Trailer Brakes are On All the Time Using Dexter Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator

Question

Question:

Have this unit on a boat trailer. Brakes are riding even with power disconnected. Any advice would be great fully appreciated.

asked by: Scott T

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

When brakes are adjusted out properly there will be a slight but constant drag of the pad material on the rotor or drum. If the brakes are actually being applied then there is either an electrical issue with the actuator # K71-651 or something wrong in the hydraulic lines.

The first thing I recommend doing is bleeding the trailer brakes by following the bleeding instructions for the actuator.

As far as electrical issues if your trailer has a breakaway battery then that is the only thing that could be supplying power to the actuator when the trailer is not connected to the tow vehicle. To see if that is the issue you can disconnect the breakaway battery and see if the brakes release. If so then there could be a short from a damaged or pinched wire. Otherwise it is an internal problem with the actuator that would have to be serviced by Dexter.

expert reply by: Michael H

1

Answer 1

Yes, when hooked up to the tow vehicle your Dexter DX Series Electric Over Hydarulic Brake Actuator #K71-651 will be getting 12 volts of constant power from the black power wire. This is completely normal and would be the case with any brand/model…

view full answer...

Answer 2

That fluid has to be going somewhere! What you can do is have someone activate the manual override on the brake controller in the vehicle cab while checking for leaks. Make sure the reservoir is full though. If it is not leaking at a line or…

view full answer...

Answer 3

There could be a couple things happening here with the setup after you re-built the Dexter DX Series Electric Over Hydraulic Brake Actuator part #K71-651 for Disc Brakes. There could be an issue with the check valve in the actuator which is not…

view full answer...

Answer 4

I spoke with my contact at Dexter and when I explained to him your situation he said you are totally fine. He said that the actuators will be totally fine if they were temporarily ran dry.

view full answer...

Answer 5

The manual lockout on your Atwood 85778 surge brake coupler is there so that you can back up the trailer without the brakes locking up on you. Yes you can safely tow your trailer with the broken manual lockout, you just have to make sure you…

view full answer...

Answer 6

Hey David, from previous customers of ours who have the same 2020 Keystone Raptor 424 we have determined that your pin box style is the Lippert 1621 which means for a Gen-Y gooseneck adapter you'd want the #GY58GR that you referenced.

view full answer...

Answer 7

Instead of using the Hydraulic Brake Kit #AKFBBRK-35-D which requires using 14"-16" wheels you should use the Dexter Galphorite Free-Backing Hydraulic Trailer Brake Assembly Right #T4423400 and Left #T4423500. These will fit with your…

view full answer...

Answer 8

If you are needing the hub and drum assembly then you will want to go with the Dexter Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly #8-201-5UC3-EZ but if you are just looking for an idler hub then you will want part #8-213-5UC1 instead. These come with the correct…

view full answer...