RV Trailer Brakes are sometimes uncared for till there’s a catastrophic failure that might have been prevented.
Identical to the brakes on your automotive or truck, RV Trailer Brakes should be changed at common intervals to make certain they are going to work whenever you want them too. Taking place hill with an additional ton or 5 behind you is just not the time to comprehend it’s best to have changed them.
The very first thing you should do is determine what RV Trailer brakes you have got, with the intention to order the replacements.
What RV Trailer Brakes Do I Want?
You want two key items of knowledge to get the fitting brakes in your Fifth Wheel or Journey Trailer.
First you should know what measurement axles you have got. Someplace in your axle must be an info tag that reveals what weight axles you have got. Ours are Dexter 7,000 Pound Axles.
The following piece of knowledge you want is the scale of your brake meeting. Totally different measurement axles and rims can have totally different measurement assemblies. Our axles have 12 inch x 2 in brake assemblies.
Ordering Alternative RV Trailer Brakes
Identical to the whole lot else, there are several types of trailer brake assembles. There are guide adjustment brakes, and self adjusting. We selected to make use of the Dexter 12×2 Nev-R-Modify Self Adjusting Trailer Brakes.
These self adjusting brakes imply that I don’t have to recollect to high-quality tune them each season earlier than we hit the street. The brake assemblies will alter themselves to take care of the correct amount of spacing between themselves and the brake drum.
In your Fifth Wheel or Journey Trailer, your brake drum is all a part of your Hub Meeting. Changing your brake drum and bearings is simply as vital as changing your RV Trailer Brakes. In case your bearings give out your wheels can snap proper off your axle.
The brake drums are topic to a situation known as glazing. That is when the hub absorbs a lot warmth that making use of the brakes acts extra like a sprucing wheel than a brake pad. The contact floor of the hub turns into as clean as glass stopping the brake pads from truly slowing you down.
We ordered these Dexter Brake Drum And Axle Bearing kits. They arrive with the brand new hub, new internal and outer bearing, grease caps, lock nuts, lock ring. The entire deal.
RV Wheel Bearing Grease and a high quality Grease Gun are the subsequent issues you’ll want. My grease of selection is Lucas Pink n Cheesy. It has nice thermal properties, and after doing a upkeep greasing of my axle bearings final season the trailer towed simpler and I even picked up half a mile per gallon on my gasoline gauge.
Eradicating your present RV Trailer Brakes
Begin by eradicating the Mud Cap. Faucet it from the within out with a hammer and it’ll finally come out of your Hub.
Then take away the cotter pin or lock ring that’s holding your spindle nut.
Subsequent take away the nut and washer, and pull your entire Hub Meeting out and off the spindle.
As soon as the Hub Meeting is off, wipe off any remaining grease with a paper towel.
Now take discover of the 2 wires going by way of the again of the brake meeting. You’re going to minimize these two wires, on the trailer facet of the wire nuts.
Lastly, take away the mounting bolts that maintain the brake meeting on.
Now all you must do it pop the brand new brake meeting on, and set up the brand new lock nuts. On the again facet you should reconnect the 2 brake wires. I extremely advocate utilizing shrink tubing for a water tight connection.
Now slide your drum again onto the spindle, and reinstall the washer, luck nut and lock tab.
The ultimate factor to do it faucet the brand new mud cap on and grease the axle. There IS a proper technique to grease an axle, and if you wish to see do it, Try our youtube video the place we just do that.