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Brakes grabbing

Tyler0215
Explorer
Explorer
Today while cruising along about 60 mph, I suddenly felt the trailer jerk once, pretty hard, about 1/4 mile later another jerk, not so bad. Then everything felt fine for about another mile or so an the engine bogged down, then everything was fine. ten miles later we hit a red light and the brakes worked fine, but SMOKE from the right side or the trailer wheels. Pulled into an Autozone lot across the street.
I used a thermometer to check if the problem was one brake or all. All four brakes were about 195 to 210 f.
We waited about twenty minutes, pulled forward and it seemed as if the brakes were free. Went about six blocks and felt rhe brakes grabbing again when not applied. Stopped again for about twenty minutes and found a nearby campground less than rwo miles away. We drove there without a problem, but what do we do next? We are in Ft Stockton Tx. No RV shop nearby.
30 REPLIES 30

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Explorer III
Tyler0215 wrote:
Follow up
Went to a trailer repair shop. Installed new break away switcch. Brakes are working fine now.I will check each individual wheel when I get home and check for good ground and chafed wires.


Hopefully that fixes it.

Makes sense, breakaway switches are heavily exposed to weather and it is possible with heavy soaking rain can get past the rubber oring and fill up the switch cavity with water.. Water sloshes as you drive and makes good enough connection to short the two contact fingers inside the switch which allows full battery voltage to be applied to brakes..

Sort of surprised that did not lock and slide the wheels on you though..

Tyler0215
Explorer
Explorer
Follow up
Went to a trailer repair shop. Installed new break away switcch. Brakes are working fine now.I will check each individual wheel when I get home and check for good ground and chafed wires.

MFL
Nomad II
Nomad II
^^JR...no sense to dig a deeper hole, just reread my last two posts. You were correct, you have no idea, nor do I on the info given.

Now you asked me to explain my earlier reply. I did...you still are not comprehending what I said. "Even a light touch to the BRAKE PEDAL", can cause the issue I described.

You obviously have never replaced wiring inside the axle tube, when needed. The chafing to wire inside, leaving lots of bare wire, will shock you! I have BTDT, so I'm speaking of personal experience. Have owned 4 RVs, and a dozen other type trailers.

Trailer lights are an easy fix, for anyone that can understand what is normally a simple ground problem. Anyone can service a couple slow moving, small, lawn equipment trailers.

BTW...your house payments must be really small, that you can make them, by helping someone get their trailer lights working. That is good, if you are not taking advantage of friends or relatives by overcharging.

Now, we will wait for further info from OP, unless YOU have another question, but best not to hijack the thread at this point!

Jerry

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
canoe on top wrote:
Check brake light switch.

IF it's an old school brake unit triggered off the brake light switch.
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JRscooby
Explorer II
Explorer II
MFL wrote:
JRscooby wrote:
MFL wrote:
Hey JR, this is a common issue, but normally takes at least a light touch of pedal, that can result with braking similar to pulling the pin. Very aggressive, tires chirp/maybe smoke. As Grit mentioned, turning the gain way down will help, but braking will be diminished.

It starts mostly intermittent, due to the wiring moving/bouncing inside the tube.

Quick fix..cut the wires going through tube, and run new cross wire outside the tube.


Sorry, I do not have enough info to tell the OP what the problem is.


Lol, you should have just stopped there, while you still were correct!!


Well, over the years I have made house payments going out to help the people that must get trailer lights working so they can leave. For the last 8 years I have maintained a fleet of lawn maintenance trailers. And all that time I have never seen a trailer that had more than 2 conductors going to the wheels. In every case, 1 is ground, the other gets power only when the brakes should be applied.
Now the OP can do what he wants, but the only way the wires inside the axle can cause a brake to lock at random is some cut and run new wire clown has put a hot wire inside the axle. Without power from somewhere contacting a wire that goes to the magnet, power will not apply the brake. It is possible a bad spring inside the drum could cause trouble, but much more likely a short where the brake wire is close to another wire that has power.
If the OP was having trouble with brakes not applying when should, I would suggest he check for voltage and ground every connection. If was good before going into axle, then nothing at wheel end, then and only then would I consider replacing, or less likely bypassing, the wire inside axle. (More likely, I would disconnect at each end, so could pull enough to make repair where wire goes thru housing. Wire inside the tube is pretty well protected) But for brake grabbing or coming on at random? Problem ain't in axle. And Cut and Run New will not solve the issue

MFL
Nomad II
Nomad II
JRscooby wrote:
MFL wrote:
Hey JR, this is a common issue, but normally takes at least a light touch of pedal, that can result with braking similar to pulling the pin. Very aggressive, tires chirp/maybe smoke. As Grit mentioned, turning the gain way down will help, but braking will be diminished.

