Brakes ...question - Montana Owners Club

McIver · 10-05-2012, 12:52 PM

Need some expertise. I took my rig in to have the wheel bearings repacked. They called me to say that whoever did the work before used the wrong gaskets and the brakes were ruined. When I got the trailer back I tested the new brakes and still had questions. The tech rechecked and said that there appeared to be no problem and that they needed to be used to get rid of the "coating" that new brakes have. A trip from Albuquerque to Lubbock back to Albuquerque still leaves me unhappy with the effectiveness.
Question: Should I be able to stop the truck/trailer, in drive (no throttle), on a level surface, with only the brake controller?

jimcol · 10-05-2012, 01:17 PM

I could/can with both trailers I have owned with electric brakes. When I use the slide lever on the brake controller it almost stops it immediately. I have used this method to hold the vehicle on some pretty steep inclines. I can't imagine why the tech feels everything is OK. Jim

Neil.M · 10-05-2012, 01:24 PM

Mine hold my vehicle solid on up, down or level streets. I would be concerned if it didn't. Good luck.

McIver · 10-05-2012, 01:26 PM

Thanks. I will revisit when I am picking up the trailer on Monday.
Does anyone have an idea about what may be causing this? One can hear what should be the brakes engaging when standing near the wheels.

**Rondo** · 10-05-2012, 04:26 PM

Yu should have the new brakes and the new easylube bearings that are now on the Montes. I would have the tech take off all four wheels infront of you and see if he actually put on new brakes or just cleaned the old ones up and charged you for a new set. He could have put to much grease into the bearings also and it may have bled by the gaskets/seals and got grease on the brakepads again too. It doesn't take much to blow that back seal! If you can't stop the unit by sliding the brake controller there is definately something wrong.

dieselguy · 10-05-2012, 05:03 PM

If you have or know somebody that does have a clamp-on ammeter ... place it around the blue wire inside the electrical box under your pinbox. Simply take the cover off and fish the wire outside the box in order to get the clamp-on ammeter around it. Set your brake controller to 10 - 12 volts and have someone manually apply the brakes using the controller. You should see a reading close to 12 amps ... this will at least tell you if you have an electrical or mechanical issue. In a pinch, just use a compass near each wheel when the brakes are manually applied ... the compass needle should swing around when put it next to each individual wheel.

CORattler · 10-06-2012, 02:41 AM

Jack up the RV, have someone apply the manual lever full right. If you can manually spin the wheel, you either have contaminated brake linings or no electric to the brake. Good luck and keep us posted.

1retired06 · 10-06-2012, 02:42 AM

The mechanic is suspect with me right away if he is referring to brake seals as "gaskets" and I do not know what "coating" on new pads he is talking about. If bearing grease was the original cause, and if the mechanic cleaned up the drums, I would double check the adjustment.

Gkerlin · 10-06-2012, 03:01 AM

It might seem a no brainer but did you check the gain? Just make sure the tech didn't turn it down.

Brakes have an initial "break in" period where they fully seat in the drums but it is relatively quick. 5 or 10 moderate stops from speed and the brakes are set. The trip that you describe - Albuquerque and back - those puppies are broken in.

If I'm rolling just a few mph and slide the brake lever all the way the trailer will throw me thru the windshield. It should most definitely hold you in gear at idle.

mhs4771 · 10-06-2012, 03:34 AM

If you happen to be by yourself when you jack up the wheels to see if they will turn, you can pull the break-a-way line which should lockup all four wheels.

DonandJudy_12 · 10-06-2012, 06:42 AM

Do you have an ongoing relationship at this dealership? Was the dealership recommended to you? I question the expertise of the tech who doesn't even know the proper terminology- JMHO- Don

McIver · 10-06-2012, 09:34 AM

You guys are great. I now feel well armed to deal with this on Monday. By the way the "gasket" word used by me was my invention not theirs. I have, at this point, confidence in this dealer but we shall see.

CBTraveler · 10-11-2012, 05:34 PM

I've not been happy with the brakes on our 2006 3400RL. I could not get them to lock up at slow speeds using the controller lever full on in spite of the dealer adjusting the brakes and also after I adjusted them. However, recently the break away switch was activated in a sharp parking turn. The truck would not move in either direction with moderate throttle, so it seems that with full battery voltage applied to the brakes they work just fine. I suspect a wiring problem of some kind and will check the current draw when the controller lever is full on to see if they draw the nominal 12 amps. If not, then the tedious "fun" begins. At least I'm not having to pay $105 per hour for a diagnosis- yet.

8.1al · 10-12-2012, 12:33 AM

We had a trailer that had poor braking and it turned out it had undersized wiring going to the brakes

Gkerlin · 10-12-2012, 01:00 AM

Mine does not lock up either but did as yours when my breakaway was pulled on a sharp turn parking.

I'm not certain that they should lock up with the lever. (nor saying they shouldn't) I know the gain adjustment refers to locking them up then backing the gain off - but then I was reading further in the Dexter manual and it refers to the brake controller sensing the deceleration forces and the more it senses the greater the braking force it applies. I'll have to look it up again.

Are some people able to lock them up? I've had 2 different 5'vers both never models - and with a 2011 and 2012 Ford Superduty with the build in controllers I've never been able to lock mine up. My gain is set full at 10. My braking is adequate but my TV does do more than 50% of the work.

Art · 10-12-2012, 03:44 AM

There is nothing worst than brake issues and always wondering if the rig is going to stop or not! I had brake issues on a 3000 mile trip and "nursed" the rig home with my dually brakes...not a nice experience.
For about $450, I decided to replace everything: the brake controller, #12 wiring from the controller to shoes, brake assemblies with Dexter #7000 units, and the electrical plugs between the tow vehicle and trailer. As you can tell, I was really upset from my trip! Whatever was the problem, I have solved my braking issues. The #7000 assemblies have bigger magnets (they fit on my #6000 Al-Ko axles).
Yes, my brake (now) are strong nad stop with confidence. Good luck with your braking issues.

CBTraveler · 10-24-2012, 06:15 PM

I made some measurements last week and found that the brakes drew about 10 amps with an external 12 volt battery and slightly higher (10.2) amps with the controller lever full on in the truck. It appears that the wiring and the controller are good. When we get back home I'm going to readjust the brakes and see how far they are out. I am also going to check how much lining I have left on the shoes. Maybe that's a problem. I am still on the original shoes with about 30,000 miles on the trailer.

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