Thread: trailer axle brake electric turnback

Originally Posted by Utemad

The Couplemate website is pretty good for info.

http://www.couplemate.com.au/index.html?ext262.html&1

Interestngly they sell ALKO gear but no mention of the electric turnback. In fact if you look at their stub axles they look the same as what I have.

It is annoying though that wherever you look or whoever you talk to they never seem to have the full info. They are always unsure. The Couplemate site seems to show that it is actually quite straight forward.

The really sad thing is that I actually bought my brake kit from Couple-Mate, got a good price, delivered to Sydney which was cheaper than Caravan Accessories which is just down the road. I would have recommended the company.

Did a second deal with them with no problems, then had a nightmare with them. Ordered some pretty cheap items, which because of their single delivery policy weren't left at my house. Then I was unable to get a second delivery or get Couple-Mate to return my emails for over 10 days. Ended up getting a refund on the items but had to pay for the Star-Track delivery which was the problem with the whole transaction.

If you do deal with them specify an alternate delivery if no one home or have someone at home for the next week.

Diana

thats a star-track policy not the sending companies policy...

get it sent austpost if they will do it, then someone doesnt have to be there..you will get a card saying they tried, come and get it at the post office..

Originally Posted by incisor

thats a star-track policy not the sending companies policy.....

No when I contacted Star-Track they stated that Couple-Mate would not "Authorise" a second delivery.

Which I guess means that Star-Track has a policy of getting authorisations for second deliveries and Couple-Mate didn't authorise it.

Diana

Addit: What is worse is that I ordered the item Wednesday evening/night was home for the entire period from the morning after the order. This included the Thursday, the next day Friday, the entire following Weekend, the entire Monday and until 1 pm on Tuesday. Star Track arrived at 1.30pm on Tuesday. (Not that I would have expected delivery on Thursday or even Friday)

I have had trouble before with courier companies. I try not to use them as I am never home during the day and until now didn't have a job where I was in the same place all the time.
Some places will only use couriers and I generally have to pick it up from their courier's depot because of it which defeats the purpose!
It really annoys me when a company will only use a courier and it ends up taking me a week to get something due to me having to go and pick it up from them. I would have had the item in 1-2 days had it been sent by Aussie Post.

However now I can have things sent to me at work as I have an office job.

Originally Posted by incisor

thats a star-track policy not the sending companies policy...

get it sent austpost if they will do it, then someone doesnt have to be there..you will get a card saying they tried, come and get it at the post office..

Telstra sent my NextG phone to my home by courier and I was surpised that when I got home there was a card saying to pick it up from the post office. The courier company was a private company not aussie post.

Originally Posted by Utemad

I have had trouble before with courier companies. I try not to use them as I am never home during the day and until now didn't have a job where I was in the same place all the time.
Some places will only use couriers and I generally have to pick it up from their courier's depot because of it which defeats the purpose!
It really annoys me when a company will only use a courier and it ends up taking me a week to get something due to me having to go and pick it up from them. I would have had the item in 1-2 days had it been sent by Aussie Post.

However now I can have things sent to me at work as I have an office job.



Telstra sent my NextG phone to my home by courier and I was surpised that when I got home there was a card saying to pick it up from the post office. The courier company was a private company not aussie post.

I had the same thing happen. It would seem that there is a contract between Telstra, the courier (whose name escapes me too) & Aus Post in order to allow this to happen.

I called Couplemate and got quoted $844.35 for:
Offroad brake backing plates
Drums in LR stud pattern (165mm PCD)
Handbrake with cable and fitting kit
Tekonsha Prodigy controller.

I had to tell him that LandCruiser 5 stud was not the same as LR 5 stud but he said anything can be done but it will be special order.

That's fairly pricey. More than I was expecting anyway.

Considering they charge $190 for the controller I am guessing that either they are an expensive shop or the $450-500 electric brake option when I bought the camper was only using the onroad version of the brakes or a cheaper version anyway.

In comparison mechanical override using a Treg coupling would cost about $767.50.
Brakes $306.50
Override Tregg $360
Handbrake and bits $101

Given the 'cheaper' mechanical brakes price the electric brakes price isn't too bad. Except if I got electric I'd still need to buy an offroad hitch so add another $250 or so to that.

All very interesting.

Originally Posted by Utemad

I called Couplemate and got quoted $844.35 for:
Offroad brake backing plates
Tekonsha Prodigy controller.

I had to tell him that LandCruiser 5 stud was not the same as LR 5 stud but he said anything can be done but it will be special order.

All very interesting.

Justin

The Prodigy is quite an advanced controller and is the type I have. It uses guided missile technology for the proportional braking and works in reverse (although the trailer brakes may not) - you can use a less advanced controller for less than $100 but the control box needs to be "levelled" to the car and does not deal so well with steep hill decents etc.

I know that recently, when towing loads varying from several hundred Kg to 4 ton I was glad I could simply adjust the trailer brakes from my driving position. I could even do it while stopping. They saved me from wiping out in the M5 tunnel with the sudden onset of a severe fishtail and, I would never go back to over-ride brakes if I can help it. Vacuum hydraulic/mechanical would be my only other choice, but that is much more expensive than electric brakes.

Original Land Rover PCD (not Disco 2/p38a PCD) is an optional pattern from Al-Ko on the Land Cruiser parrallel bearings and may need to be a special order.

Just been searching Ebay and saw this



Those weld on flanges are I assume for a square axle. I've only seen round hole ones before. I assumed they welded on to the round stub part after the seal but before the square axle part but I can see know they weld onto the axle tube itself. So I don't know what on earth the ALKO guy was on about with the electric turnback. I'm beginning to think he made it up.