller normally sends a very small amount of power through the line in order to detect open circuit in the brake wiring.
 
#710 ·
BobT,

More good info. I am happy that I have it clear in my head now how the proportional controllers work at a concept level. Without doubt, I have learnt yet more from this forum.

When my Jeep eventually arrives I will personally fit a proportional controller (P3), probably to the cubby in the centre console.

Gr8Ness
 
#711 ·
BobT, More good info. I am happy that I have it clear in my head now how the proportional controllers work at a concept level. Without doubt, I have learnt yet more from this forum. When my Jeep eventually arrives I will personally fit a proportional controller (P3), probably to the cubby in the centre console. Gr8Ness
Hi bob I have a P3 controller fitted on my GC no problems works well they mounted it on the side just under the light switch as I still use the connections on the caddy
 
#714 ·
A different question re towing.
The other day I was towing our 3 ton van at 80/85kph on the flat; no wind. In drive or sport mode it obstinately stayed in 7th gear; at about 14 litres per hundred indicated. Yet if I manually forced it to 8th gear it still pulled happily and the consumption dropped to about 10 l/100.

Do I risk damaging the engine but pushing it to 8th gear? (Whenever a hill appeared I dropped back to sport mode and let it decide the gear.)

Is there a way to persuade it to use 8th when in drive or sport mode? (Apart from flooring it and hitting over 100kmh :cool:).

Thanks
Phil
 
#716 · (Edited)
Drive in Auto mode! Sport mode works best only when driving brusquely like when trying to outrun cops. For other forms of driving, select the appropriate mode for best performance. One can't expect Sport mode to work well when towing.
 
#715 ·
Sport mode at 80/85km/h will always be 7th, that is what Sport mode does, holds the gear longer before upshift; this is the same when not towing.

Keep an eye on trans temp when in Drive and making it upshift to 8th.
 
#717 · (Edited)
Our CRD happily tows our 2200kg van under all conditions and I find Auto will do the job no worries.
I do however use Sports mode regularly - and there are two situations where i notice a difference.
1. where I am cruising at highway speeds and the country is a bit undulating.
I find the slightly earlier gear changes coming onto a hill allows the Jeep to maintain the momentum a bit better
2. In city traffic coming away from traffic lights, again the earlier gear changes in Sports mode allow easier flow with the traffic.
As Bob mentioned, the difference is slightly sharper performance - and the fuel economy hasn't changed by using Sports.
There is another bonus to us with QL, and that is the 13mm drop in height in Sports. We use a WDH and the small drop in height tightens the hitch and very slightly stiffens the combination. In country that has rough pitching road surface, this stiffening improves the ride.
John
 
#718 ·
And just to show we do use the van, we are presently having a few days on the banks of the Condamine River, amongst the red gums and white cockatoos.

When we get home we organise ourselves, and early April head for Broome, via the Plenty Highway and Alice. Gregory, Purnululu and a few other spots on the way up.
On the way back we'll do Darwin and Kakadu, across and up to Weipa before getting home mid July.
Be good to miss most of the Gold Coast winter.....and although we've been to all these places a few times before, we're looking forward to being out there again.
John
 
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#724 ·
Installed my towbar a few months back and only now got to getting around to looking at installing the harness.. Guess I should have read the thread before I pulled the rear panel off in the back left. Turns out my dealer supplied me with a MY11/12 harness..

Now I have read a fair bit of this thread today but correct me if I am wrong..

1) The MY11/12 harness does not fit as there is no breakout connector in the MY14 ?? Well couldn't find one anyway.

2) The MY14 harness either still does not exist or it is hard to come by?

Another question is can the MY11/12 be made to fit by splicing? I don't care about hooking up a brake controller as I only pull a small box trainer with Quad bike..

I am sure most of this has been answered in here, so I apologise..

Thanks Auscop
 
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