Brake magnet life expectancy?

[TomW]

I just replaced all four brake magnets due to the old ones being worn to the screw heads, and was wondering how many miles I can expect to get out of the new ones.

Although mine are round, I imagine the oval ones wear at a similar rate.

If you have personally worn out any brake magnets, how many miles did you get out of the old ones?

Thanks,
Tom

[RivetED]

The real answer to that is so dependant on driving habits, city to hwy miles, terrain, the type and setting of your brake controller, weight, etc. that how many miles before replacement is (even ave. life) difficult to estimate, of course this is just my humble opinion. I check our's every time the bearings are re-packed, once a year or 15K +/- miles. Fortunatly I've never had a single trailer long enough to replace them (for wear) although I did so on a used one (right after purchase, along with new bearings) I bought a few years ago. My SWAG (scientific wild-ass guess) puts their life at 30 - 50K miles & I'm sure this number varies greatly. Not sure if any manufacturers offer life-expectancy figures? Maybe Dexter??

I have just purchased a 'Brakesmart' controller for many reasons, one of them being an expected longer life of the brake magnets. Only time will tell, but we will be spending about 180 days a year 'on-the-road'.

[JohnG]

Originally Posted by Ed & Debbie

The real answer to that is so dependant on driving habits, city to hwy miles, terrain, the type and setting of your brake controller, weight, etc. that how many miles before replacement is (even ave. life) difficult to estimate, of course this is just my humble opinion. I check our's every time the bearings are re-packed, once a year or 15K +/- miles. Fortunatly I've never had a single trailer long enough to replace them (for wear) although I did so on a used one (right after purchase, along with new bearings) I bought a few years ago. My SWAG (scientific wild-ass guess) puts their life at 30 - 50K miles & I'm sure this number varies greatly. Not sure if any manufacturers offer life-expectancy figures? Maybe Dexter??

I have just purchased a 'Brakesmart' controller for many reasons, one of them being an expected longer life of the brake magnets. Only time will tell, but we will be spending about 180 days a year 'on-the-road'.

Great Advise to check them when you pack the bearings.


On my cargo trailer I pack the bearings and check the seals and brakes about every 10K. One could do it every 3 or 6 months if they wanted, but it is a great idea to check everything every time you have your wheel off.


Preventative maintenance saves problems and money!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Under normal driving conditions, some highway, some city, and, not much in the mountains, round magnets are good for about 18,000 to 20,000 miles.

Oval magnets 20,000 to 25,000 miles.

This is another reason a once every year or 10,000 mile bearing repack should be an absolute PM.

That forces the "magnet inspection" issue.

Andy

[RivetED]

Andy, that's good to know, a lot less than my SWAG!!