It starts mostly intermittent, due to the wiring moving/bouncing inside the tube.

Quick fix..cut the wires going through tube, and run new cross wire outside the tube.


Sorry, I do not have enough info to tell the OP what the problem is.


Lol, you should have just stopped there, while you still were correct!!

opnspaces
Navigator II
Navigator II
Sound like something in intermittently applying your brakes. Do you by chance use your left foot on the brake pedal? I've seen people burn up their brake pads because they rest their left foot on the pedal.

Check that the emergency brake cable and pin is not pulled.

Find a mobile RV tech to come pull the wheels and inspect the brakes to make sure nothing is broken.

as said earlier, turn the gain way down on the controller or snip the brake wire between the 7 pin and the axle. Then drive carefully to an RV shop to get it repaired.
.
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canoe_on_top
Explorer
Explorer
Check brake light switch.

JRscooby
Explorer II
Explorer II
MFL wrote:
Hey JR, this is a common issue, but normally takes at least a light touch of pedal, that can result with braking similar to pulling the pin. Very aggressive, tires chirp/maybe smoke. As Grit mentioned, turning the gain way down will help, but braking will be diminished.

It starts mostly intermittent, due to the wiring moving/bouncing inside the tube.

Quick fix..cut the wires going through tube, and run new cross wire outside the tube.


Sorry, I do not have enough info to tell the OP what the problem is. But what I can say is unless a cut and run more wires "tech" has really screwed up already the problem is NOT a short in the axle. Unless something is wrong elsewhere, the only time current flows in/out of axle is when break-way or controller signals apply the brakes. Now there can be a short 2 ways; brake wire to axle. The magnet does not get power/shoes don't move to drum/brake does not work. Or brake wire to ground wire. The magnet does not get power/shoes don't move to drum/brake does not work.
The 3rd, and most common issue is a broken wire (brake or ground) in that case the magnet does not get power/shoes don't move to drum/brake does not work.
As the OP is not saying the brakes are failing to apply, the issue is not wires in axle

If I was tasked with fixing I would first ask if any trailer lights on. I suspect that the issue is the brake wire is getting power from someplace it should not, most likely in the plug.

MFL
Nomad II
Nomad II
Hey JR, this is a common issue, but normally takes at least a light touch of pedal, that can result with braking similar to pulling the pin. Very aggressive, tires chirp/maybe smoke. As Grit mentioned, turning the gain way down will help, but braking will be diminished.

It starts mostly intermittent, due to the wiring moving/bouncing inside the tube.

Quick fix..cut the wires going through tube, and run new cross wire outside the tube.

JRscooby
Explorer II
Explorer II
MFL wrote:
^Agree more info, year of trailer also. Often times a trailer with lots of use/miles, can have brake wires shorting inside the axle, due to worn wire insulation.

Jerry


Can you explain how "wires shorting inside the axle" can cause a brake to grab?

MFL
Nomad II
Nomad II
^Agree more info, year of trailer also. Often times a trailer with lots of use/miles, can have brake wires shorting inside the axle, due to worn wire insulation.

Jerry

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
What kind of trailer? What kind of brakes? Can’t help much without any info.
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afidel
Explorer II
Explorer II
Get your bearings repacked ASAP after you figure out the cause. We had a stuck brake coming down a hill where we couldn't stop. Got it corrected and looked for a shop that could repack the bearings, almost made it but had a blowout 40 miles short. If you can't find a shop very near to you I'd try to find a mobile tech to do it. Btw it doesn't have to be an RV shop, we eventually got ours done by a tire shop that does big rigs as they had high bay doors, trailer shops that handle boat or commercial trailers are also an option.
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corvettekent
Explorer
Explorer
Make sure that your break a way switch has not been pulled out.
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