Why Would Trailer Brakes Get Warmer on One Side When Brake Controller is Used

Updated 08/08/2024 | Published 09/30/2018

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Question:

We have a new Santa fe with reliance brake controller installed by the dealer.I set the controller at 35. When we got to the park about 10 miles away I noticed the passenger side wheel on trailer was hot.On the way home I set the controller at 20 .Wheel was cool but not sure if I had good braking power.I should mention this wa on our old trailer .Yesterday we picked up a new trailer.The shop guy told me to set the controller at 65. 10 miles up the road I thought maybe I should check the wheels .The passenger side was really hot so I Iturned turned the controller down to 2. 20 miles up the road I checked again and everything was as cool so I turned the controller up to 35.I checked again 20 miles further and the passenger side was getting warm again.Turned the controller down to 20 again and drove the rest of the way home. Is 20 high enough for good braking and why in the world would only 1 side get hot?

asked by: John K

Expert Reply:

You might have one brake that's adjusted tighter than the other. That's really the only thing I can think of that would cause one hub to get hotter than the others when brakes are applied. You want your brake controller to be set so that it will stop the trailer safely. The temperature of the wheels does not normally factor into the adjustments.

You want the brakes to almost lock up if you slide the manual override lever.

To see how to manually adjust trailer brake assemblies check out the video I attached, fast-forward to the 4:35 mark of the video. Basically you will adjust the brakes out so that there is a slight but constant drag of the pads on the drum when the wheel is turned. I recommend using brake adjustment tool # W80630.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Gary S.

8/7/2024

I recently installed a new single Lippert 4400 lb rated torsion axle. I was informed by Lippert that the new brakes would have to go through a burnishing process to seat the new brake shoes. After checking the hubs to make sure they’re greased, I did the burnishing process…over about 30 miles. I took several temp readings using an IR thermometer along the way. The driver side brake housing reads between 350°-385°. The passenger side about 130°-140°. Even after driving without ANY brake application I’m getting the same temp readings. At idle from a stop the truck creeps forward telling me that the left side trailer brake shoes aren’t that tight. These are self-adjusting brakes.

Jameson C.

8/7/2024

@GaryS Is it possible you overtightened the castle nut that holds the hub to the spindle on the side that is getting hot?

Gary S.

8/7/2024

@Jameson I actually backed the castle nut off. It’s finger tight. No wheel wobble. The wheel spins fairly freely, there is just a bit of scrapping noise, but no binding.