Testing Trailer Brakes with Break Away Cable
Trailer has weak brakes even with controller set to full power. Two trips back to dealer and dealer states brakes work fine and problem is with my vehicle (wiring). I do not believe them. The con...
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Also make sure no AXLE greese may have got on the brake shoes...
I adjust my brake shoes by jacking up the wheel and moving the screwdriver tab using a standard brake adjustmemt tool wrench until the brake shoe just start to drag. This is just like regular brakes adjustments. When you do have a wheel jacked it does take a 1/4 turn of the wheel on my setup before the electric brake kicks into place.
My brakes do quite well. My OFF-=ROAD POPUP trailer weighs in at 4200lbs. I use my trailer brakes all the time using the manual slide lever to stop my truck coming up to a stop sign.. I do this to check my brakes to see if they are still working...
I have measured the brake current using a DC clamp on ampmeter to be around 3 AMPS per brake magnet.
Also on re-stabing the break-away plunger. It only goes in one way and is very hard to push in. Mine makes a loud click when it goes into position.
As others have said don't leave the plunger "out" for any long period of time. It will run down your trailer battery and could do harm to the brake magnet... My brake magnet makes a very low tone when DC power is applied. I can hear this just standing right next to the trailer wheels. Don't know if all of them do this or not. My two trailers here do make the tone noise.
Keep in mind the trailer brakes are suppose to stop the trailer and your truck brakes are suppose to stop the truck. The trailer brakes may not be designed to stop both the truck and trailer with just the trailer brakes being engaged. Lots more weight involved.
Roy Ken
I adjust my brake shoes by jacking up the wheel and moving the screwdriver tab using a standard brake adjustmemt tool wrench until the brake shoe just start to drag. This is just like regular brakes adjustments. When you do have a wheel jacked it does take a 1/4 turn of the wheel on my setup before the electric brake kicks into place.
My brakes do quite well. My OFF-=ROAD POPUP trailer weighs in at 4200lbs. I use my trailer brakes all the time using the manual slide lever to stop my truck coming up to a stop sign.. I do this to check my brakes to see if they are still working...
I have measured the brake current using a DC clamp on ampmeter to be around 3 AMPS per brake magnet.
Also on re-stabing the break-away plunger. It only goes in one way and is very hard to push in. Mine makes a loud click when it goes into position.
As others have said don't leave the plunger "out" for any long period of time. It will run down your trailer battery and could do harm to the brake magnet... My brake magnet makes a very low tone when DC power is applied. I can hear this just standing right next to the trailer wheels. Don't know if all of them do this or not. My two trailers here do make the tone noise.
Keep in mind the trailer brakes are suppose to stop the trailer and your truck brakes are suppose to stop the truck. The trailer brakes may not be designed to stop both the truck and trailer with just the trailer brakes being engaged. Lots more weight involved.
Roy Ken
