We should have watched this 4 years ago!! OR Dumb Luck: On the way home it was obvious that the brand new camper had no brakes. We called the dealer to learn these were "self adjusting brakes and all would be well after a few miles". I had success by actuating the brake controller. At home we soon learned that there were NO self adjusting brakes and our "burnishing-by-ignorance" had worked. (The camper had probably been trailered in and the brakes applied) Thank You for ALL your great videos!
I found that this didn’t work until I got them hot. I mean smoking hot. Blue smoke. Then after they cooled they worked. I did clean the drums before installation. Oil was on the shoes.
They will get hot during burnishing, but they should not get smoking hot. The bigger concern here is where is the oil coming from that got on the shoes? Sounds like that might be the reason for the process not working.
I’m new to trailering and I’ve learned a lot from your videos, so thanks for that. It looks like what you’re doing is similar to what you do to set the proper gain on the controller, except you’ve got a fairly high gain and a light trailer, and apparently your wheels never locked up. Can you comment on that? Thanks.
Thanks for the videos. I thought I knew a lot about brakes, bearings and adjustments but you have filled in the gaps for sure. I was wondering if you would make a video about the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust brakes on my 3500 ton tandem axle travel trailer. What maintenance if any is required as far as follow-up brake adjustments. Also the proper procedure to lubricate wheel bearings with the Ez-Lube axles. Thanks
What if the brakes are getting hot but aren't grabbing very good? I've got my brake controller set to 10 and don't feel the trailer brakes until I manually apply almost all the way. Even then they won't stop me just hardly grab. Recently changed the brake assembly on all 4.
If it's been over 200 miles, I would just check your brake adjustment at the axle. You'll probably be fine, they probably got burnished in on their own over time if it's been over the 200 mile mark since the brake job. Good question! Thanks for watching!
Hi! Sorry for the late reply, this comment got lost and I didn't realize we didn't respond to it. Here's a link for the equalizer hitch that I use personally. You'll just need to make sure you choose the correct one for your application. Thanks for watching the channel! amzn.to/3YHQgxj
Great video . I have a car trailer I bought ne 2 yrs ago and have used 4 times . Brakes worked great . Haven't used it in maybe 8-9 months and now the brakes barely engage . It sits out in the rain and snow . My controller works on my friends trailer so I'm stumped . I also never knew about burnishing . Any ideas what I should look for ? Thanks
Thanks for the watching the video! There's a good chance that the magnet arm is rusted and is not moving properly. I would recommend tearing at least one drum down just to make sure the arm is moving properly to expand the brake shoes. Most likely it just needs to be cleaned up and lubricated. Let me know how this goes. If you want, send me an email with pictures once the brake drum is removed. adventuresmithco@gmail.com
Great video, Using this method, At 25-30mph will the trailer brakes bring the tow vehicle to a stop? Or how do you determine if your using a high enough setting on the brake controller? Thanks
Been watching your great videos. One thing, how do you get into the backing plate to adjust the brakes with an axle on top of springs [ overslung axle]. Have a trailer that makes impossible to get to the adjuster Pequea brand equipment make 18ft 7000lb tandem. or is there a different type spoon. Or short of pulling hub to readjust??
It sounds like you might have a drop axle, as well. If that’s the case, it’s going to be a problem. We do use a 90 degree brake spoon made for drop axles and you still have to hold your tongue just right. If you have a drop axle, there’s a good chance you have self-adjusting brakes. If so, you would need to remove the hub and inspect condition of self-adjusting mechanism to make sure it’s functioning properly. This will aid you in your brake adjusting. You can adjust them manually & I encourage you to do so. You can do it, you may have to take some deep breaths and practice patience. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and I still get frustrated and throw my brake spoon across the shop every once in a while. 🤣🤣 Great question! Thanks for watching & best of luck to you!
