How To Troubleshoot Weak Braking Power With Electric Trailer Brakes On A New Trailer
Question:
truck has factory integrated brake controller. when i use the manual override I have very little force at the trailer brakes . I have adjusted the brakes like you have shown in the videos. trailer has very little use since new in 2014. I saw a video that said in would not have full power without a load, but as I have learned manual override puts full 12 V to brakes. Am I not right?
asked by: Kevin K
Expert Reply:
You are correct in that a manual override switch will apply the maximum braking power of the trailer brakes, if functioning properly.
There are two things you may want to check. The first thing I would do is check to see the trailer brakes are properly grounded. There are two wires coming from the back of an electric brake assembly. One will run into the trailer's wiring harness and the other will be grounded to the frame. As these are nonpolar, it doesn't matter which wire has which function just so long as they are both connected.
The next thing you will want to check is the brake shoes. In some cases, the grease seal will become faulty and cause grease to seep out onto your brake pads causing inefficient braking.
I have attached a help article that will demonstrate how to check if the brake magnets are functioning properly.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Electric Trailer Brake Assembly - 10" - Left Hand - 3,500 lbs
- Accessories and Parts
- Trailer Brakes
- Electric Drum Brakes
- LH
- 3500 lbs
- Brake Assembly
- Self Adjust
- 10 x 2-1/4 Inch Drum
- Dexter
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