Testing trailer brake controller....
Been working on this for days. I'm about ready to start screaming. (FYI, I am not in a good mood and any trolls looking to unload shaming or sarcasm or just generally embark on some kind of self-serv...
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One good thing about electric brakes is you actually can apply the brake pedal in the vehicle without the trailer brake drum installed and nothing will be damaged. The brakes are activated by a magnet that rubs on the spinning brake drum and uses a linkage to force the brake shoes into the friction surface. So with no rotating drum nothing happens. Here's a link to a picture of a brake magnet. Brake magnet
For a quick down and dirty test if the drum is off. Have someone hold something metal near the magnet and then go slide the manual lever on the brake controller all the way over. The metal piece should stick to the magnet. If it sticks good and tight you have brakes. It it won't stick then you have a problem. You have to use the manual lever on the brake controller since some will not activate from the brake pedal unless the vehicle is in motion.
For the other wheels that still have tires on them, jack that wheel up and have someone spin it while you apply the manual lever on the brake controller.
For a quick down and dirty test if the drum is off. Have someone hold something metal near the magnet and then go slide the manual lever on the brake controller all the way over. The metal piece should stick to the magnet. If it sticks good and tight you have brakes. It it won't stick then you have a problem. You have to use the manual lever on the brake controller since some will not activate from the brake pedal unless the vehicle is in motion.
For the other wheels that still have tires on them, jack that wheel up and have someone spin it while you apply the manual lever on the brake controller.
