Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes Where Only One Assembly Is Getting Hot

Updated 07/13/2015 | Published 07/10/2015

Question:

WE HAVE A 2012 GOOSENECK TRAILER WITH 12000LB AXLES THAT ONE OF THE BRAKES KEEP GETTING HOT, WE HAVE REPLACED THE DRUM AND BRAKE ASSEMBLY AND THE NEW ONE DOES THE SAME THING. ANY IDEAS

asked by: BRIAN

Expert Reply:

Can you turn the wheel by hand if it is jacked up and off the ground? It sounds like your brake assemblies are dragging too much which is creating heat from friction.

To see how to adjust the brake assemblies so that you get the correct amount of drag check out the video I attached, fast forward to the 4:50 mark.

It could also be possible that the wheel is getting hot because it is the only assembly doing any braking. You should try adjusting the brakes like in the attached video on the side that isn't getting hot plus verifying that you hear the assembly activate when you hit the manual override of the controller. You could also disconnect the brake assembly that is getting hot and testing the trailer brakes to see if the other assembly is working at all.

Could also be that your spindle nut is tightened down too far and is creating heat. When our installers replace a trailer hub, there isn't a set torque spec used when tightening the spindle nut. The hub is placed on the spindle, making sure the inner and outer bearings are correctly seated. The spindle nut is then run down until you start feeling resistance. At that point, spin the hub and check for end play (wobble). If the hub still seems a bit loose, you can run the nut down a bit more.

As you'll see in the video I've linked to, tightening the nut is something you'll do by feel, not by a particular torque rating.

expert reply by: Jameson C