Great question! Thanks for leaving it. Yes. This will remove any residual cleaning solutions or oils from the tear-down. Burnishing your brakes is the next step to do after cleaning the shoes and drums. Make sure to recheck your brake adjustment after a couple hundred miles. You can check out the brake adjustment video here: ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.html
Picked up a new 5th wheel on Friday. It’s a triple axle. The trailer brakes have been feeling super weak. They definitely engage, but very weak. I followed a similar break in procedure setting my trailer brakes to 10 on the gain controller and then engaging only the trailer brakes stopping from 40 to 20mph and 60 to 40mph etc every mile or so probably 15-20 times now. I don’t really feel a difference. Brakes still feel weak on the highest setting. I imagine on setting 10 the wheels should be locking up. Is it a common thing to need to adjust the trailer brakes on a brand new trailer? Or should I wait it out and try to continue breaking them in? My previous trailer was not like this at all and setting 10 would be extreme, I usually had them set to 4 or 5. I would appreciate your input. Thanks!
It has become the norm for new trailers to need a brake adjustment right off the lot. You’ve already done a burnishing process so I recommend giving it a 200-500 mile break in period and go in and adjust the brakes, even if they are self adjusting brakes, they will most likely need a manuals adjustment for the first one. ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.htmlsi=VBbWY2NRCa-tuZaA
The one thing you didn't mention on this video is what your brake controller was set at and why. With that question in mind, What's your initial thought process/procedure to set the right gain on the controller for burnishing? I have to set a different gain setting for each trailer and the weight im hauling. Is there a general setting like 10 to 15 if everything is adjusted right and in good condition? Thanks
He did say, he set it at 8 out of 10. To set up the controller, you hook up the trailer, and get on the road surface type that you'll be on for the trip. Set the controller to about 5 out of 10, get a little bit of speed going and slowly squeeze the controller till it hits max (5 out of 10). If the trailer brakes worked, great. If they didn't lock up, bump it up to 6 out of 10. Do the process again. If they still didn't lock up, bump it up to 7 out of 10. Let's say 9 out of 10 locks up the trailer brakes while going 20 mph, that's not good. Drop it down to 8 out of 10 on the controller. YOU NEVER, EVER WANT THE TRAILER BRAKES TO LOCK UP, EVER! Now, 8 out of 10 is pretty high, and that might be an indication that the brakes need to be adjusted, at each wheel. If you already know this, never mind. But for the people who don't, that's how you should do it. Trailer brakes should never lock up. Been driving big rig 18 wheelers for over 15 years.
Sorry I forgot my main question. When burnishing in new brakes you say slow the vehicle down by holding the brake controller for 10 to 15 seconds. How long should I allow them to cool before doing it again? Two minutes, five minutes etc?
Thanks for watching and great question! You can do this procedure in bursts of 3-5 times of pressing the brake controller with only a few seconds in between. And then you can wait a minute or two to let them cool before the next burst. The purpose is to get the brakes hot to speed up the burnish-in process. You shouldn't have to do this more than 5-10 times. It will still take about a couple hundred miles of regular use before its fully burnished in and then you will need to do your next brake adjustment. You can see our brake adjusting video here ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.html
No. You don't have to maintain speed. The reason I try to do this on a less traveled, lower speed road is so that I don't have to maintain speed and can drive appropriately to perform the task. Great question! Thank you for watching!
We should have watched this 4 years ago!! OR Dumb Luck: On the way home it was obvious that the brand new camper had no brakes. We called the dealer to learn these were "self adjusting brakes and all would be well after a few miles". I had success by actuating the brake controller. At home we soon learned that there were NO self adjusting brakes and our "burnishing-by-ignorance" had worked. (The camper had probably been trailered in and the brakes applied) Thank You for ALL your great videos!
Thumbs up on your videos. How about a video on brake controller and adjusting trailer brake gain. Thanks
Thanks for watching! And thanks for the suggestion! We will definitely put that in the works. Keep a look out for it!
Thank you for the education really easy to follow and understand
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
I found that this didn’t work until I got them hot. I mean smoking hot. Blue smoke. Then after they cooled they worked. I did clean the drums before installation. Oil was on the shoes.
