Brakes shot?

hoffbrew · 06-10-2016, 10:52 AM

Took the Fuzion into shop today for brake check. Last year my em cable got caught on the hitch while towing and came out. Trailer did not lock up but drove a few miles till my brother , that was following me, radioed me and said my brakes are smoking. Over the past few trips, I have to keep adjusting my brake controller higher. I will see what they have to say after awhile.

**chuckster57** · 06-10-2016, 02:37 PM

I'm betting your gonna need new shoes. Lots of times it quicker and cheaper labor wise to just get pre loaded backing plates.

**JRTJH** · 06-10-2016, 04:22 PM

I just replaced the backer plate assemblies on my Cougar. The axles are 5200 lb Lippert axles (rated at 4400 lbs each). A local trailer parts store had the Lippert assemblies for $47 each. New magnets would have cost $18 and brake shoes were $28, so for me, it made sense not to have to remove/clean/replace the shoes and magnet. For another buck, I got "preassembled" parts. Remove 5 bolts, slip the old one off and slip the new one on. The only "other part" needed was the 3M waterproof connectors. They would have been needed with either a rebuild or with the replacements.

About 2 hours of my time, a can of brake cleaner, a sheet of emery cloth and a couple of old towels and it was done.

The reason I had to change the brakes was those darned "EZ Lube axles". Even with a "mini grease gun" and slowly adding the lube while spinning the wheel, all 4 grease seals either leaked or were never "lube tight".... Anyway, that was the last time for the EZ Lube. In the future, I'll just take the hubs off and repack them by hand.

hoffbrew · 06-13-2016, 01:08 PM

Just picked it up. The seals busted and brake wire broke, dealer said common on these axles?? Packed wheel bearings, replaced all backing plates and breaks. $352.00 in parts, $400.00 labor!! $781.49 otd.

**JRTJH** · 06-13-2016, 01:39 PM

Based on the two hours it took for me to do that same job, your dealer's labor rate is $200 an hour. Pretty steep rates, but if you don't have any more issues, have "new" brakes and know the job was done correctly, once you suffer the pain of paying for it, time to go camping.....

hoffbrew · 06-13-2016, 03:26 PM

Tried to cure the pain with a couple of bud lights but still there

, once I leave for the trip I am sure it will ease!

hoffbrew · 06-13-2016, 03:29 PM

John, sounds like your rates are cheaper, I will make my next appointment with you

gearhead · 06-13-2016, 07:03 PM

I'm thinking I'm looking at new assemblies as well. When the weather cools off, maybe October, I need to diagnose my problems.
John that's a good price for Lippert parts. I'm thinking eTrailer and self adjusting at this point.

**chuckster57** · 06-13-2016, 07:35 PM

$200.00/hr is a bit steep. We only charge $139.00

**JRTJH** · 06-13-2016, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

I'm thinking I'm looking at new assemblies as well. When the weather cools off, maybe October, I need to diagnose my problems.
John that's a good price for Lippert parts. I'm thinking eTrailer and self adjusting at this point.

I bought them at Richardson Trailer Supply in Traverse City, MI. I was also looking at the self adjusting brake assemblies, but the parts guy there said they aren't "all they are cracked up to be". He recommended that I not get them since the wheel bearings have to be repacked every couple of years.

Actually, after towing a couple hundred miles last week, I adjusted these in about an hour (jacking time, adjusting time and cleanup time). They should be "set" by now and next spring when we get ready to start towing again, I'll rotate the tires, adjust the brakes while they are "in the air" and that should be all they need "next year".....

hoffbrew, My "reduced rates" (family discount) only applies to immediate family members....

bobbecky · 06-13-2016, 09:02 PM

hoffbrew, Red Neck Trailer Supply in Fowler carries the self adjusting Dexter backing plate/brake/magnet assemblies for about $75 each, seals $4 each. I had to replace all ours a couple years ago after the brake greasing system, AKA E-Z Lube, failed to work as advertised. With your hydraulic leveling system, you could do a complete job in a couple of hours, and that's replacing the backing plate assemblies.

hoffbrew · 06-14-2016, 07:26 AM

I know this for next time for sure. When I talked to them, he told me about $400.00. My bad for not calculating labor. I guess I am use to getting a price otd. I questioned when I was there, it was going nowhere. Lesson learned.

