Trailer brakes locked up

[Gypsy]

It was a nice clear, sunny, warm (hot) Sunday afternoon. I'd enjoyed a couple of weeks at the beach and was just returning to Bakersfield to get some more warranty work before heading to the Western Region Rally in Mt. Shasta. I slowed down for the construction zone - 45 mph and I went about 40, seeing no traffic behind me. There were RR tracks, so I slowed down some more, to about 30 mph. Bump, bump, then STOP!!!

At first, I couldn't believe I was no longer moving. I gave the Ram a little more fuel and realized I wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, I had aimed toward the shoulder but didn't get off the road on the two-lane highway. I had skidded about 50 feet. Traffic was building up. What to do? Put on my flashers, got out, waved cars to come around in the opposite lane when safe.

First, I checked the emergency trailer brake - the pin that pulls out when the trailer comes unhitched to keep it from careening down the road without the TV. It was firmly in place and there was no tension on the tether. Then I checked the electrical cord - unplugged, replugged, tried to move but couldn't. Called Good Sam ERS - They walked me through the same troubleshooting. Several helpful guys stopped to offer assistance. We checked the trailer brake controller - recently replaced when it mysteriously failed. We jacked up one side and couldn't get the wheels to move. We tried everything we could think of. Good Sam called every RV business in the area and they were all closed. The trailer couldn't be towed because the wheels wouldn't roll. The flatbed trucks available were all too short to put the whole rig on them. A repairman was reached and he promised to shower and get there in a half-hour. Or more. This was about the end of my rope.

I called Dennis Hill (HamRad) who lives in Bakersfield, but was currently out of town dealing with a serious family illness. Thanks to his advice after brainstorming with his brother, we tried disconnecting the battery, which didn't resolve the problem. Then Dennis said to pull out the emergency brake pin and re-insert it. John, the motorcyclist who was the remaining person (of many) who had stopped to help, had to struggle to get the pin out, it was so tight; and when he re-inserted it, finally the wheels rolled. Hurrah! (It turned out his parents are RVers and he was happy to help in the spirit of "Pay it forward.")

In the meantime, a Bakersfield policeman arrived to direct traffic and insisted on calling a truck tow to put my rig on a large flatbead to get me off the roadway. Maybe it was his threat that was the shot of adrenalin we needed to finally resolve the issue, after 1-1/2 hours of troubleshooting.

The problem turned out to be the first one I suspected, but I assumed the pin was fine because it was still in place. Obviously, something malfunctioned so that a bump over the RR tracks made the system think the trailer was unhitched.

I'm posting this to warn you in case you encounter the same problem. If your trailer brakes lock up, pull the pin and re-insert it. That should reset the brakes and release them. I hope it never happens to anyone else - what a shock it was to my system! I'm surprised the airbags didn't inflate in the rapid stop. The two front trailer tires have a small flat spot, but I don't think there's any other long-lasting damage.

Now I truly know the meaning of "screeching to a halt." I'm fine, my cats are fine, and I can chalk up this particular adventure to another learning experience and a chance to continue enjoying the RV life!

Thanks, Dennis, for your help and your brother's contribution. It's great to have fellow Montana owners and RVers to rely on! And it's wonderful that there are strangers out on the road who can be truly helpful and expect nothing in return.

Sharon

[Ronnelly]

quote:Originally posted by GypsySCM

It was a nice clear, sunny, warm (hot) Sunday afternoon. I'd enjoyed a couple of weeks at the beach and was just returning to Bakersfield to get some more warranty work before heading to the Western Region Rally in Mt. Shasta. I slowed down for the construction zone - 45 mph and I went about 40, seeing no traffic behind me. There were RR tracks, so I slowed down some more, to about 30 mph. Bump, bump, then STOP!!!

At first, I couldn't believe I was no longer moving. I gave the Ram a little more fuel and realized I wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, I had aimed toward the shoulder but didn't get off the road on the two-lane highway. I had skidded about 50 feet. Traffic was building up. What to do? Put on my flashers, got out, waved cars to come around in the opposite lane when safe.

