Why Would Self Adjusting Trailer Brake Assemblies Seem Weak At First

Updated 08/21/2019 | Published 08/20/2019

Question:

I have always pulled trailers with manual adjusting brakes I just changed to self adjusting brakes with the old ones I could lock the tires up on the trailer but with the self adjusting I havent been able to do that is this normal

asked by: Christopher W

Expert Reply:

Self adjusting brakes sometimes take several brake applications till they are fully adjusted. This is a common issue we hear back from our customers when first swapping to self-adjusting brakes. What I'd recommend is take the trailer to a parking lot (or anywhere with low traffic) and drive at a slow speed and grab the manual lever of your brake controller several times and the brakes will eventually tighten themselves properly. It may take several applications but you should feel them get tighter.

You should note that the trailer has to be moving forward to adjust the assemblies so you can't sit at a stop and grab the lever several times as the mechanism won't tighten.

expert reply by: Jameson C