Trailer Brakes

urednecku

urednecku

Member
I have a 14' live-stock trailer my late Dad bought new in '94. My sister has used it in the past for who-knows-how many thousands miles. The brakes haven't worked in quite a while, but I haven't bothered to fix them because we don't use the trailer too much any more. The other day I took the R drum off, and most of the parts fell out in the drum! :angry:
I have worked on vehicle brakes plenty, but never the electric brakes, & don't have much of an idea of how they work. :confused: Can any body tell me how difficult it is to replace 'em, or is it a royal PITA? :hide:

Thanks!
 
I'm not the on duty mechanic redneck but hopefully one of them will show up soon.
I always hated working with drum brakes and never touched the electric trailer brakes like your are talking about.
 
Thanks, doc. I'm not in a super hurry, but I would like to get em fixed in the next couple weeks or so. I'm hoping to get some cattle sold in about another month, if the prices will come up, & I'll have a full load. My 1/2 ton pu pulls the load OK, but it's harder to stop!
 
urednecku said:
I have a 14' live-stock trailer my late Dad bought new in '94. My sister has used it in the past for who-knows-how many thousands miles. The brakes haven't worked in quite a while, but I haven't bothered to fix them because we don't use the trailer too much any more. The other day I took the R drum off, and most of the parts fell out in the drum! :angry:
I have worked on vehicle brakes plenty, but never the electric brakes, & don't have much of an idea of how they work. :confused: Can any body tell me how difficult it is to replace 'em, or is it a royal PITA? :hide:

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here are the parts...:D
http://www.etrailer.com/c-tpba.htm

It just depends how rusted/corroded your assemblies are...;)

If its real bad, then it is easier, but not cheaper to just replace the parts...
 
PaulChristenson said:
Here are the parts...:D
http://www.etrailer.com/c-tpba.htm

It just depends how rusted/corroded your assemblies are...;)

If its real bad, then it is easier, but not cheaper to just replace the parts...
Click to expand...

Thanks! I can't remember for sure about rust/corrosion.
Is there an easy way to check the magnets?
Then again, those prices are not as bad as I was expecting. And I know sometimes, the time spent cleaning up a part, then finding it's beyond useful life would more than pay for the complete assembly, & not having to worry about it. (Not to mention the skin & blood pressure!)
 
To check to see if each brake is functioning, simply apply 12 volts to the 2 wires coming out of the brake assembly backing plate next to the axle for the drum brake. One to the negative and one to the positive...there is no way to get them backwards...it is just an electro-magnet. It should lightly humm and stick to the inside of the drum to engage the shoes to prevent the turning of the wheel. If the wheel turns when power is applied then something is not working and you will need to remove a drum to investigate further.
 
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