Troubleshooting Poor Performing Trailer Brakes

Updated 02/03/2021 | Published 01/28/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional

(6644)

$156.98

Hydrastar Disc Brake Kit w/ Actuator for Tandem Axle Trailers - 13" Hub/Rotor - 8 on 6-1/2 - 7K

(60)

$2153.59

Question:

I have a 2020 Forrest River Wolf Pack 365pack16 and am towing it with a 05 ram 2500. I was towing it down a canyon with my tekonsha p3 turned almost all the way up. It was still using alot of the truck brakes and at the end of the canyon luckily my brakes boiled and pedal went to the floor. I was wondering is the electric drum brakes on the 2 7k axles is not enough for the just under 17k the trailer weighs? I was thinking of upgrading to disc brakes or add an exhaust brake. What are your thoughts? I dont want it to happen again. I have turned the brakes all the way up to test and they dont seem very strong when manually tested. My last trailer was a triple axle weekend warrior and it would skid the tires if I did the same testing.

asked by: Brandon

Helpful Expert Reply:

Disc brakes certainly work better than electric brakes, but before making that investment, I'd recommend doing some troubleshooting on your controller and the trailer brake system.

A properly functioning brake controller shouldn't have much problem braking that trailer, so let's begin by focusing on the trailer brakes themselves. Have you checked the brakes for adjustment? Were the trailer brakes broken in or burnished? Just because the travel trailer is new, I wouldn't assume that the brakes were adjusted before delivery. I'll link you to a help article that explains how to adjust and properly break in your trailer brakes.

I've also linked to a couple of other help articles, one that will run through troubleshooting strategies for brake controllers and the other runs through the parts that would be necessary to add an electric over hydraulic braking system to your travel trailer. Luckily your Tekonsha P3 is compatible with electric over hydraulic braking systems.

If you should decide to go electric over hydraulic, we do offer a 7K tandem axle kit as part # HSE7K-T1. Assuming your existing hubs use 25580 inner and 14125A outer bearings, this kit would work great for you. The kit includes the hub/rotors, bearings, races, grease seals, brake line kit, and the electric over hydraulic brake actuator.

I've linked to a video showing the disc brake kit I mentioned being installed.

expert reply by: Mike L