Quote:
Originally Posted by amijab
Hi everyone
I am new here. We purchased a used Trailmonor 3124kb and have aleady gone on 9 camping trips this summer! Loving it! On our last caming trips, as we were pulling out to go home, we noticed a loud clicking noise by the tires. It seems to happen more when we put on the brakes. We are supposed to go on another trip tomorrow but.... now I am getting worried. Has anyone every experienced this? It seems that maybe the brakes are grabbing when they are not supposed to or something. It does not seem to slow the trailor down.
Thanks for any help!!
MAndy
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This is not something you should drive with until you're sure what it is. At worst the wheel bearing is bad, and this will do more damage and strand you requiring that your trailer be pulled on to a flatbed and taken to a shop.
First, make sure there are no rocks stuck in the tire treads, and nothing embedded in the tire. I've found nails and screws that were well enough sealed that air wasn't leaking, at least not quickly.
If it's still clicking, rotate the tires just to make sure the click is still coming from the same side. It's easier than what comes next.
Lift that wheel off of the ground:
I use the stabilizers, but make sure never to fully extend them, just enough to get the wheel off of the ground, and make sure all 4 stabilizers are always touching the ground. If you only have the front or rear two touching the ground, the trailer can roll off of them, which is dangerous to people around it and ruins the stabilizer. Fully extending them makes them really weak and the trailer has a tendency to roll off of them that way.
If you use a jack, do not lift the trailer by the axle. That would probably ruin it. Lift it by the frame.
Turn the wheel and see if it still clicks when it's off the ground.
At this point you have to pull the wheel from the axle. Unfortunately you can't get at the brakes any other way. This might be mechanic time, this is a dirty job with tons of bearing grease, and you have to be careful not to get any dirt or grit in the grease, which will ruin the bearing.
You will need to replace the wheel seals if you pull the wheel from the axle. These are from Dexter, and are available online.
Inspect the brake shoes and the magnets. Electric brakes are different from any you are used to. Read about how they work online.
You may have to replace the wheel if the inside face or the inside circumference is badly scored. Nobody will machine the face and the wheels are now sold thinner because they are never expected to be machined. You may have to replace the brake magnet, the brake shoes, etc.
If the brake isn't obviously bad, it's now time to replace the wheel bearings. This is an even dirtier job with lots of brake cleaner, and packing the bearings with grease. You can read how to do this online, and parts are available from Dexter.