After Installing New Trailer Brakes, Front Axle Brakes Work, Rear Axle Brakes Do Not

Question

Question:

Just finished installing, tandem axle no adjust brake assemblies on my 5th wheel trailer. When I push in the brake pedal the front axle brakes engage I hear the magnets hum. However I am not hearing the rear axle engage. I have a voltage meter but I am not sure how to check if I have power going to the rear axle. Can you provide some input?

asked by: Jackson

0

Expert Reply:

I will be happy to help. Since we know the front axle is getting power use your circuit tester and find the wires on the brake magnets for the rear axle to test them. There should be 2 wires. One is ground and the other is the power wire. The ground wire should be attached to a clean and corrosion free bare metal surface near by.

If there is no power going to the magnet then there is a wiring issue somewhere forward of them that will need to be addressed. Because the power for the brake magnets comes back to the trailer brakes initially on one wire, it could just be a missed connection in a splice somewhere.

I have include a link to an FAQ article on testing brake magnets for you just in case you believe the magnets to be faulty.

expert reply by: Michael H

0

Answer 1

Something is obviously causing a voltage drop between the brake controller and the trailer connector. The usual culprit in this type of situation is a break in the wire or a corroded wire. Check the wiring under the truck. You should be able to trace…

view full answer...

Answer 2

I believe you almost solved the problem when you swapped the wiring, but in reality you needed to use 10 gauge wire like part #10-1-1 (sold by the foot). You are experiencing a voltage drop due to the long distance of wire that's not thick…

view full answer...

Answer 3

Normally a tandem axle trailer only has one brake wire going to the vehicle, and it is typically blue. If you have two separate brake wires for your axles, that is fine and will not cause an issue. Having one wire ran along the trailer instead of the…

view full answer...

Answer 4

For the wires coming from the brakes they do not matter as they connect to the magnets in the drum brakes which are not polarity specific. So one wire from each brake will connect to the frame/ground wire as a ground and the 2nd wire will connect to…

view full answer...

Answer 5

You should be turning the star wheel up to tighten your electric brakes, as you mentioned. This could mean they are improperly mounted and I recommend taking a look at your brake assemblies to see how they were put on. You will need to disassemble…

view full answer...

Answer 6

If you have self-adjusting assemblies like the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Brake Kit #23-468-469 installed on your trailer, they will indeed continue to adjust as you pull the trailer around. It does sound like you performed the initial manual adjustment…

view full answer...

Answer 7

In all honesty I would go with the etrailer Electric Brake Kit #AKEBRK-7-SA for a few important reasons. They are self-Adjusting, and the brake pads themselves are fully bonded so that they last longer and offer more braking torque, plus they have…

view full answer...

Answer 8

Even though I cannot comment specifically on the grease you used because I am not familiar with it, I can tell you the best grease for trailer bearings is a a grease with a rating of GC-LB, which just means it is made to withstand very high…

view full answer...

Answer 9

It sounds to me like your trailer brakes are mis-wired. I would start by unplugging the trailer and checking for voltage at the brake output connection in the vehicle connector with a circuit tester, #PTW2993 if needed. Set the Prodigy to max voltage…

view full answer...

Answer 10

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

view full answer...

Answer 11

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

view full answer...

Answer 12

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

view full answer...

After Installing New Trailer Brakes, Front Axle Brakes Work, Rear Axle Brakes Do Not

Product Page this Question was Asked From

Featured Help Information

Miscellaneous Media

Continue Researching