Adjusting Electric Trailer Brakes

One of the biggest concerns we have while towing is the stability and safety of the load and one of the biggest factors in safety is knowing that when we stop so will the trailer. We are going to look more closely at how trailer braking works and how we can have greater control over the sensitivity of the brakes.

Why Do We Need Trailer Brakes?

We’ll start out by saying that trailer brakes are not always legally required as long as the load being pulled is below a certain weight. This might vary state by state but generally speaking the trailer would have to be very light load to qualify as not needing brakes.

If you are towing something of high weight the law dictates that you must have brakes on the trailer or mobile home whichever you might happen to be towing. The reason for this is purely and simply safety. The brakes on your vehicle also known as the tow vehicle are designed only to stop the weight and momentum of itself.

If anything substantial being towed behind a tow vehicle does not have brakes itself it will by the simple laws of physics continue to move forward even when you use your vehicle brakes. This can cause a jack knife situation whereby the trailer pushes the backend of the tow vehicle forcing it to turn to the left or right.

A great deal of damage can be caused by not having functioning trailer brakes with a heavy load not only to the tow vehicle but potentially to yourself and other road users. When trailer brakes work in conjunction with your vehicle's brakes the whole rig slows and stops together safely.

What Types of Trailer Brakes Are There?

When it comes to trailer braking there are two types available: firstly the hydraulic brakes which have been around for a long time. The second and more recent type are electric brakes which are the subject of this article.

More About Electric Trailer Brakes

Electric trailer brakes work in the same way as those on the tow vehicle. Rather than using hydraulics magnets are used to perform the braking. When the brakes are engaged the magnets are activated attracting the magnet to the drum face. Once they connect the friction causes it to spin moving the actuation arm and pushing the shoes against the drum.

The shoes are coated with a heat resistant material and when they contact the brake drum it stops the corresponding wheel from spinning. In the case of trailer brakes they work in the same way but their instructions come from the tow vehicle via the connected wiring.

There is a plug-in connection between the tow vehicle and the trailer which includes the trailer brakes into the vehicle's braking system. This allows both sets of brakes to work in almost perfect union avoiding any risk from an out of control heavy load.

Why Do You Need to Adjust Electric Trailer Brakes?

It is important to adjust your trailer brakes to ensure that they are working at the correct levels. You do not want the brakes of your trailer being too sensitive or not responsive enough. A disconnect of utility can result in dangerous situations.

It is suggested that you should adjust your electric trailer brakes every 3,000 miles or 3 months. Never assume that after six months of not being used that the trailer brakes will be the same as when you last used them.

How to Adjust Electric Trailer Brakes

The process of adjusting electric trailer brakes is pretty simple but you should remember that you will need to do the adjustment to all of the brake setups on the trailer. The steps to adjust the electric trailer brakes are as follows:

Step One:

The first step is to ensure safety so make sure all of the wheels are chocked so there is no risk of the trailer rolling while you are working on it. Jack up one side of the trailer making sure the jack is under the body not an axle.

You will need to raise it high enough so that the wheel or wheels on that side of the trailer can spin freely.

Step Two:

The next step is to remove the brake access cover. This is generally a plastic or rubber cap or plug that can easily be removed by using a flathead screwdriver to pry it loose. Carefully remove the cover to expose the brake chamber and adjustment wheel.

Step Three:

Brakes may vary so you will use either a brake spoon, adjustment tool or a simple flathead screwdriver for this next step. Using the tool that best suits your brakes turn the star wheel adjuster inside the brake chamber.

The adjuster can typically be found below the brake drum. Push down on the brake spoon handle so that the adjuster is pried upward. This will serve to tighten the brake pads and shoes. You will want to turn the wheel one click at a time making sure to spin the tire between each click to ensure it still spins freely.

Step Four:

Once the trailer tire starts to become more difficult to turn you need to stop tightening the adjuster. If the wheel is too tight you can pry upward on the adjustment tool to loosen it a click or two. The aim is to have the wheel spin freely but still have a slight scraping sound or a bit of drag. This indicates the brake pads are correctly engaged.

Step Five:

At this point replace the cover on the brake access point and consider checking the torque on the trailer tire nuts. Using a tire pattern test the tire nuts to make sure they are tightened to manufacturer specifications.

Note: Repeat these steps for all the wheels that have brakes fitted on the trailer

Conclusion

Adjusting electric trailer brakes is not a difficult task and it requires some simple tools. Doing this regularly will ensure that your trailer is ready to work safely and should stop smoothly when you engage the brakes on your tow vehicle.

It is vital the brakes are correctly adjusted as this can avoid a dangerous accident.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spend a lot of time collecting, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site to be as useful to you as possible.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Tow Ratings as the source. We appreciate your support!