Poor Braking on Jayco 90 Pop-Top Camper Caused By Brake Assemblies on Wrong Sides

Question:

Hi, I bought a 1989 Jayco 90 series caravan that has had electric brakes fitted. The brakes didn’t seem to be working very well so I bought new magnets for both wheels. I noticed that the magnets are at the tops of the hubs and not at the bottom like the ones shown on the Internet. The Parking / Over Ride brake cable goes in the bottom and the brake adjuster is at top. The Hubs have AL-KO written on them. Does this mean that the brakes were installed incorrectly? Do the Hubs have to be changed over to other side and turned up the other way? I hope you will let me know the answer to these questions.

asked by: Bill

Helpful Expert Reply:

From what you describe, it sounds like the brake assemblies you have are installed upside down or on the wrong side of the trailer. The magnet should be at the bottom of the brake assembly, as well as the brake adjuster. The semicircular bow that the magnet connects to should be on the side of the brake assembly closest to the front of the trailer, as shown in the photo of the drivers side brake assembly that I have edited for you.

If the brake assemblies are on the wrong wheels, the mechanism will not expand as intended and therefore will not provide full braking action. Simply swap the assemblies so that they are on the correct side, and you should notice a dramatic improvement in braking performance.

expert reply by: Mike L