Need stronger brakes, what can I do?

[BWSwede]

Hello all,
I have a 14,000 pound 18 + 2 dove tail trailer (late model PJ) that I use to transport my 10,500 pound tractor. I pull it with a domestic 1 ton pickup. I have a Prodigy brake controller. I set the controller to the max setting. The trailer brakes are adjusted properly and have plenty of friction material left.
On most stops I use the manual slide button to assist the trucks brakes. Often times I have the slider all the way over and ?2 showing in the led window.
With all of the above I don稚 feel comfortable in how much effort it takes to slow down. When I have to make a sudden reduction in speed it can be a harrowing experience because the truck and trailer just do not slow down like I think they should.
What can I do to increase my braking power?

TIA,
Blane

 

[AWSubie]

Do you have brakes on both axles?

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Set the boost to 2 or 3 on the Prodigy. Make sure brakes are adjusted up. Check wire from Prodigy to battery maybe upgrade, check wire from Prodigy to 7pin. Make sure the 7 pin pigtail on the trailer has the heavy duty brake wire. Run heavy power AND ground wires to brake magnets and use good connectors NO SCOTCH LOCK.

Have towed 2 axle 14k dump, 14k equipment and 3 axle 13k toy hauler with 2005 Ram 3500SRW and can make all brakes stop well on pavement and lock brakes on gravel no problem.

David

 

[4570Man]

I have a 10 ton equipment trailer driving me crazy with brakes. When I got it it had zero brakes. The magnets would engage but no stopping happed. I checked all the connection and good. I hooked another trailer to the also new to me truck and it locked down. I wired the trailer brakes directly to a battery on the trailer deck and still nothing. I adjusted the brakes tight and still nothing. I put new brake assemblies on 1 axel despite looking pretty good and still nothing despite repeating all the test. I took the drums back off and had the magnet drag area surfaced and still nothing. The pad drag area looks good. After pulling it for a few days they’ve worn in and work a little better like skid on asphalt when empty level but they’re probably 20 percent as good as my other trailer. I only surfaced the drums on the front axle. I plan on surfacing the second axle drums and if they improve as much as they already have it’ll be pretty good. My other 10 ton trailer wouldn’t quite lock up loaded but it would jerk the truck back hard with 16000 on the deck using only trailer brakes.

 

[mikester]

Am I reading this wrong or are you hauling 25,000 lbs? The heavier you get the harder it is to stop. Commercial trucks use Air brakes because they are more effective with CVOR territory loads. If you have to make regular sudden reduction in speeds maybe you need to reconsider your driving technique.

 

[Diggin It]

Am I reading this wrong or are you hauling 25,000 lbs? The heavier you get the harder it is to stop. Commercial trucks use Air brakes because they are more effective with CVOR territory loads. If you have to make regular sudden reduction in speeds maybe you need to reconsider your driving technique.

I thought it was just me. Sounds over loaded and maybe not driving the best.

 

[BWSwede]

Thanks for the replies.
Yes, brakes on both axles.
I thought when setting the boost on the controller the brakes start at a higher pressure not so much that they are stronger. In other words when I manually slide the knob to ?2 it doesn稚 matter if the boost is on or not. Is this not correct?
The trailer has all the factory wiring and so does the truck (controller to battery) so shouldn稚 it be good? The trailer is stored under cover so it is in great shape. When empty I can skid the brakes on asphalt at about 4. I hope I don稚 have to go through what 4570man has trying to figure this out.

Thanks again,
Blane

 

[BWSwede]

Mikester diggin it - Who are you asking? I am the OP and only haul 10,500 pounds.

Thanks,
Blane

 

[4570Man]

Am I reading this wrong or are you hauling 25,000 lbs? The heavier you get the harder it is to stop. Commercial trucks use Air brakes because they are more effective with CVOR territory loads. If you have to make regular sudden reduction in speeds maybe you need to reconsider your driving technique.

I’m only hauling about 22,000 including the trailer and I am using a medium duty truck although it has hydraulic brakes. It has way more stop than a pickup and stops the load pretty good by itself but it needs some help from the trailer a to be legal and b for a bad situation. I never mentioned making sudden stops. I can’t control every idiot on the road but I hardly ever make sudden stops.

 

[ovrszd]

Mikester diggin it - Who are you asking? I am the OP and only haul 10,500 pounds.

Thanks,
Blane

They misread your first post, thinking your empty trailer weighs 14,000 pounds. Not sure where they get that though.....

You didn't say how "used" this trailer is? Are they drum brakes?

If it's been used quite a bit and they are drum brakes I'd suggest you rebuild them. Replace the shoes and have the drums "turned". After age and use brake shoes simply lose their gripping ability, regardless how much shoes is remaining. Drums get "glazed" over and ineffective.

My 20K tandem trailer didn't have enough brake to suit me. A couple of the wheels had seeped some oil at some time. I finally decided to rebuild them. I bought complete units for each wheel. Unwired the magnets, unbolted the backing plate and swapped everything. I can't remember exactly but I think it was under $650 for all four wheels. On gravel I can slide all four sets with a 10K lb load. Empty I run the controller on 2 and can still slide them on gravel. Love my brakes now!!!

While I was in there I changed out my hub oil to hub grease. No more oil seepage on my new brakes.

Also in last pic you can see I had plenty of brake shoe left. They just weren't effective anymore. Did I mention I love my brakes now!!!