Cord
Veteran Member
I have a 32' flat bed tri-axle gooseneck trailer. The trailer has electric brakes on each axle. When I first got the trailer, I found the shoes to be wiped out. Some brakes obviously hadn't worked for some time, others where grinding on metal. I went with new backing plates, magnets, and shoes. The brakes are the self-adjusting type. I had the drums turned but was disappointed when I found they were all cut oversized. I assembled the brakes and adjusted them so they were lightly dragging. I packed the bearings and then filled the hubs with high-temp grease using the bearing buddy caps.
When I went to burnish the brakes I found there was only one that was working. I reached out to Dexter who said the wiring was undersized. Strange because this was the factory wiring. I ran a new 10g wire, both power and a dedicated ground back to the brakes. No change in effectiveness.
I used the trailer for a while like this and then I took it to a dealer for him to diagnose. He said there was "some" grease on the shoes which he cleaned, but otherwise everything looked good. He didn't know why they were not effective.
After thinking about this for a while, it occurred to me the problem might be the oversized drums. I bought new drums and when I went to install them, I found the seals had blown soaking the shoes in grease. It was obvious the brakes got warm at some point and the over-filled hubs became pressurized pushing the grease out. I ditched the bearing buddies and repacked the bearings in a more traditional manner. I washed the shoes until the rag was clean. When I assembled the brakes, I found that the brakes were slightly more effective. Now one brake will lock, but the others are just putting in a modest effort; but they are working.
In spring I'll have a heavy load to haul over a long distance so I really need these brakes to work. I'm hoping you guys might have some ideas as to what I can check next. I seem to recall having tested them with the jump pack, but I don't remember what the outcome of that test was. I certainly can repeat it and post the results.
The tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC 2500. I don't believe the problem is with the truck because I have other electric trailers and they brake OK.
When I went to burnish the brakes I found there was only one that was working. I reached out to Dexter who said the wiring was undersized. Strange because this was the factory wiring. I ran a new 10g wire, both power and a dedicated ground back to the brakes. No change in effectiveness.
I used the trailer for a while like this and then I took it to a dealer for him to diagnose. He said there was "some" grease on the shoes which he cleaned, but otherwise everything looked good. He didn't know why they were not effective.
After thinking about this for a while, it occurred to me the problem might be the oversized drums. I bought new drums and when I went to install them, I found the seals had blown soaking the shoes in grease. It was obvious the brakes got warm at some point and the over-filled hubs became pressurized pushing the grease out. I ditched the bearing buddies and repacked the bearings in a more traditional manner. I washed the shoes until the rag was clean. When I assembled the brakes, I found that the brakes were slightly more effective. Now one brake will lock, but the others are just putting in a modest effort; but they are working.
In spring I'll have a heavy load to haul over a long distance so I really need these brakes to work. I'm hoping you guys might have some ideas as to what I can check next. I seem to recall having tested them with the jump pack, but I don't remember what the outcome of that test was. I certainly can repeat it and post the results.
The tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC 2500. I don't believe the problem is with the truck because I have other electric trailers and they brake OK.