Be sure to inspect the brake wires!

[ShrimpBurrito]

I recently repacked the bearings on my TM, and on the first wheel, happened to notice that the little plastic "keeper" that is supposed to hold the brake wires close to the backing plate had come unplugged. The made the wires hang free, but fortunately, they hadn't interfered with anything.

On the other side, I was not so lucky. There is a #10 or so wire coming back from the TV on the driver side, powering the brakes on that side, as well as the brakes on the other side, which are connected in parallel. That wire rubbed presumably against the drum or tire, and the insulation was not only worn over about a 1 inch segment, but about half of the wire thickness was gone too. I may have already experienced decreased braking, but I certainly would have experienced NO BRAKING if the rest of it had worn away.

Very unpleasant surprise, but I'm glad I caught it in the driveway.

Dave

[cochise]

In response to ShrimpBurrito, I can take that warning one step further. Check the wires into the brake. I found that my wires were connected with a orange wire nut!!! That is a far cry from the ANSI standard that TM and RVIA professes to adhere to. And to top it, the wires are VERY sloppily fastened onto the axle. I have contacted Dexter Axle for an answer to the correct brake wire application. As soon as I have an answer I'll post it here.

[Wavery]

This is a very common problem on all trailers with electric brakes. The wires take a beating as the tire (brakes) bounce down the road. The wire get a tremendous work-out and often get smashed, chafed and/or cut in two.

I just put new brake assemblies on my trailer yesterday and yes.......that wiring is pathetic. However, I must say, my trailer is 12 years old and I have only had 1 wire get smashed and those lousy wire nuts held up well until I replaced them with heat-shrink wire connectors.

I have always held that electric trailer brakes are not reliable and should not be counted on for towing in the mountains. You need to have them but just realize that they may not work when you need them most.

I just repacked my bearings on my 2008 2720SL yesterday. First time I saw electric brakes and wasn't impressed. One side the shoes have small cracks. The wire setup inside the drum wasn't exactly aviation quality.

The worst experience for me was getting the seal out. I won't go into detail, but it was a real challenge. Not like anything I have experienced working on different types of cars and trucks. Totally removed all old grease and put in new. If you don't know for sure the base used in the grease that is in the bearings and drum it should all be removed to prevent the mixing of different grease base when putting in new grease. Also use what grease is recommended.

My outer seal that covers the zirk fitting is starting to crack too.

If you grease your bearings have a new seal before starting.

And how about the clip to hold the spindle nut from coming off. I like what most car manufactures use, the cap and cotterpin method myself. How can the clip hold the nut on some sides where the nuts surface is flush with the washer. Only on the corner of the nut is where the fingers can actually wrap around the nut.

Also put on Kumho load range D tires, adios Marathon. Bought from TireRack and at my door in two days.

Looking foward to hearing comments Robert

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by robertkennel

One side the shoes have small cracks. The wire setup inside the drum wasn't exactly aviation quality.

Robert - small cracks in the brake shows aren't necessarily a problem. See this thread:

http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6281

The worst experience for me was getting the seal out.

That's odd. I use a seal puller, and it comes out with a few good pulls.

Totally removed all old grease and put in new. If you don't know for sure the base used in the grease that is in the bearings and drum it should all be removed to prevent the mixing of different grease base when putting in new grease.

I usually clean out all the old grease with a solvent, like brake cleaner. The grease gets degraded and gathers impurities through use, and my guess is old grease doesn't mix well with old grease for that reason. So I want to get fresh grease to those surfaces.

My outer seal that covers the zirk fitting is starting to crack too.

Mine too....but given that mine is a 2000, perhaps yours will last that long too.

And how about the clip to hold the spindle nut from coming off. I like what most car manufactures use, the cap and cotterpin method myself. How can the clip hold the nut on some sides where the nuts surface is flush with the washer. Only on the corner of the nut is where the fingers can actually wrap around the nut.

The reason a cotter pin is not used is because it would interfere with the "EZ Lube" system. That zerk fitting allows you to pump grease all the way through the spindle to 2 holes that is just outward (towards the road) of the seal, where it goes forced through the bearings and out the hub around the castle nut. That allows you to theoretically pump grease through the bearings without taking the hub off. I'm not really sure why doing that would be necessary, especially if you inspect and repack the bearings regularly. I have been doing them every other year, and my bearings looked great, and I have not used the EZ Lube once. Some folks here report no problems using it, while a few have reported grease leaking out (blowing the seal) and getting all over the brakes.

So instead of a cotter pin, a "tang washer" is used. The TM is the first time I've seen them too, and since both the spindle and tang washer are in the shape of a "D", it seems to work fine.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I like Dexter's website for parts. Their description for operations of the brake are good also.



Do I understand it correctly that the brake coil actually comes into contact with the drum. It seems strange that it rubs on the drum. I was concerned to see the wear on the drum from the coil unit. I was expecting to see two coils attracting to each other or a coil with cores inside which attach to the shoes, but I guess you get more mechanical advantage the way it is designed.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by robertkennel

Thanks Dave,

I like Dexter's website for parts. Their description for operations of the brake are good also.



Do I understand it correctly that the brake coil actually comes into contact with the drum. It seems strange that it rubs on the drum. I was concerned to see the wear on the drum from the coil unit. I was expecting to see two coils attracting to each other or a coil with cores inside which attach to the shoes, but I guess you get more mechanical advantage the way it is designed.

When the magnet is energized, it is attracted to the drum. The force of the turning drum against the magnet pushes the brake actuator in the direction of rotation. That forces the brake shoes against the drum.

Someone here mentioned that they couldn't find anyone to turn their brake drums (a year or so ago). I took mine to the local brake shop. They turned them and solvent washed them for $25. They looked like brand new. I bought 2 new drums, just in case. I took them back for a full refund today .

Thanks Wayne,

I saw on other posts where you can get the entire brake assembly for a low cost. When the brakes start getting worn I will throw the whole thing away and install completely new. Robert

What cochise says. After 1000 miles, the Elkmont had brake wire insulation almost worn through. I ended up adding protective covering to all brake wires. Like this:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/...eat=directlink

One of these days I'll replace the wire nuts. For now they are just wrapped and sealed with something similar to ScotchCote.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by harveyrv

Someone here mentioned that they couldn't find anyone to turn their brake drums (a year or so ago).

That may have been me. I could find shops all day long that would turn the shoe surface of the drum, but after calling at least a half dozen brake and machine shops, I could not find anyone that could turn the armature (magnet) surface of the drum.

brulaz - I think I'm going to add some wire loom too. That is what is used on all wiring underneath most cars.

Dave