Trailer troubles?

[sparkkky]

Hello, got a 12,000lb bumper pull with one brake axle. While my brake is plugged in the light on the brake control lights even with the key off. And the rear tires on the brake axle looks like they have more wear and are different the brands the same but look like different patterns with the same name but front set has a extra LT marking. Trailer is new.

Should the light be on on the controler all the time and why are the tires different.

One side off the brake axle has thrown alittle grease would this be from heat?

 

[NoMo]

Not sure about your particular brake controller, but most have an LED that lights up when the trailer is plugged in. This is so that you know there is a 'good' connection to the trailer.

Tires are different because someone installed different ones???

You shouldn't have grease coming out of any place. If you continue to see leaking, check for a seal that isn't properly installed in the hub.

 

[BarryinMN]

Light on the controller means trailer is attached and hooked up. My light turns green to red indicating brakes are on stopping the trailer. Check your controller manual.

Mixed tires may not be bad however trailer tires are labeled ST (stiffer sidewalls) vs light truck tires are LT. Check the sidewall load rating a 12K trailer should have 10 ply 3085 lb or better.

A bigger caveat is that crossing state lines might mandate brakes on all axles for trailers over 3K lbs. There might be grandfathering wiggle room for a 7K trailer and single axle brakes. Over 10K trailer is a different ballgame.

If you think grease might be missing or on the brake drums pull it & have a look, better now than out on the road somewhere with a load.

 

[sparkkky]

Carried my tractor 500 miles and it looks like the back tires are way more worn. Had to stop and move tractor up more because it was light on the hitch and bobbing around. Does it need to be farther up on the trailer would that wear the tires more?

 

[Highbeam]

Most tandem axle trailers have a link between the two axles which actually loads them both equally. When turning, one of the axles will scrub more than the other and that may cause increased wear on that axle. Perhaps it is time to rotate the tires. I know I would if I was seeing one axle wearing sooner.

 

[john_bud]

Sparky,

This might be an indication that the brakes were not adjusted correctly. Did you level the brake controller (electronically) and adjust the brake energy and delay? You may be skidding the back tires by locking up the brakes. It's a LOT easier to do on trailers with 1 axle having brakes than trailers with brakes on all. Personally, I would buy a kit and get brakes on all, but it's your call.

If you did have the brakes adjusted correctly, you might have one axle cocked to the side so the tires are always skidding. Rare, but it happens.

Oh, did you tend to "feather" the brakes when slowing and stopping? When hauling my tractor around, if I do that the trailer tends to do all the stopping work. I have to be more aggressive on the brakes so that the truck does more stopping. May have been just an operator induced situation. (?)

Weight distribution typically won't affect tire wear patters, unless you grossly overload the one axle or grossly under inflate the tires. I'm guessing that wasn't your issue.

 

[BarryinMN]

You do want to put 10-15% weight on the tongue. On a bumper pull excessive tongue weight squats the rear of the tow vehicle unloading weight on the steer axle. Either too little or too much tongue weight could cause a weave.

Is your trailer a mx of new & used parts? 500 miles with wear showing - something is clearly wrong.

Did you feel the trailer tires & hubs at each gas stop? One or a pair of tires significantly hotter than the others might tell a story - Brakes not dragging? Does the trailer track straight & true? Take the combination down the road and inspect with a second vehicle.

My hefty chipper had old sun rotted tires too hot to touch after 50 miles. I'm certain the axle is bent out of alignment causing the tires to scrub. It also pulls very hard even after allowing the 8' high snout aerodynamics. 40 years bouncing behind a commercial chipper truck takes a toll.

Since it rarely leaves the farm my fix was to buy 2 new tires for it. The tires run hot but not scary hot.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Every trailer I've ever been around has it's own "personality". There's always one set of tires that wear different than the other. When you're turning, you drag (either front pair or rear) one set sideways, since they don't turn with the steering. My 25' gooseneck wears the front pair about 25% faster than the rears. All I can offer is to try rotating the tires every few thousand miles. See if that has any effect.

Single axle brakes will work, provided that axle has the same (or more) weight loaded on it as the other axle. Even with "walking beam axles", that doesn't always happen according to plan. Should the brakes end up on a "light" axle, you'll be dragging them, especially when the trailer is towed empty.

One more bit of advice, based on my experience (and opinion for whatever that's worth) is to adjust the brake bias down when towing a light load or empty trailer. I've seen many an empty trailer smoking the tires when the driver comes to a stop. That leads to flat-spotting the tires, which makes them "bounce" instead of rolling smoothly. A bouncing tire can't make good contact for the next braking. (Shock absorbers on a trailer would HELP correct some of this)

And from a couple bad experiences, trailer tires need to be replaced when they start showing uneven wear. They take a thrashing.

Signs of grease around a trailer brake hub might indicate a failing seal, or come from over-filling hub with wheel bearing grease. Electric brakes do generate quite a bit of heat. (Especially in "city driving")

Don't ignore signs of an impending problem with a trailers wheels, tires, axles, or brakes. It's trying to tell you something isn't right.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Guess you didn't get a chance to READ THE MANUAL which would tell you that the light stays on, and the electric backup (in case the trailer comes undone) brake is being charged all the time it is hooked up to your tow vehicle. The light indicates it's connected and charging the little battery on the trailer.

Apparently you bought a trailer new, but as is often the case, with used tires. Many trailer sellers do this and I've often seen mixed tires. If they are not the same rating and size, change them out immediately for the matching ratings/sizes.

I wouldn't think of running only one brake axle. It's just asking for trouble in my opinion. That's a heavy trailer and it needs two brakes.
John

 

[George2615]

The light on your controller does indicate you have a connection between your tow vehicle and trailer. It will be on as long as its plugged in even if your vehicle is turned off. The controller is wired to the hot (battery) lead as it should be.
When you say trailer is new, do you mean new to you or brand new? Most new double axle trailers come with the same size and tread tires. I thought that any trailer over 10K had to have brakes on both axles. How did you get one with brakes only on one?
If trailer is brand new I'd take it back and ask how they got away with brakes on one axle and why the tires are different. If its a 12K trailer and loaded to capacity brakes on one axle wont do you much good.