Regarding the self adjusting trailer brakes, it did take a while for the brakes to "burnish". When I installed them I scuffed up the drum surface with some 80 grit sand paper and drove backward multiple times while applying the brakes and then tested them by applying the manual slider on my brake controller. I could feel the brakes applying however the linings were not gripping the drum surface very well. They are certainly applying and I can feel the trailer slowing but then almost immediately it seems that the brakes fade as they heat up.
On by drive from Dallas to California I noticed the brakes were getting more responsive with each additional stop so I am more satisfied now than when I first installed them.
I cannot get the tires to lock up and skid with full brake power and max adjustment of the inertia (pendulum) so it seems that the brake lining is not large enough for the weight of the TM or that the linings still have not burnished properly.
The way to properly adjust the electric brake controller is to run on a paved road and then place the inertia pendulum to max application and then also adjust the power reostat to the point where the tires skid using the manual application lever. Then back off the power reostat slightly to the point where the tires no longer skid when the brakes are applied based on the conditions of the road (wet/dry/contaminated). Then when the power adjustment is made so that the tires no longer skid then the inertia (pendulum) is adjusted so that there is minor trailer braking action during gentle stops.
I cannot get my brakes to skid. Can anyone else get their trailer brakes to skid.
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