Failed Trailer Axle Brakes ... Near Miss!

[SPIKER]

I ALWAYS CHECK it is actually LAW that you check you're brakes , lights and all when hooking up the trailer here. if you are caught with no lights then you get a ticket (as in fine) if you have one burnt out it is a warning ticket which doesn't cost except for the fix... Brakes should to be set (slide power indicator on most new style controllers) so that the LOADED WEIGHT (truck trailer & whatever on it) will stop by the trailer brakes only (while ideling truck in gear 2~5 mph speed with in some distance I belive it is 50 feet is what the last controller I bought said) anyhow a dragging brake controller set incorrectly will burn up your brakes pretty fast but in 5k miles? we burnt up tires that fast on one... kept locking them up rather than simple braking it would lock em or do very little, it was a cheap controller as a new one fixed the problem.

MarkM /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Nat]

Scozz, I'd check the ground anyway. On one of our trailers the lights all worked but no brakes, son and I kept checking with a multimeter and found that if I had my hand on the trailer frame while the brakes were applied I could see the meter move. Long storu short it was the ground . We sanded the area and installed a new ground and then painted it over and no more problems. Now any time we have a light or brake problem the first and second thing I check is the ground

 

[Bully]

okeedon, I believe that if you did a brake conversion from drum to disc you would also have to install a surge coupler. I have not seen an electric caliper.

 

[Bird]

I don't disagree with what the other guys said, but back to your original question </font><font color="blue" class="small">( Are electric trailer brakes adjustable? )</font> Yes, they are, although it would seem a big unlikely for that to be the problem. They can be adjusted, just as on the old cars with drum brakes, with a brake spoon to turn the star wheel through the slot at the bottom of the backing plate. Assuming they are not disc brakes, of course.

 

[GoodGuy]

Sorry Man, i feel for Ya !!
Gotta love friends like that !!
I don't have a trailer yet & I had to move my tractor a while back & a friend said to take his. I politely declined & went to u-haul & rented one for $69 for the day. Call me weird/crazy, but when I rent something, I don't owe anybody anything in return as well as any hard feelings if I were to do some sort of damage. Just me but when someone does something for me, I'm indebted to return the favor & unfortunitly it seems like the return favor costs me a whole lot more than if I hadn't accepted it in the beginning. As far as insurance goes here, if they payout on a claim, your insurance goes up the following year regardless of the amount of time you've been driving without incident. A fact of life, although it isn't right in my book. This doesn't help your situation but thought I'd share my thoughts....
Keep Smilin, Nobody Hurt !!

 

[SPIKER]

OH on that "Will my insurance go up" Undouptadly, my woman had the same company when she was REAR ENDED by a DRUNK while she was settign still at a stop light, yes drunk had some insurance about 7500 total worth! so her insurance had to pay all the extras needed such as what wasn't covered by the drunk, (whom had nothing but a continous string of drunk accidents and DUI's) the drunk got a grand total of 3 days in jail and a 500 fine! (this was after 7 in ohio duis and 5 in FLA with I belive 8 accidents in there!!!! anyhow her (my womans) insurance went up too!!! she called and complained so they decided that they better not raise it for her at THAT time, though 6 months later they said it was a cost adjustment for general increases and it was something like 200 more a month! so she switched to ALLSTATE which is what I have and what she had on her house...

MarkM /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Joe1]

If the brakes gradually failed to work, it's possible, they are just out of adjustment and, as bird stated, usually can be adjusted with a star wheel adjuster. It wouldn't hurt to pull the wheels to check for broken springs, etc that might be causing the brakes to drag and wear out prematurely. If they were not properly adjusted initially, it's not unreasonable to think they simply wore down quickly and may be OK with a simple and correct adjustment.

 

[Bird]

One of my brothers in the RV repair business did a brake job on a fifth-wheel travel trailer Monday. He told me Wednesday that everything was thoroughly worn out; linings, magnets, etc. and that now Dexter has kits with everything already assembled on a new backing plate; makes for a quick and easy brake job.

 

[Scozz]

Found the brake problem today. I flipped the axles on the trailer today to gain some height on it (it was too low to the ground). Both axles had pinched the brake wires from a heavy load on the trailer (glad I raised it!) and killed power to the brakes. At least it was an easy fix, thank God no one was hurt! ... Happy New Year All ... Scozz

 

[Bird]

Glad you found it, Scozz. On one trip to Alaska, my brother lost the brakes on his travel trailer and we found that the wires were routed inside the axle tubes, and time and vibration had worn some insulation off so they shorted out in there; just had to run new wires to fix it.