Question Was Asked By - jim

Adjusting Trailer Brakes to Achieve Maximum Braking Performance

Question:

electric brakes on my tralier, had some seals leaking, replaced all seals and magnets, on dexter 10 k general duty axles, cant seem to get them working rite, one will lock up on gravel, the rest will not, when i adjust them to lock on gravel they are to tight and pull my truck down and then get hot and smoke, why would they not adjust up and work rite, do i ajust them to barley drag or roll free and let the magnet do the rest are what, i dont understand break pads and hubs look good, but cant seem to get them adjusted in other words they are either to loose are to tight cant seem to find a happy medium

asked by: jim

Expert Reply:

The trailer brakes should be adjusted so there is a slight lining drag. It is very difficult if not impossible to adjust all of your brakes so that they all are exactly alike and will lock with the exact same voltage being delivered to them. Having the brakes and controller adjusted so that the trailer brakes will lock up can be counter productive to efficient braking performance. A skidding wheel does not provide braking. Your best bet would be to adjust the brakes so that they have a slight drag, and set your brake controller so that at maximum power the brakes are just short of locking up, which is the point at which you get the best stopping performance. Then, you can vary the brake controller voltage output according to the surface you are driving on.

expert reply by: Mike L

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