If you have electric brakes, disconnect the electrical connection from the tow vehicle. If they are hydraulic brakes make sure the trailer is not positioned so that it is pointed down a hill. If it is and it is connected to the tow vehicle, the weight of the trailer can push in actuator and apply pressure to the brakes.
Once you have the hubs removed you are going to want to inspect the inside surfaces where the pads touch and where the magnet (if electric) attaches (the armature surface).... view full answer...
Properly-adjusted trailer drum brakes should apply enough drum pressure to put some noticeable drag on the hub as you rotate the wheel by hand. You should hear and feel drag but still be able to rotate the tire.
Self-adjusting brakes require an initial manual setting, after which they will automatically TIGHTEN as needed but they will NOT automatically loosen if the initial setting was too tight. Odds are your one brake was simply set too tight at the start. You can use a brake spoon tool... view full answer...
If your brakes are still good you can just replace the hub and drum assembly. What you should do is check the drum and try and see or feel if there are any grooves on the inside of the drum. If there are then that would be the issue and you would need to replace the assembly. Based on your previous info, a 5,200 lb axle with Bearings # 25580, # LM67048 and Grease Seal # GS-2250DL, you will need the Dexter Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly - 5,200-lb Axles - 12" - 6 on 5-1/2 # K08-201-97. view full answer...
The interior surface of a hub/drum will develop some rust almost immediately after exposure to the outside world. You may have noticed after your last new vehicle purchase that rust on the front brake discs will start to appear almost as soon as you get it in the driveway. This is normal.
The concern is that your brushing and sanding efforts could potentially have scored the drum surface. This surface needs to be very smooth in order to allow for proper contact with the brake magnet. Fine... view full answer...
For the drum what you are going to want to look at is discoloration where the pads make contact with the drum and the armature surface which is where the magnet makes contact with the inside of the drum.
Discoloration means that the metal is damaged and the hub and drum assembly would need to be replaced. In some cases some brake brake shops can turn a drum but it seems that less and less places are doing that.
Both pictures came through. The brakes look like they may have taken some... view full answer...
It sounds like the brake assembly got stuck and would not revert back after releasing the truck brakes. This could happen if there is a mechanical issue such as debris or corrosion causing the mechanism to bind up, or it could be an electrical issue such as a short that caused the magnet to stay stuck to the armature surface inside the drum.
You will want to pull the hub and drum assembly off and inspect the inside of the drum. If the armature surface is gouged or discolored or if the... view full answer...
The fact that your two brake drums are operating at such different temperatures tells us that at least one of them is having a problem. The 200-degree heat you measured on one of the drums on the trailer axle could be related to the brake assembly being either damaged or misadjusted; or it could indicate a problem with the bearings in that hub. High heat can indicate either inadequate lubrication in the hubs or damaged bearings, which tend to run hotter as they age and wear out.
If the... view full answer...
Sounds like you are looking for the trailer hub/drum part # 8-407-5UC3-EZ which is for 4,400 lb axles, has the 6 bolt pattern wheel bolt pattern and also is the 8-407 you mentioned. view full answer...
Trailer breakaway batteries are usually rated for 5-amp-hours and are designed to keep your four brake assemblies engaged for 15-minutes in the event of an accidental disconnect.
The only way the breakaway battery could heat up your drums is if it kept the brakes engaged as you drove. In the same way, if there were a short in the vehicle or trailer wiring that somehow let your 12V power feed reach the brake circuit, which would also keep the brakes engaged. Either way you would probably... view full answer...
With your boat trailer, removing the actuator would not have caused the brakes to apply. It sounds like there is a mis-adjustment with the assembly due to either the springs or adjuster spacer not engaging correctly. I assume the lack of pressure in the wheel cylinder likely meant shifting of the brake shoes and causing misalignment. I recommend removing the hub and then removing the brake shoes, springs, and adjuster. This will remove any braking issues causing rubbing/grinding. I... view full answer...
