Troubleshooting Weak Electric Trailer Brakes

Question

Question:

Ugh... I read a number of your advice on this issue, but still havent nailed down my problem. Gooseneck tandem trailer, with all wheel 10inch electric brakes. I was having intermittent weak issues prior, but just installed all new Dexter brake assemblies and drums. They are two wire setup, with ground going back to truck. After installing all new, I adjusted brakes until wheel would spin, and then backed off three pull downs on screwdriver about 6 clicks. Wheels turned freely. Upon testing, I see that they wont hold. When I manually applied brakes with the controller, they barely hold the truck, and arent close to being locked. I tried the emergency brake on the trailer, and it will hold the truck in drive, but rolls easily with a little gas. I have 12.9 volts at the truck side plug, using the ground on the plug. With the brakes disconnected, I have 12.5 volts on the primary wire prior to the first brake. However, as soon as I connect a brake, the voltage reading s below 9 volts. This happens regardless of which brake or number of brakes I connect. This also reads the same whether I use the ground wire on the trailer, or an auxiliary straight back to the ground on the truck battery. Is this normal? Is there a symptom here that means anything? Where do I go now?

asked by: Dale L

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Expert Reply:

For your electric brake assemblies, the first thing to note is that your ground on your brake magnets should be directly to the trailer frame. Each assembly should have the power from the wiring connection direct as well as the other wire of the magnet attached to the frame bare metal to metal with no corrosion or debris. The voltage you are getting on your 5 o'clock trailer pin looks good. When you hit the manual override, you should get even more of a boost.

The emergency brake away and the brake controller are not intended to lock up your wheels. They should apply pressure to the brake magnets to gradually slow down the trailer. Your truck most likely has the torque to pull any trailer with brakes applied, so that isn't an issue.

When adjusting your brakes, the wheels should spin, but they should have a very slight drag you can hear when adjusted properly. I've attached a video to assist.

expert reply by: Jason S

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Answer 1

Most brakes also require a (break-in) period. Dexter says to get up to about 20-30 mph and use the manual override several times. They may also feel weak breaking because it is recommended to let the brakes (seat) into the hub for the first 200 miles…

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Answer 2

I'll need to know the inner and outer wheel bearing reference numbers and wheel bolt pattern. With that information, I can recommend replacement bearings, seals, brake assemblies and hub/drums. You'll also want to carefully examine the…

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Answer 3

A 5,200 lb EZ lube hub spindle is going to take the part #GS-2250DL for a grease seal. This seal has an inner diameter of 2.25 inches and an outer diameter of 3.376 inches.

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Answer 4

What typically is the case for trailer brake shoe replacements is that it makes more sense to just replace the entire assembly instead of the shoes. Reason being the price is almost the same typically, the install is much less involved since assembly…

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Answer 5

The Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Electric Trailer Brake Kit - 10" - Left and Right Hand Assemblies - 3.5K #23-468-469 are not designed to be manually adjusted in the way you are describing. There isn't really a way to back off the adjustment because…

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Answer 6

The Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Trailer Brakes #23-464-465 for 7,000 lb axles are very high quality and other brake shoes wouldn't be an upgrade. What will affect the life of the pad is how often the brakes are used, if they are frequently halting heavy…

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Answer 7

The Dexter Electric Brake Kit for 4 Bolt or 5 Bolt Flange #23-105-106-09 is designed to work with 6000lb axles with the AL-KO/Hayes 4 bolt flange, and will more than likely not work with your 3500lb axle since it more than likely uses the standard 4…

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Answer 8

The mounting flange bolt pattern for the Dexter Electric Brake Kit for 4 Bolt or 5 Bolt Flange #23-105-106-09 measures 3-1/8" between the top two holes, 2-1/2" between the lower two holes, and 3-3/8" between the top and bottom holes.…

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Answer 9

You want to adjust your new brake assembly, like part #23-105-106, so that when you spin your tire/wheel you feel a little bit of drag. If you don't have any drag then your trailer braking will be weak but if you have a lot of drag then your…

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Answer 10

Selecting a replacement electric drum brake assembly requires you to match a few characteristics of your existing assembly. The Dexter brake you referenced, part #23-106, is a 12 x 2-inch right-hand (passenger side) electric brake with a 5-bolt…

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Answer 11

A 14-1/2 inch wheel is the smallest diameter wheel that will work with a 12 inch brake drum. If you try to go smaller, the drum won't fit into the wheel far enough for the wheel studs to go through the wheel. If you're needing a wheel with a…

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Answer 12

Having already done adjustments and replaced multiple parts, you've really ruled out potential mechanical causes here. A next step would be to look at the electrical side of things. Specifically I would look at connection points in the wiring on…

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