So how do you adjust the brakes on trailer brakes?? Got a car trailer with 3500Lb dexters that are either needing replacement, or adjustment BADLY. With my drawtite activator II at max, I cant even lockup the brakes in my driveway. (no neither truck have ABS)
I have tested the controller on my other trailer and it does a fine job.

Thanks!

 

they should be drums so they have an adjustment hole on the back where you turn the screw to expand the shoes just like any oth drum brake

 

if they are drum there might be a rubber plug covering the hole but its on the bottom of the backing plate. if you can get a light and look in there you will see a little "star wheel" thats the piece you turn one way pushes the pads out the other pulls them in. jack the trailer up spin the wheel and give the star wheel a few turns when you hear it start to make contact back it off 3 clicks (you should hear it click) that will get you to a good starting point and adjust them from there as needed...

 

Lots of brake info in general...
setting up the controller, etc
Adjusting Hydraulic, which will be about the same for electric.

HTH

Tony

 

Electric trailer brakes are a little different than the old style non-self adjusting drums from cars.

Anyhow, run the adjuster out until the tire is difficult to turn by hand. This will center the shoes in the drum. Then back off the star wheel until the wheel spins freely, plus about another 4 or 5 good bites on the adjuster.

Car drums you could adjust in until you don't hear them drag, but with trailers you will still hear the magnet skiff along the armature surface when properly adjusted.

If you don't know the trailer's history, I'd highly suggest pulling the drums to inspect and clean the brakes, clean and pack the wheel bearings, and put in new grease seals. Be sure to use grease with NLGI rating GC (the highest rating for wheel bearing applications). I prefer to use a synthetic rated GC-LB- which meets the highest standard for both wheel bearings and chassis applications.

It's much easier to repack wheel bearings at home than it is on the side of the road, especially if you end up with a bearing spun onto the spindle.

Both Dexter and Al-Ko have very nice downloadable pdf manuals for free.

Under "Service Information" select complete service manual.

http://www.dexteraxle.com/products___literature

And here, just click on "Owner's Manual".


http://www.al-kousa.com/

It is worth it to save both to your hard drive.

 

On my last trailer I had a plate I had to remover to get to the adjuster. It had 7 small screws to remove.