Forum Discussion

mrad's avatar
mrad
Explorer II
Sep 19, 2021

Question on 5th wheel brakes

I'm wondering if I have an issue with the brakes on my 2015 cyclone toy hauler.

When I arrive at my campsite, and back in, I manually turn on my trailer brakes for the last couple of feet to take the pressure off of the king pin so I can easily unhook my pull rite auto slide. However, the trailer does not seem to offer any resistance. I am finding that I have to put a block under one of the tires on the cyclone to relieve the pressure. Is there something wrong with my braking system?

i have a 2013 Chevy 3500 with a built-in brake controller
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Sep 19, 2021
    ALWAYS block the wheels before unhooking no matter anything else. ALWAYS use blocks. I've seen an uhhook without blocking.. Thankfully it did not make it all the way to the lake before something stopped it.
  • RAS43's avatar
    RAS43
    Explorer III
    Sep 19, 2021
    I do not believe that drum brakes have much stopping action in reverse do to the design. And as mentioned, traveling a few feet wouldn't engage them much.Disc brakes could be stronger.
  • 12th_Man_Fan's avatar
    12th_Man_Fan
    Explorer
    Sep 19, 2021
    I think it will take more than a couple of feet for the brakes to activate. Trailer brakes are slower to activate than an automobile.
  • jdc1's avatar
    jdc1
    Explorer II
    Sep 19, 2021
    You should be able to stop the the trailer manually going forward or backwards.

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