Desert185 · 06-14-2016, 07:29 AM

You know...you can't win 'em all. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that much $$. Its fixed. Forget it and press on.

I have a friend who always wants to know how much I spent on something (a pet peeve of mine) and then tells me I spent too much (whether I did or not). I remind him that I don't pay state income tax in NV along with all the other taxes and fees that are less than Kalifornia where he lives, so I can afford an occasional purchasing boo-boo. That usually shuts him up. If I haven't known him since I was four, I probably would be harder on him.

hoffbrew · 06-14-2016, 07:32 AM

You got that right!! all gooder.... We really need a like button here, especially when trimming trees

nellie1289 · 07-18-2016, 09:21 PM

for your folks that replaced your brakes how long till they were "grabbing" again. my dealer told me it will take "a little while" to get back up to full braking again until broken in a little. on the short drive home they got better as a went but far from stellar before I blew the grease seal that fried the old ones.

hoffbrew · 07-18-2016, 10:52 PM

I was told it would take a little before brakes starting grabbing and it did. By the time I thought " when I get back, I am taking trailer in for them to look at" When I pulled into Oregon, baam, brakes where grabbing great. Whew...

**JRTJH** · 07-19-2016, 06:18 AM

I replaced my brake assemblies this spring. The first trip was about 400 miles. On the "out leg" the brakes didn't seem to be much better than before replacement, on the "return leg" they started working much better. We recently returned from a weekend trip and the brakes were working as well or even better than they did during the first year of ownership.

Depending on how you tow, brake use will be significantly different. Consider towing on the interstate where you might go 200 miles without applying the trailer brakes vs "city towing" where you can't go 300 feet without stopping two or three times..... I'd say that you might want to give the brakes a couple hundred miles of towing to fully "seat themselves to the drum", then maybe a readjustment of the shoe clearance. If that doesn't give you good braking, then I'd take it back to the service center.

nellie1289 · 07-19-2016, 06:42 AM

good info JRTJH, with the exhaust brake on the truck even in hilly areas I don't have to use my brakes much. so it may be a while. I cant believe I have new brakes on my trailer after only 15 months of ownership and 2500 towed miles. pesky grease seal!

**JRTJH** · 07-19-2016, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nellie1289

good info JRTJH, with the exhaust brake on the truck even in hilly areas I don't have to use my brakes much. so it may be a while. I cant believe I have new brakes on my trailer after only 15 months of ownership and 2500 towed miles. pesky grease seal!

We put a lot more miles on ours than that, nearly 15,000 miles before the brakes were "shot", but they weren't worn, like you, with the exhaust brake, we don't put nearly the stress on brake shoes that we did on other trailers. Last year, before our "out west trip" I used the EZ Lube system (like many times in the past) but for some reason, all 4 of the grease seals failed. I let the grease gun sit in the sun all morning, jacked each wheel and rotated it as I slowly injected the grease, but that time, it didn't work as described. When we returned from the trip, all 4 hubs were filled with grease and the brake shoes and magnets were saturated.

After buying new brake assemblies, cleaning up everything and reinstalling with "HAND PACKED" bearings, I'm thinking that my EZ Lube system has seen its last grease gun... Honestly, trying to "save a couple hours" cost me twice the man hours and an extra $300 to boot...... Lesson learned !!!!!

nellie1289 · 07-19-2016, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

We put a lot more miles on ours than that, nearly 15,000 miles before the brakes were "shot", but they weren't worn, like you, with the exhaust brake, we don't put nearly the stress on brake shoes that we did on other trailers. Last year, before our "out west trip" I used the EZ Lube system (like many times in the past) but for some reason, all 4 of the grease seals failed. I let the grease gun sit in the sun all morning, jacked each wheel and rotated it as I slowly injected the grease, but that time, it didn't work as described. When we returned from the trip, all 4 hubs were filled with grease and the brake shoes and magnets were saturated.

After buying new brake assemblies, cleaning up everything and reinstalling with "HAND PACKED" bearings, I'm thinking that my EZ Lube system has seen its last grease gun... Honestly, trying to "save a couple hours" cost me twice the man hours and an extra $300 to boot...... Lesson learned !!!!!

Well for what its worth mine blew on two of the wheels inside of 13 months of ownership and nobody including myself had ever even touched them. Oh well, at least its fixed

You may also like: