Lubircating the bearings: Almost all modern TMs (and a 2003 certainly qualifies as modern) have the Zerk fitting under the dust cap. I say "almost" because I think we had someone report a TM - a single case - in which the trailer had a different axle. I know that my 2002 2720SL had the EZ-Lube fittings on the axle. At any rate, it is easy to check. Just pop off the black rubber cover, and the Zerk will be staring right at you.
You should not have to hand-pack the bearings. Some of our members prefer to hand pack, but that is an individual choice.
Checking the brakes: You have an electric brake controller in your tow vehicle - please tell me you do. When you plug the trailer into the Bargman 7-pin connector, the controller will tell you if the electric circuit to the brakes is good or bad. Check the owners' manual for the controller to see just how the controller indicates this check. As for checking the braking capability, the first thing to note is that you almost certainly CANNOT cause the brakes to lock up. There are a lot of different instructions out there, both formal and shade tree, that say to adjust the brakes until they will lock up. They won't. Your best bet is to simply drive slowly down the road, maybe 20-25 mph. Take your foot off the gas, then hit the manual control on your brake controller. You should feel the brakes come on and pull your tow vehicle toward a somewhat slow stop. You could also jack up the trailer (put the jack under the FRAME, never under the AXLE), spin the wheel by hand, and apply the brakes manually. The wheel should stop spinning very quickly.
Bill
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