Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes That Are Weak Even After Adjusting Them

Question:

I have a 2021 Heartland Sundance bunk house travel trailer. It has 10” brakes. The brakes are really weak, even with my brake controller turned up all the way. It’s been this way since I bought it brand new. I adjusted the brakes, but this did not help. I’ve taken it back to the dealer three times for the brakes, but there no help. They’re really good at selling RVs but not so great at everything else that goes along with a RV dealership. I’ve checked the voltage at the magnets with the controller turned all the way up, and it’s 10.6. The wire gauge is probably smaller than it should be, but I don’t feel like a full 12 volts would make that much difference. What else should I be checking for?

asked by: Tyler C

Expert Reply:

The wire that should be getting used needs to be 10AWG. Typically when you've already adjusted your brakes, and everything else checks out it's the wire being used that is the issue as it is not rated for amperage needed for the brakes.

We do sell the wire you need # 10-1-1 and it is sold by the foot, so if you need 4 feet, you'll need to buy 4 of them.

I recommend beefing up the wiring first and seeing if that helps. If that still doesn't help, then feel free to come back and we can try something else.

expert reply by: Bryce D