Trailer Brake Assemblies are Upside Down and on the Wrong Sides of the Axles

Question:

I have purchased a used three axle trailer,15000, Dexter,it seems that all three axles are in up side down ,180 and the adjustment and magnet are at the top not at the bottom. the right side looking from the back forward had all left side breaks and the left side had right side brakes in stalled. My question is 1 do I have to pull the axles and rotate the sides or can i just loosen the U bolts and rotate the axle 180 to allow the magnet and adjustment to be on the bottom. Or can I perches new complete brake assemblies put the left on the left side and right on the right side . or how do I deal with this issue do I put left on left with magnets on top, I am lost on how to deal with this mess I have found my self in. all guidance will be help full thank you

asked by: Frederick K

Expert Reply:

No problem, we can get this sorted out. The first thing I want you to look at are the centers of the axles. Round trailer axles have a bow in them so the centers of the axles should be higher than the ends. When weight is put on them they straighten out. That is part of how they get their capacity.

If the axles on your trailer are upside down then the bows would be pointed down. It is possible the previous owner literally flipped the axles and that could be why the brakes are upside down and on the wrong sides. The solution to this is to flip the axles back over so everything is on the correct side and the axle bows are pointed up.

If the axle bows are pointed up then really all you have to do is pull the hubs and move the brake assemblies to the proper sides. You would not spin the axles 180 degrees because then the axle bows would be facing down and the spring seats on the axles would not be in the right places. You can get new brake assemblies if you want but if the ones you have are in good shape there is no reason to replace them.

If each of the axles is literally rated for 15,000 pounds then you can use brake assembly # 23-447 for the right side and # 23-446 for the left side. But if the whole trailer is rated for 15,000 pounds gross then you would need different brakes and I would need to know the inner diameter of the drum and the width of the surface where the shoe pad material makes contact (see picture).

expert reply by: Michael H