How to Loosen Self-Adjusting Brakes

Question

Question:

Bought these brakes a few month back. Installed yesterday right side is fine. The first one on left I did when I adjusted it went too much too tight. Now can’t get loose. Can’t even get wheel to spin even with the tire on. No matter how much I try with the tool it just ain’t budging. On left side what is proper direction to loosen? Is it up with the tool or down?

asked by: Joe

0

Expert Reply:

It is possible to loosen up how tight your Self-Adjusting Electric Trailer Brake Kit # AKEBRK-35-SA but it is a little difficult to do, mainly due to lack or room for working. You can potentially remove your hub to make loosening the brake a bit easier but I recommend trying to adjust them from the access holes first.

With the plugs removed, use your brake adjustment spoon # W80630 or a flat screwdriver to press down on the silver tab (yellow arrow) that keeps the wheel (green arrow) in place. With that pressed down used another spoon or screwdriver and rotate the wheel upwards (from the backside), or the same direction that the green arrow is pointing. This will loosen up your brakes and you can then adjust them as necessary for your application.

expert reply by: Jon G

0

click to enlarge

Paul

3/15/2025

Hi Jon, You say to "rotate the wheel upwards (from the backside), or the same direction that the green arrow is pointing" but the green arrow is pointing downwards. Can you clarify?

Jon G.

3/15/2025

@Paul Absolutely! Pictures can be a bit confusing, but the reason why I made the green arrow point downwards is because we are looking at the wheel from the front side of the brake assembly. If you think about looking at that wheel from the other side of the assembly (the back side) you will be trying to spin that wheel upwards. Hopefully that explanation helps!

Todd

4/6/2025

@JonG I would like to expand a little bit on the process. I bought a new trailer in 2023. When I rolled of the lot I basically had zero brakes. It was already late leaving the dealer so I decided to take it easy an adjust the brakes as soon as I got home. So I get home and jack the first tire off the ground. My normal process is to tighten it until it stops and then back it off. So at some point it's so tight I can't turn it anymore. This is about the time I realize they are self adjusting. So I watched a video and no matter what I do to the tab (even stuck awl between it and the wheel) it's not moving. Now I have a 35 ft trailer stuck in front of my driveway. As a last resort (should have done it first) I get my cheap videoscope. I can see well enough that I noticed the magnet is low enough that it is actually stopping the wheel from turning in the reverse direction. Stuck a flat tip screwdriver between the magnet and adjuster and was done in about a minute. It took 2 hours on the first one and 5 minutes for the rest. But the first one almost made me lose my mind.

Jon G.

4/7/2025

@Todd Thank you for the additional insight! The more we hear about different experiences, the more we learn and are better equipped for things in the future!

Answer 1

Hey John, the difference between those two part numbers is the grease cap that comes with the hub. The part #AKHD-655-35-EZ-k has a grease cap that has a removable center plug for easier access to a grease fitting like what you have whereas the part…

view full answer...

Answer 2

The common recommendation with oil bath hubs is to not mess with them at all as long as they aren't leaking or the oil isn't milky looking. Some say to change every two years but most will say that as long as everything looks good just leave…

view full answer...

Answer 3

Hey Volker, those are basically your two option. The expensive module or the adapter part #C57003 which does the same thing and costs a lot less. The #C57003 would be what I would go with and it will work great to allow your Audi to tow a trailer…

view full answer...

Answer 4

You don't have to do an initial adjustment with self-adjusting trailer brake assemblies, and since it's challenging for the reasons you mentioned I don't recommend doing it and personally wouldn't if it was my trailer. Easiest…

view full answer...

Answer 5

You can use leaf springs that are rated higher than the axle without any issues as long as they measure the correct measurement for your trailer. For example the 6-leaf double eye spring for 7,000 lb axles part #e64SR measures 24-7/8" eye to…

view full answer...

Answer 6

For your AL-KO T44 axles, the brake assemblies you need are the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Electric Trailer Brake Kit - 10" - Left and Right Hand Assemblies - 4.4K #K23-478-479 or the manual adjust #K23-462-463-00 along with spoon adjuster #W80630. The…

view full answer...

Answer 7

The seal for your Dexter 4,400 lb axle is part #58846 which we also have in a pack of 2 listed as part #RG06-050 these have an inner diameter of 1.719" and an outer diameter of 2.565".

view full answer...

Answer 8

Hello Chris, thanks for reaching out. Based on my research, it looks like the AL-KO-7230 is a hub for a 3,500 lb axle with a 6 on 5-1/2" bolt pattern. We do offer a replacement for this, and for that I recommend the following: - Trailer Hub and…

view full answer...

Answer 9

Yes, the temperatures you mentioned are normal. If you were getting over 200 degrees that would be a bad sign. But typically if all of the hubs are the same temperature you're good and it's only really an issue if one of the hubs is hotter…

view full answer...

Answer 10

The Lippert 122460 you referenced is a standard 10 x 2-1/4 inch brake hub for a 3500 axle. It has a 5 lug on 4-1/2 inc bolt circle and is compatible with a L44649 outer and L68149 inner wheel bearing and a 1.719 ID grease seal. We offer compatible…

view full answer...

Answer 11

While the Electric Trailer Brake Kit #AKEBRK-35-SA are self adjusting, they do still require an initial bedding of the brakes (breaking in/seating the brakes) to work properly. I have listed the steps to do this below. 1: Pick an open stretch of road…

view full answer...

Answer 12

The most likely cause for the turn signals not to work when the running lights are on with your trailer is a bad or weak ground. It's very possible that a weak ground connection can be just strong enough to allow sufficient current for some…

view full answer...

How to Loosen Self-Adjusting Brakes

Products Featured in This Question

Product Page this Question was Asked From

Featured Help Information

Miscellaneous Media

Continue Researching