Replacement Electric Drum Brake for 1997 Pace American Car Hauler Trailer

Question:

Recently aquired this 1997 pace american car hauler 20ft i wanted to test trailer brakes and found all 3 wheels lock and stop properly. the left front when applied only hums and thats it. I hear the drum dragging even before brakes are applied could a magnet be the cause of just a hum and not enguaging?

asked by: Michael

Expert Reply:

It is normal for an electric drum brake magnet to hum when it is receiving 12V power from your brake controller. However, since you hear the drum dragging on the brake shoes even before you apply the brakes this suggest a mechanical failure in that one brake. Chances are it is not the magnet causing your trouble but is more likely to be a broken spring or damaged brake shoe.

I suggest you pull that hub and inspect the brake. You may want to pull the other wheel on that same side so you have a working brake to use for visual comparison. This may make it easier to find the problem in the one bad brake.

We do offer all sorts of replacement parts for brakes but with the cost of a complete new brake assembly being so close to the cost of even just a few parts you may want to save yourself the time and hassle and simply replace the brake.

You can use the linked page to choose a left-hand brake. Be sure to match your axle capacity, drum size and mounting bolt pattern. For instance, for a 10 x 2-1/4-inch left brake for a 3500-lb axle that has a 4-bolt brake flange use # AKEBRK-35L-SA

expert reply by: Adam R