Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes That Grab Too Much When Braking
Updated 08/06/2021 | Published 08/05/2021
Question:
10 years ago, I bought a 31ft Rv. We sold it 3 years later. My truck didnt have factory trailer breaks so the dealership installed after market. The breaks did fine with the RV. Fast forward to yesterday. We bought a 21 ft RV. Upon bringing it home, I noticed the breaks causing the RV to jerk/grab, almost to the point of locking up. Single axle RV. Do I need to simply adjust the breaks on the RV? Thanks.
asked by: Charles M
Expert Reply:
Yes. It's possible that your brakes need adjustment but it's also possible that you've got self adjusting brakes and it could simply be an issue with the output level on your brake controller. If you've got a Tekonsha PowerTrac # 39523 there is a knob on the right of the front panel that will allow you to adjust the output of your controller and turning it down a bit may help with this as well.
If you've got manually adjusting brakes then you'll have caps on the backing plate that you can remove and back off the brakes from the inside of the drums a bit.