The brakes should still work fairly well. The magnets, when energized, cling to the armature surface of the drum and the rotations of the drum pull the magnet which then pushes out the shoes to make contact with the drum. If the brakes seem weak then you could adjust them out to be a little more aggressive to compensate for the little bit of the magnet not making contact with the drum. And if that still is not enough then you would need to replace the drums. view full answer...
If your trailer's hub/drum does not want to come off the spindle odds are that it is the brake shoes that are causing that friction. You can indeed adjust the brake star wheel to release the pressure on the pads. Another albeit extreme possibility is that excessive heat on the inner bearing damaged/fused it to the spindle, but if this were the case you would probably have noted that same heat damage on the outer bearing too. A gentle rocking motion often helps get the hub free of the spindle. view full answer...
On a trailer as large and heavy as a tandem-axle 40-footer you really do want all four hubs delivering braking force.
Wheel bearing grease, or oil from an oil-bath type hub, can certainly damage drum brakes. Usually such leakage will cause reduction in braking power because the grease/oil reduces the pad-to-drum friction that provides the braking force. Grease- or oil-contaminated brake assemblies do need to be replaced; it is not really possible to clean them out properly if they actually... view full answer...
First, thank you for your recent purchases from etrailer.
The Dexter brakes you selected, 10- x 2-1/4-inch Dexter manual-adjust electric drum brakes # 23-26 and # 23-27, are the only width size in a 10-inch diameter. These are intended for a 3500-lb axle.
The brake magnet coil, or armature, is intended to contact the brake drum's inside surface at all times. It is normal for the brake magnet to extend outwards away from the trailer a bit and beyond the edge of the brake shoes. This is... view full answer...
The Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors part # BB1980A-SS are indeed correct for the etrailer Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly part # AKHD-545-35-EZ-K. Have you noticed any grease on the outside of your wheels/tires? If grease was leaking out of the Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors then there would be grease all over your wheels and tires. It wouldn't just fly off either so you should notice it if present.
If there isn't any grease on the outside of your wheels/tires then odds are it is leaking... view full answer...
A bad shock/damper and over adjusted brakes could be the cause of your problem.
However, I would start off by checking to make sure that the spindle nut wasn't tightened down too tightly after replacing the bearings and seals. You should tighten the spindle nut until it is tight and then back it off one 1/4 turn.
If this doesn't correct your problem, you could try backing off of the pad adjustment to see if this will help. view full answer...
It probably isn't the drum that is the problem. It is probably the wheel. Some wheels have an offset meaning the mounting surface of the wheel is not right at the center. In this case the mounting surface would be further away from the trailer which moves the tire closer.
You can determine if it is the wheel by taking it off the trailer and comparing it to one of the other wheels. To do this lie the wheels face down on the ground. Lay a flat board or yardstick across the tire on each of... view full answer...
The process to test the brake magnets on a trailer does require you to remove the hub/drums, there is no way around this unfortunately. However, testing the brake magnets which can be see in the attached article is really only a last ditch effort. I would first start off by resetting the brake controller which can be done by unplugging if from the vehicle and then waiting 15 minutes or so before plugging it back in. If you still have issues then trace the blue brake output wire from the... view full answer...
It's possible that the heat buildup is being created by a worn out magnet on your brakes dragging on the drum surface; if you've inspected and greased the bearings and it's still happening this seems to be the most likely culprit. Turning the drums could be one way to solve this, but you could also change the brake magnets. You may want to test them out and inspect them; I've linked a helpful video and article we did on testing brake magnets if you're not familiar with the process.
If... view full answer...
When the pulsing occurs do you have a turn signal on while braking? If so then what could be happening is current from the turn signal/brake light circuit is shorting to the brake output circuit within either the vehicle or trailer side connector. Make sure that the vehicle and trailer side connectors are clean and free of corrosion inside, where the wires attach, and outside on the pins.
Your trailer also may need to have the brakes adjusted, replaced, or there could be a problem with... view full answer...
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