Forum Discussion

fitznj's avatar
fitznj
Explorer
Oct 22, 2015

Are self-adjusting brakes really self-adjusting?

Looking to upgrade(?) from regular manual trailer brakes to the self-adjusting type (Nev-R-Adjust) - I'm tired of crawling under the camper and struggling with the manual adjusters. Brakes work great when adjusted correctly but.......

Like to hear from people who have long-term experience with the self-adjusting brakes.

Do they still work 1 year, 2 years...... after install or do they jam after they get dirty?

(PS - not interested in changing over to discs)

thanks - Gerry

16 Replies

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  • dbbls's avatar
    dbbls
    Explorer
    Oct 22, 2015
    You do not have to back up for the brakes to adjust. Yes, automotive brakes require this but Dexter never adjust brakes adjust while braking going forward.
  • PRodacy's avatar
    PRodacy
    Explorer
    Oct 22, 2015
    They work fine, but you have to back up quite a bit. Going backwards 10 feet once a month isn't going to do it. When cars had self adjusting drum brakes, look how often you backed up and applied the brakes so they'd adjust.
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Oct 22, 2015
    By the time I did the swap I would have disk brakes installed.

    BTW for donn0128, Nev-R-Adjust is forward adjusting.
  • Denny___Jami's avatar
    Denny___Jami
    Explorer
    Oct 22, 2015
    Yes they self adjust, yours worked great until the day I removed them to install disk brakes. It was cheaper to install disks than replace my Dexter HD brake drums and backing plates,they were wore out after 12 years of heavy use.

    Denny
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Oct 22, 2015
    When is the last time you heard of issues with self adjusters in the auto industry? Of course they will never adjust if you never back your trailer up.

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