They will get hot during burnishing, but they should not get smoking hot. The bigger concern here is where is the oil coming from that got on the shoes? Sounds like that might be the reason for the process not working.
Thanks for the tutorial really good advice!
Thank you for watching! I'm happy to hear it was useful info for you!
GREAT VIDEOS THANKYOU
Thank you for checking it out!
I’m new to trailering and I’ve learned a lot from your videos, so thanks for that.
It looks like what you’re doing is similar to what you do to set the proper gain on the controller, except you’ve got a fairly high gain and a light trailer, and apparently your wheels never locked up. Can you comment on that? Thanks.
Thanks for the videos. I thought I knew a lot about brakes, bearings and adjustments but you have filled in the gaps for sure.
I was wondering if you would make a video about the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust brakes on my 3500 ton tandem axle travel trailer.
What maintenance if any is required as far as follow-up brake adjustments.
Also the proper procedure to lubricate wheel bearings with the Ez-Lube axles.
Thanks
Thanks again for watching! And for the video topic suggestions. Those are all topics we have in the works! Stay tuned!
What if the brakes are getting hot but aren't grabbing very good? I've got my brake controller set to 10 and don't feel the trailer brakes until I manually apply almost all the way. Even then they won't stop me just hardly grab. Recently changed the brake assembly on all 4.
When you changed the brake assemblies, did you change the drums, as well?
If this wasn’t done right after a brake job, would it still be a good idea to do it now?
If it's been over 200 miles, I would just check your brake adjustment at the axle. You'll probably be fine, they probably got burnished in on their own over time if it's been over the 200 mile mark since the brake job. Good question! Thanks for watching!
What equalizer hitch do your recommend for pulling campers?
Hi! Sorry for the late reply, this comment got lost and I didn't realize we didn't respond to it. Here's a link for the equalizer hitch that I use personally. You'll just need to make sure you choose the correct one for your application. Thanks for watching the channel!
amzn.to/3YHQgxj
Great video . I have a car trailer I bought ne 2 yrs ago and have used 4 times . Brakes worked great . Haven't used it in maybe 8-9 months and now the brakes barely engage . It sits out in the rain and snow . My controller works on my friends trailer so I'm stumped . I also never knew about burnishing . Any ideas what I should look for ? Thanks
Thanks for the watching the video! There's a good chance that the magnet arm is rusted and is not moving properly. I would recommend tearing at least one drum down just to make sure the arm is moving properly to expand the brake shoes. Most likely it just needs to be cleaned up and lubricated. Let me know how this goes. If you want, send me an email with pictures once the brake drum is removed. adventuresmithco@gmail.com
@@TheTrailerSmith Thanks for the reply . Learned a whole not about trailer brakes from you . Keep up the good work . Stay Safe
@@TheTrailerSmith If you lived in Oregon ,I'd bring it to you to fix ! LOL
@@sparlin88 That vote of confidence is much appreciated! If you ever come through North Texas, give us a shout!
@@TheTrailerSmith Will be coming down to Killeen Texas this September . Might get the the heck out of Oregon when I retire in 3 yrs . LOL
Great video, Using this method, At 25-30mph will the trailer brakes bring the tow vehicle to a stop? Or how do you determine if your using a high enough setting on the brake controller? Thanks
Been watching your great videos. One thing, how do you get into the backing plate to adjust the brakes with an axle on top of springs [ overslung axle]. Have a trailer that makes impossible to get to the adjuster Pequea brand equipment make 18ft 7000lb tandem. or is there a different type spoon. Or short of pulling hub to readjust??
