Need stronger brakes, what can I do?

[BWSwede]

Hello all,

Thanks to all that replied to my last post. A couple of comments:

1. Good point about possibly tightening up on their own after the initial installation and setting the drag. I'll check them to see how much they drag.

2. I didn't remove or modify the axles in any way. I just installed completely new brake assemblies and grease seals. They only can go in one direction so I am confident they didn't get installed backwards.

3. I am not sure about locking up the brakes while backing. Is this with an empty trailer (on gravel?) as I know right now that I cannot lock the brakes forward or reverse with 13,000 pounds on the trailer even with the brake controller set to the max setting and the boost set to the highest position.

4. I always monitor my wheel temperatures on the trailer and truck when towing to get a jump on anything that may be going bad. As I recall my trailer wheels were a little warmer after the rebuild. I seem to recall they were running about 145 degrees. Is that too hot?

5. I'll loosen the brakes until there is no drag and see if that improves my truck's performance.

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions. Ever since I lost my brakes when my loaded trailer plug jiggled loose on the Interstate in the middle of the city I take trailer brakes very seriously. It was one of, if not the most scariest, events I have ever had in my 42 years of driving.

 

[ovrszd]

I for one am still a bit confused. So we are talking about the trailer brakes that you think are dragging causing it to pull harder than before?

Someone mentioned earlier about the brakes being assembled in reverse, side to side. They can be assembled backwards. If done so they will not function properly.

By your comment about the self adjusting procedure it makes me think your understanding of how all this works is vague. If your trailer brakes are dragging they would be hot. You've already eliminated that. So I have nothing to offer as to why it's pulling harder based on the information provided.

 

[BWSwede]

Richard,

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the brakes seems to be dragging very slightly harder than before. They also work a lot better than before the rebuild. I am going to try loosen the drag and then test them to see if they adequately stop the loaded trailer.

I was extremely careful about removing the old set and installing the new, making sure everything was oriented the same way, so I am fairly confident they are installed correctly. It seems to me that if they were installed backwards they would be a lot hotter than 145 degrees after an hour of running at highway speed.

Best,
Blane

 

[ovrszd]

After a long pull, several hours, I can still lay my hand on the axle hub of my GN trailer. I've never checked the temp. But I don't think I'd comfortably touch the hub if it were 145F degrees.

Depending on how attentive you are, that might be the slight drag you are feeling.

Post an update when you get it figured out. I'm interested in the end result.

 

[Fallon]

After a long pull, several hours, I can still lay my hand on the axle hub of my GN trailer. I've never checked the temp. But I don't think I'd comfortably touch the hub if it were 145F degrees.

Depending on how attentive you are, that might be the slight drag you are feeling.

Post an update when you get it figured out. I'm interested in the end result.

120ish is about the limit for the hand test. NASA actually did a pretty scientific paper in tempature measuring without instruments a while back. You can get surprisingly consistent & accurate results that way.

 

[ovrszd]

120ish is about the limit for the hand test. NASA actually did a pretty scientific paper in tempature measuring without instruments a while back. You can get surprisingly consistent & accurate results that way.

Yep. I'm very picky about shower temp. Never checked, but am pretty sure I'm within one or two degrees every time.

 

[jonsstihl]

I know next to nothing about trailer brakes but if the whole using the friction to apply the brakes harder is true, wouldn't they not release until the trailer came to a stop.

 

[ovrszd]

I know next to nothing about trailer brakes but if the whole using the friction to apply the brakes harder is true, wouldn't they not release until the trailer came to a stop.

That's where the dynamics of the design and how the pressure is applied versus how the springs are trying to pull the shoes back away from the drum comes into play. Everything has to be in proper working order. A typical problem if the trailer sits for a long time between use is the assembly rusts in place and no longer works.

 

[Renze]

I did some neglected maintenance on my trailer 3 years ago, adjusted years of slack. This meant that the shoes had to break in quite a bit. I set it a bit tight, the drag heated up the drums, expanding them and setting them even tighter. At every stop i felt the hubs, first they heated up, wore in, and after a coffee break they were cooled till the point there was no drag anymore.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Hello all,

Thanks to all that replied to my last post. A couple of comments:

1. Good point about possibly tightening up on their own after the initial installation and setting the drag. I'll check them to see how much they drag.

2. I didn't remove or modify the axles in any way. I just installed completely new brake assemblies and grease seals. They only can go in one direction so I am confident they didn't get installed backwards.

3. I am not sure about locking up the brakes while backing. Is this with an empty trailer (on gravel?) as I know right now that I cannot lock the brakes forward or reverse with 13,000 pounds on the trailer even with the brake controller set to the max setting and the boost set to the highest position.

4. I always monitor my wheel temperatures on the trailer and truck when towing to get a jump on anything that may be going bad. As I recall my trailer wheels were a little warmer after the rebuild. I seem to recall they were running about 145 degrees. Is that too hot?

5. I'll loosen the brakes until there is no drag and see if that improves my truck's performance.

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions. Ever since I lost my brakes when my loaded trailer plug jiggled loose on the Interstate in the middle of the city I take trailer brakes very seriously. It was one of, if not the most scariest, events I have ever had in my 42 years of driving.

Did you ever check the amp draw on the brakes?