First, I checked the emergency trailer brake - the pin that pulls out when the trailer comes unhitched to keep it from careening down the road without the TV. It was firmly in place and there was no tension on the tether. Then I checked the electrical cord - unplugged, replugged, tried to move but couldn't. Called Good Sam ERS - They walked me through the same troubleshooting. Several helpful guys stopped to offer assistance. We checked the trailer brake controller - recently replaced when it mysteriously failed. We jacked up one side and couldn't get the wheels to move. We tried everything we could think of. Good Sam called every RV business in the area and they were all closed. The trailer couldn't be towed because the wheels wouldn't roll. The flatbed trucks available were all too short to put the whole rig on them. A repairman was reached and he promised to shower and get there in a half-hour. Or more. This was about the end of my rope.

I called Dennis Hill (HamRad) who lives in Bakersfield, but was currently in Ventura dealing with a serious condition of his granddaughter. Thanks to his advice after brainstorming with his brother, we tried disconnecting the battery, which didn't resolve the problem. Then Dennis said to pull out the emergency brake pin and re-insert it. John, the motorcyclist who was the remaining person (of many) who had stopped to help, had to struggle to get the pin out, it was so tight; and when he re-inserted it, finally the wheels rolled. Hurrah! (It turned out his parents are RVers and he was happy to help in the spirit of "Pay it forward.")

In the meantime, a Bakersfield policeman arrived to direct traffic and insisted on calling a truck tow to put my rig on a large flatbead to get me off the roadway. Maybe it was his threat that was the shot of adrenalin we needed to finally resolve the issue, after 1-1/2 hours of troubleshooting.

The problem turned out to be the first one I suspected, but I assumed the pin was fine because it was still in place. Obviously, something malfunctioned so that a bump over the RR tracks made the system think the trailer was unhitched.

I'm posting this to warn you in case you encounter the same problem. If your trailer brakes lock up, pull the pin and re-insert it. That should reset the brakes and release them. I hope it never happens to anyone else - what a shock it was to my system! I'm surprised the airbags didn't inflate in the rapid stop. The two front trailer tires have a small flat spot, but I don't think there's any other long-lasting damage.

Now I truly know the meaning of "screeching to a halt." I'm fine, my cats are fine, and I can chalk up this particular adventure to another learning experience and a chance to continue enjoying the RV life!

Thanks, Dennis, for your help and your brother's contribution. It's great to have fellow Montana owners and RVers to rely on! And it's wonderful that there are strangers out on the road who can be truly helpful and expect nothing in return.

Sharon

[Ronnelly]

quote:Originally posted by GypsySCM

It was a nice clear, sunny, warm (hot) Sunday afternoon. I'd enjoyed a couple of weeks at the beach and was just returning to Bakersfield to get some more warranty work before heading to the Western Region Rally in Mt. Shasta. I slowed down for the construction zone - 45 mph and I went about 40, seeing no traffic behind me. There were RR tracks, so I slowed down some more, to about 30 mph. Bump, bump, then STOP!!!

At first, I couldn't believe I was no longer moving. I gave the Ram a little more fuel and realized I wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, I had aimed toward the shoulder but didn't get off the road on the two-lane highway. I had skidded about 50 feet. Traffic was building up. What to do? Put on my flashers, got out, waved cars to come around in the opposite lane when safe.

First, I checked the emergency trailer brake - the pin that pulls out when the trailer comes unhitched to keep it from careening down the road without the TV. It was firmly in place and there was no tension on the tether. Then I checked the electrical cord - unplugged, replugged, tried to move but couldn't. Called Good Sam ERS - They walked me through the same troubleshooting. Several helpful guys stopped to offer assistance. We checked the trailer brake controller - recently replaced when it mysteriously failed. We jacked up one side and couldn't get the wheels to move. We tried everything we could think of. Good Sam called every RV business in the area and they were all closed. The trailer couldn't be towed because the wheels wouldn't roll. The flatbed trucks available were all too short to put the whole rig on them. A repairman was reached and he promised to shower and get there in a half-hour. Or more. This was about the end of my rope.

