Trailer brakes weak, a few questions:
32 foot TT, about 7000 pounds plus our gear and stuff: I've noticed the brakes are underperforming substantially. Got the gain on the Prodigy turned all the way up, when I grab the lever and throw ...
Forum Discussion
Trailer brakes are actuated by magnets dragging on the inside of the brake drum. The amount of force can be measured with an ampmeter. The draw for fully applied brakes is a little over 3 amps per brake. You can add an ampmeter in series with the wire from the controller on your dash to the brakes on the trailer. There should be a leveler on the controller that allows you to manually apply the brakes.
Some are self adjusting and many are not. They can be adjusted with a standard spoon from the days when brake drums were used. You'd need to pull the drum to see what you have. Take measurements of the width of the shoes and the diameter of the drums as well as checking to see if they're self adjusting while you're looking.
The brake shoes and magnets do wear out and need replacing. The easiest way to do that is to replace the whole backing plate. That gives you new shoes, magnets and all new hardware.
There's lots of information here as well as decent prices:
https://www.easternmarine.com/trailer-brakes
https://www.easternmarine.com/electric-trailer-brake-assemblies
Some are self adjusting and many are not. They can be adjusted with a standard spoon from the days when brake drums were used. You'd need to pull the drum to see what you have. Take measurements of the width of the shoes and the diameter of the drums as well as checking to see if they're self adjusting while you're looking.
The brake shoes and magnets do wear out and need replacing. The easiest way to do that is to replace the whole backing plate. That gives you new shoes, magnets and all new hardware.
There's lots of information here as well as decent prices:
https://www.easternmarine.com/trailer-brakes
https://www.easternmarine.com/electric-trailer-brake-assemblies
