Re: Trailer Brakes
An interesting thread. Just a few weeks ago, I decided to reduce the strength of the brakes (slightly, of course) so that when I am going at very slow speeds in town, the trailer doesn't keep rocking the tow vehicle at stop lights. When I am on the highway or traveling at higher speeds, I would prefer to have it where the dealer placed it -- much higher. I was also concerned about one time I heard the tires skid, and knew that wasn't a good idea.
Well, here we are leaving Jellystone after our first weekend out and I couldn't get the brake pedal to stop the trailer. When I pressed the brake controlled, the trailer brakes activated just fine, but when I pressed the pedal, nothing. Ellen wisely suggested that we return to the campground and their shop, where, after about a half hour of work, they determined that my very (and I mean very) slight adjustment down of the controller had reduced the brakes to nothing.
Having learned from this, I still may adjust the brakes down in town, but always check them at a higher speed before going on to the highway. Also, I'm going to follow some of the advice and pull the tires to examine the brakes of a regular basis.
My question: am I doing this right? Do you suspect that my brakes are adjusted correctly in the first place? This is one time I want to get the "real scoop," since brakes are about the most important safety item while on the road.
Thanks!
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