It sounds like you might have a drop axle, as well. If that’s the case, it’s going to be a problem. We do use a 90 degree brake spoon made for drop axles and you still have to hold your tongue just right. If you have a drop axle, there’s a good chance you have self-adjusting brakes. If so, you would need to remove the hub and inspect condition of self-adjusting mechanism to make sure it’s functioning properly. This will aid you in your brake adjusting. You can adjust them manually & I encourage you to do so. You can do it, you may have to take some deep breaths and practice patience. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and I still get frustrated and throw my brake spoon across the shop every once in a while. 🤣🤣
Great question! Thanks for watching & best of luck to you!
Do I need to do this if I just clean shoes and drums?
Great question! Thanks for leaving it. Yes. This will remove any residual cleaning solutions or oils from the tear-down. Burnishing your brakes is the next step to do after cleaning the shoes and drums. Make sure to recheck your brake adjustment after a couple hundred miles. You can check out the brake adjustment video here: ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.html
Picked up a new 5th wheel on Friday. It’s a triple axle. The trailer brakes have been feeling super weak. They definitely engage, but very weak. I followed a similar break in procedure setting my trailer brakes to 10 on the gain controller and then engaging only the trailer brakes stopping from 40 to 20mph and 60 to 40mph etc every mile or so probably 15-20 times now. I don’t really feel a difference. Brakes still feel weak on the highest setting. I imagine on setting 10 the wheels should be locking up. Is it a common thing to need to adjust the trailer brakes on a brand new trailer? Or should I wait it out and try to continue breaking them in? My previous trailer was not like this at all and setting 10 would be extreme, I usually had them set to 4 or 5. I would appreciate your input. Thanks!
It has become the norm for new trailers to need a brake adjustment right off the lot. You’ve already done a burnishing process so I recommend giving it a 200-500 mile break in period and go in and adjust the brakes, even if they are self adjusting brakes, they will most likely need a manuals adjustment for the first one.
ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.htmlsi=VBbWY2NRCa-tuZaA
@@TheTrailerSmith thanks for the quick reply! I will do this!
The one thing you didn't mention on this video is what your brake controller was set at and why.
With that question in mind, What's your initial thought process/procedure to set the right gain on the controller for burnishing?
I have to set a different gain setting for each trailer and the weight im hauling. Is there a general setting like 10 to 15 if everything is adjusted right and in good condition?
Thanks
He did say, he set it at 8 out of 10.
To set up the controller, you hook up the trailer, and get on the road surface type that you'll be on for the trip.
Set the controller to about 5 out of 10, get a little bit of speed going and slowly squeeze the controller till it hits max (5 out of 10). If the trailer brakes worked, great. If they didn't lock up, bump it up to 6 out of 10. Do the process again. If they still didn't lock up, bump it up to 7 out of 10.
Let's say 9 out of 10 locks up the trailer brakes while going 20 mph, that's not good. Drop it down to 8 out of 10 on the controller.
YOU NEVER, EVER WANT THE TRAILER BRAKES TO LOCK UP, EVER!
Now, 8 out of 10 is pretty high, and that might be an indication that the brakes need to be adjusted, at each wheel.
If you already know this, never mind. But for the people who don't, that's how you should do it.
Trailer brakes should never lock up.
Been driving big rig 18 wheelers for over 15 years.
Sorry I forgot my main question. When burnishing in new brakes you say slow the vehicle down by holding the brake controller for 10 to 15 seconds.
How long should I allow them to cool before doing it again? Two minutes, five minutes etc?
Thanks for watching and great question! You can do this procedure in bursts of 3-5 times of pressing the brake controller with only a few seconds in between. And then you can wait a minute or two to let them cool before the next burst. The purpose is to get the brakes hot to speed up the burnish-in process. You shouldn't have to do this more than 5-10 times. It will still take about a couple hundred miles of regular use before its fully burnished in and then you will need to do your next brake adjustment. You can see our brake adjusting video here ua-cam.com/video/ClNp8T9cGo4/v-deo.html
Were you trying to maintain speed with the truck while you activated the trailer brakes?
No. You don't have to maintain speed. The reason I try to do this on a less traveled, lower speed road is so that I don't have to maintain speed and can drive appropriately to perform the task. Great question! Thank you for watching!