I called Dennis Hill (HamRad) who lives in Bakersfield, but was currently in Ventura dealing with a serious condition of his granddaughter. Thanks to his advice after brainstorming with his brother, we tried disconnecting the battery, which didn't resolve the problem. Then Dennis said to pull out the emergency brake pin and re-insert it. John, the motorcyclist who was the remaining person (of many) who had stopped to help, had to struggle to get the pin out, it was so tight; and when he re-inserted it, finally the wheels rolled. Hurrah! (It turned out his parents are RVers and he was happy to help in the spirit of "Pay it forward.")

In the meantime, a Bakersfield policeman arrived to direct traffic and insisted on calling a truck tow to put my rig on a large flatbead to get me off the roadway. Maybe it was his threat that was the shot of adrenalin we needed to finally resolve the issue, after 1-1/2 hours of troubleshooting.

The problem turned out to be the first one I suspected, but I assumed the pin was fine because it was still in place. Obviously, something malfunctioned so that a bump over the RR tracks made the system think the trailer was unhitched.

I'm posting this to warn you in case you encounter the same problem. If your trailer brakes lock up, pull the pin and re-insert it. That should reset the brakes and release them. I hope it never happens to anyone else - what a shock it was to my system! I'm surprised the airbags didn't inflate in the rapid stop. The two front trailer tires have a small flat spot, but I don't think there's any other long-lasting damage.

Now I truly know the meaning of "screeching to a halt." I'm fine, my cats are fine, and I can chalk up this particular adventure to another learning experience and a chance to continue enjoying the RV life!

Thanks, Dennis, for your help and your brother's contribution. It's great to have fellow Montana owners and RVers to rely on! And it's wonderful that there are strangers out on the road who can be truly helpful and expect nothing in return.

Sharon

I just read told my husband about your experience with the trailer brakes locking up. Wanted him to be sure he would know if that should ever happen to us. A person feels so helpless not knowing what to do if something like that happens. Thanks for letting us know.

[stiles watson]

I guess all's well that ends well, but that had to be scary from a number of angles. Glad you were able to get going before the confiscation. There are a lot of really nice people out there. Glad you ran into a few of them. Thank you for the post with the detail. I like having solutions to problems, while hoping that the information is never needed.

[mazeeff]

This is one of the best posts I have read on MOC. This is great information to add to our sea of knowledge. We all fear the time when this happens to us, and having this knowledge will certainly help us get through it.

[CountryGuy]

Sharon,

What an exerience. So glad you and the cats and Montana are basically ok, even if you had a nasty afternoon.

Thanks for the headsup on this. We pulled our emergency trailer brake out on a particularly tight right turn. Funny, it did not stop us, sadly, we were able to drive about a 1/4 mile like that, to say the least the brakes were SMOKING!! Seriously. We were on gravel road, not sure if that had anything to do with ability to keep moving, SIGHHHHHH.

Something we will never forget, as I am sure, you will not either!

Sure are glad you are OK, that is most important!

Carol

[hodag]

gypsyscm, thanks for the post. sorry you had the experience,it is frustrating when these things happen. i just had a turbo pipe blow off while on the winedy, hilly roads in arkanas. had i not read about this on someones post i would not have had a clue as to what happened or the fix.

[richfaa]

Did a print screen on that and it will go in our our on board troubleshooting binder. I would never have thought that would have been the problem..You never know///

[padredw]

Your sharing of your experience moves me to admit something that I have not confessed before. Last week on our way home from a trip to the Southeast, I pulled out of a station in Louisiana (making a sharp right turn) when the trailer brakes locked. Traffic was waiting for me to clear, but I could not move. In my case, the 'safety pin' had pulled out, the cable had caught on the hitch as I made that sharp turn. In my haste I jumped out of the pickup and reinserted the pin. To my shock, the whole rig began to move (with me between the RV and the truck). If I had stumbled, the truck and RV would have pulled out into the very heavy traffic with my wife helpless inside. She could not get across the console to reach the controls. Fortunately, I was agile enough to just make it and bring things under control.

Here is my confession : In my anxiety to get out of the way of other traffic, I had left the transmission in DRIVE. Stupid, I know. Now I have confessed. Absolution is not required; I have learned my lesson.

