Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Don't Work Well and Don't Work At all In Reverse
Question:
Hi when I manually control my brakes its a big delay and no permanent stop in the trailer, also in reverse the manually control is non existing. Im not getting good stopping power on my trailer. Can you give me an idea about this problem
asked by: Montrail
Expert Reply:
Do you have an electric over hydraulic trailer that has surge brake assemblies? That's probably a long shot, but there is a chance that your brake assemblies are free backing assemblies that allow the trailer to move in reverse with the brakes applied. This is normally a setup used for surge brake trailers.
Otherwise you will want to first test the brake output circuit of your vehicle 7-way for voltage when the manual override is applied. With a trustworthy friend you will want to check for voltage on this pin with the vehicle in reverse and the manual override slid. If the voltage is there with the vehicle in reverse then you know the problem is on the trailer side. My opinion is that the brake assemblies are some how damaged and this is causing the weak brake performance and preventing them from working in reverse.
You will want to remove the hubs from the trailer and inspect the assemblies looking for any worn or broken parts. Also check the hubs for damage or discoloration.
