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WIZ · 11-28-2022, 11:12 AM

Installed new brake shoe and lining, adjusted both brake shoes. After pushing brake pedal the brake is not activated. What do I need to check?

Bill M. · 11-28-2022, 12:25 PM

Not sure what you are asking? I check the trailer brakes by jacking up one wheel at a time and pulling the break away switch. Not sure if just pushing the brake pedal when stopped gives braking? I think that might depend upon how your brake controller is adjusted. Anyway, it is not uncommon to have a wire disconnected between the brakes and the trailer. I would check the wiring to that wheel outside the brake drum. If the wiring is good then the brake could also just be far enough out of adjustment that it does not brake. I have had both problems but the wiring problem more often.

10Smiles · 11-28-2022, 01:05 PM

I had an issue on my trailer when I got it. I think only one of the four wheels were braking. The wires to the wheels had little to no contact in the crimp connectors, repaired that and all wheels now brake. I did the same thing as the previous responder, using the break away switch checked each wheel when jacked up.

Fungus · 11-29-2022, 10:26 AM

With the breakaway engaged you should hear a whine from the magnet of the brake assembly. If not braking then wire issue as noted earlier or poor adjustment.

**richard5933** · 11-29-2022, 10:34 AM

A little confused here as well...

Did you replace the brakes on all four wheels and only one of them is not working?

If that's the case, then there are two major options. Either there is a wiring problem causing power to not get to the wheel, or there is a mechanical issue with the brakes.

If it's a mechanical problem, it could be the install or it could be the adjustment.

When you adjusted them, did you tighten all the way till you couldn't rotate the wheel? It's not unheard of for someone to adjust by turning the star wheel without trying to rotate the wheel, and the star wheel feels like it's tight but actually it's just bottoming out in the wrong direction.

AstroBruce · 11-30-2022, 10:36 AM

I just repaired the wiring to two of the brake magnets on my 2015. The crappy Airstream connections at the backing plate corroded and came apart. Easy fix.

Bruce