[CountryGuy]

David,

Worse yet, if you had stumbled, Montana could have rolled over you! We are very glad you are safe as well!

I know Al and I have to remind each other that the other drivers can and will wait, and not to get excited when we have to pull out into traffic like that.

We are always telling each other, safety first, slow down, don't get hurt. It is becoming our mantra for Montana.

Glad all ended well for you, that had to be a pretty scarry event like Sharons.

Carol

[mazeeff]

Thinking about this a little further, raises two questions in my mind.

1. I always thought the safty switch was a VERY simple device, that simply allowed two contacts to connect when the pin was pulled. How could those two contacts have made contact with the pin still installed. I don't understand how the device would have been "reset" by simply pulling the pin and re-inserting it.

2. Removing both the 7 pin connector and the trailer battery cable should have removed all 12 volts from the trailer and freed the brakes. Did you try this?

[padredw]

Carol, that was exactly the response of Shirley at the time. Funny, I never thought about that possibility. You should have seen me make that move to the pickup. Pretty good for a 72 year old! (who should have had more sense!)

My only excuse is that by that time, I was really tired. We should have stopped for the night before any of this happened.

[CountryGuy]

David,

Al and I try very hard to not get too tired and are always looking at each other, saying, "BE CAREFUL, DON'T GET HURT!" He will remind me any number of times when I head out the door with 3 of the yorks under my arms, "Don't fall on those stairs." Safety first. (Reminds me of the time we were winter camping in the prior TT, he went out very early, still dark, all I heard was thud, bang, whomp! He hit ice on the first stair and went all the way down, mostly on his hind end from the way I remember it. He could have busted up real bad, he was very lucky!)

We all love our Montana's and the lifestyle, and hopefully we don't forget, it is serious business hauling these big rigs down the hard road.

So, glad that all turned out well for you and for Sharon. Kinda a scary week around here! Whew!

Oh, enjoy Colorado!

Carol

[Gypsy]

Thanks for everyone's supportive comments.

David, I'm glad your situation turned out safely - that must have been really scary!

Mazeeff, I agree that the safety switch should NOT have activated when the pin was still firmly in place. I had it checked out at the RV dealer the next day, and their only comment was it's now working correctly. I still don't know why the system failed. And Yes, I did disconnect the 7-pin connector and try to move the trailer - several times, in fact. When we finally disconnected the battery, my mind is a little foggy about whether I tried to move the trailer then (I *think* so) or after we pulled and re-inserted the pin. I always try to do one thing at a time, see if it worked, then try the next thing - not try 3-4 things and see if anything changed. My late husband taught me the 'scientific method.' However, I had been working under the hot sun for 1-1/2 hours by that time and several people were trying to help, so I'm not absolutely positive whether I actually did test with the battery disconnected.

[vickster]

Sharon - Thank you for your post and thank you lord that all is well.

I can relate to the initial feeling upon experiencing brake lock up. This happened to us this last January making a very sharp right hand turn - brakes locked up, traffic backed up and just a moment of 'panic'. Initially we had no clue what was the problem, as this was our first year pulling Monty. Never thought about checking the safety pin on the hitch. Fortunately another "experienced" RV'r came along and "showed us the light". Put the safety pin back in place and we were on a roll once again. On the positive side we were happy to learn that the emergency braking system works just fine!

[skypilot]

Glad everyone is safe in all listed cases. A bit different case but saw / read another post sometime back where someone suggested using the 'break-away' switch and ebrake as a 'parking brake' while they did some work. Had a neighbor who tried that last year - ran his battery down before he had finished the work he was doing and brakes released. Luckily no one injured but his 'other brand' 5er did come down off the jack stands he had it on. He learned the hard way - these brake are just that - emergency break-away brakes. Please use chocks when working on the system.
Sorry - didn't mean to steal the thread but figured this is a timely topic given that many of us are just now getting our Montanas and Mountaineers out of storage and ready for another big summer of use. Happy and SAFE camping to all.

[On The Road Again]

Sorry to hear about your harrowing experience, however, a BIG thanks for putting this on the forum ....just in case it happens to any of us, we'll certainly know what to try.
Happy Camping
Marshall