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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question.

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Indydirtfarmer

10-27-2004 05:20:36




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I bought a new gooseneck trailer about a year ago. It's seen about 4500 miles of use so far. I can't seem to keep the brakes adjusted. They fade away quick. (Maybe 150 miles) Then they need a few clicks on the adjuster. (Dexter brakes-all electric) It's a 14,000 lb trailer that hauls (routinely) about 8,000lbs. cargo. It's not overloaded. They worked fine for about the first 1000 miles, then started to give problems. I've had them apart to inspect, and everything SEEMS ok. Is this normal? (Never had this kind of wear on any other trailers) Same truck (and controller) pulls another trailer with good results. I use a Draw-Tite controller (Time control) set at about 4.5 to 5.5 "sensitivity" and about midway on the time control, when loaded. Thanks in advance. John

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leland

10-27-2004 22:25:04




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to Indydirtfarmer, 10-27-2004 05:20:36  
Is it worth the effort to install vacaum over hyd brakes on trailers today?



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thurlow

10-28-2004 05:31:08




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to leland, 10-27-2004 22:25:04  
Don't know if it's worth it..... if you're talking a retro-fit. I built a dual-tandem flatbed, 27 ft gooseneck about 15 years ago; no comparison with the reliability of the brakes (vacuum/hydraulic) compared to the numerous electric ones I've had. They work the same way every SINGLE time; with the electric ones, there's always something to be "tinkered" with; MY EXPERIENCE ONLY.



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leland

10-28-2004 06:44:53




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to thurlow, 10-28-2004 05:31:08  
I was thinking about brakes for trailer I am going to build this winter.But here latly a lot of people seem to have bad luck with elect brakes,and I was wondering if vac-hyd brakes would work better.



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sting

10-27-2004 15:52:44




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to Indydirtfarmer, 10-27-2004 05:20:36  
Link

It was expensive! But I have no desire to go back...



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jhill

10-27-2004 07:52:29




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to Indydirtfarmer, 10-27-2004 05:20:36  
I wonder if you have the sensitivity set too high. I run a bumper pull trailer carying up to 8000 lbs and only run my sensitivity at 3-3.5. loaded and 0.5 empty. Seems to stop traiker OK and brakes are holding up OK. I probably have 5-6000 miles on mine.



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Kevin (FL)

10-27-2004 07:12:32




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to Indydirtfarmer, 10-27-2004 05:20:36  
We pull a 36' tandem dual GN with Dexter axles and electric brakes and it seems we can't make a trip without something needing adjusting before we get back south. I've tried the Dexter shoes, the Redline shoes and other brands and they all seem to be "soft" and wear quickly. Get in the mountains and you'll be making adjustments along the road. Before we go on a trip, we pull all four hubs/drums off and inpsect everything--springs, magnets and all misc parts. With the drums back on we adjust the brake shoes until they're just touching the drum surface. As far as controller adjustment, when the trailer is empty we turn the current down but when the trailer has any load on it we pretty much have to turn the controller to full power. (Whatever controller setting you select--just don't let the brakes lock up or you'll be flat-spotting your tires and making a lot of smoke.) Our's is a Hidden Hitch controller but I plan to replace it with a Tekonsha. Another thing we do is sand the magnet faces with an electric sander and also we make sure the drums are clean and dry. Carb cleaner works great for removing grease or anything else. Last thing--make sure the surfaces where the magnets make contact is smooth--not grooved or galled up. If this area isn't smooth then the magnet's contact area is reduced and less holding power is the result. Bottom line, the electric brakes are fine when they work but they do need more attention than air brakes. Might be in your case that your initial setting is too far away from the drum and/or you need to turn up the power when the trailer is loaded. Let us know how it works out....

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Ray,IN

10-27-2004 21:56:01




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 Re: T_Bone...Anyone, Got a trailer brake question. in reply to Kevin (FL), 10-27-2004 07:12:32  
Go to the dexter axle website and search for the wiring diagram. Most all electric brakes are wired in a quasi-series path, with what appears to be an 18ga wire running inside the axle tubes to the brakes on the other end of the axle. This can cause the farthest magnets to operate at greatly reduced current. Dexter says they should be wired in parallel, with two main wires running back each side of the trailer to the brakes. I'll stop here; the Dexter site has the accurate information.

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