Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Aggressively Apply when the Brake Pedal is Applied

Published 10/28/2014

Question:

I have a 2010 14ft Sportmen TT. I pull it with a 2004 GMC Envoy with a Drawtite brake controller. When towing my trailer the brakes seem to grab when pressing the brake pedal. I have tried adjusting the output and syc at different settings, but it still grabs.

asked by: Tom C

Expert Reply:

There are two typical reasons that trailer brakes will apply too aggressively. Either the gain or boost of the # 5504 brake controller is set to high or the trailer brakes are out of adjustment.

Since it sounds like you have tried different brake controller setting I would assume that the problem is in the brake assemblies.

When adjusting trailer brakes the goal is to have them set so that when the trailer is up in the air and the wheel is being turned by hand you can feel a slight drag on the assemblies. For more info on this check out the video I attached to the right. Fast forward to the 4:24 mark of the video.

I also attached an FAQ on brake controller troubleshooting for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jameson C