Trailer brake issues... need help!

[RoosterXP]

I have a 98 rinker boat with an Eagle trailer. The wheel cylinders were rusted up and shot, didnt work. I put new wheel cylinders on and the brakes do work but i have backed the adjusters as loose as they go and my brakes drag... i pull it and pop the truck in neutral at a slow roll and the trailer stops me, not really abrupt but it does stop me. . i also put a IR temp gun to the drums and they are all of 300 degrees... . these are surge brakes and only susposed to activate when the tounge of the trailer is being pushed in... what can i do to cure this prob?

 

[Hoefler]

Look into your actuator, it may not be releasing completely.

 

[raksasa]

As mentioned by Hoefler, look and see that your actuator is releasing. On my surge brake trailer, with trailer buddy actuator, there is a mechanical toggle switch that needs to be pressed before towing to insure that brakes are released. Also, check that the emergency cable hasn't been pulled if your actuator is equipped with one.

 

[jelag]

The first check is to see if the brake shoe return springs are working and pull the shoes back... .



All master cylinders that supply drum brakes have a 2 lb check valve in the master to keep the fluid from fully returning to the master. . if this valve is clogged or damaged higher than normal pressure will stay in the lines keeping the shoes from returning...



Hope this helps. .

 

[RoosterXP]

wow thanks for the info guys ill check it out today!!

 

[jeepit]

I had a flap of rubber inside the a brake hose actually stop fluid pressure from releasing and it held the brake on slightly as you decsribed. Don't know how this happened but it took a while to find the problem. If all else fails to fix problem check hoses or replace all the rubber ones.

 

[steved]

I had a flap of rubber inside the a brake hose actually stop fluid pressure from releasing and it held the brake on slightly as you decsribed. Don't know how this happened but it took a while to find the problem. If all else fails to fix problem check hoses or replace all the rubber ones.

This is quite common in older dodge trucks... the hoses themselves will swell shut and either not allow the brakes to actuate or not release.

 

[jelag]

Jeepit and Steved have a great point... Its been a long time since I've worked on older hydraulic brakes... . bad hoses that swell from the wrong fluid or break down from age can be an issue... .

 

[RVTRKN]

I have a 98 rinker boat with an Eagle trailer. The wheel cylinders were rusted up and shot, didnt work. I put new wheel cylinders on and the brakes do work but i have backed the adjusters as loose as they go and my brakes drag... i pull it and pop the truck in neutral at a slow roll and the trailer stops me, not really abrupt but it does stop me. . i also put a IR temp gun to the drums and they are all of 300 degrees... . these are surge brakes and only susposed to activate when the tounge of the trailer is being pushed in... what can i do to cure this prob?

For my trail-rite boat trailer I had nothing but problems and every season my brakes would lock up on the first tow. It had a quick disconnect to remove the tongue when stored. It was allowing air into the system (which has moisture) and causing wheel cylinders to rust and lock up. I brought it up with the trailer manufacturer and they denied there were issues due to the quick disconnect. I finally just bit the bullet and completely went through replacing every component and eliminating the quick disconnect. and its now been three seasons and no issues to date. Would you believe they abandoned the system and now you just swing it on a hinge so you don't have to disconnect the brake line.

 

[RoosterXP]

i am to the point to just disconnect the trailer brakes all together. . the boat only weighs 3500... its a 19ft fiberglass with a 5. 0 I/O and the 3/4 ton brakes do the job great. . just wanted some extra security when we go on vacation this month to the Ozarks in AK about a 10 hour drive. . i am starting to wonder if i bled the brakes right or something??. . the brakes do work when i step on the brakes on the truck, theres no doubt they work, i am thinking to back the trailer up to my wheel chocks nice and tight then rebleed the brakes... thats one thought. I checked the adjustment on the tounge itself and the bolt is as loose as it can go. . (I took pics and was going to post on here but my USB port is broken. . )

 

[RVTRKN]

Thats what I did with mine when they failed the last time before I went through them. It was about two years that I went without brakes, it will work, but you better leave a lot of room in front of you especially when you are going downhill getting off of the freeway, you will feel the brakes fade.





I was heading to the Colorado river with me towing the 5ver and my wife towing the boat behind her Tacoma, (I know) and they locked up half way through the trip. So if a Tacoma can do it without trailer brakes, my CTD was easy, its just the liability I worried about. If you have an accident towing, and its discovered your brakes have been disconnected, you better hope your insurance is the best you can buy.

 

[RoosterXP]

thanks again for all the help guys, i jacked up both sides of the trailer and spun both wheels. The drivers side didnt spin good enough, without pressing in the trailer brakes on the tounge i just popped a bleeder loose and pow got a quick squirt of fluid then the wheel spun nice and free. . the passenger side didnt do this it spun really free. . so i pumped the trailer brakes some more manually then with the drivers side wheel off the ground i spun the tire again and now it seems to work fine. . i can hear the brakes just barely when i spin the wheel. . just barely though. .