I have a small 2005 5er I purchased several months ago so I have no history on the unit. It seems as though the trailer brakes are either not working or barely working. My truck has a built in brake controller and whether I set it at 3 or 10 it does not seem to make a difference. With my previous small travel trailer if I set it above 3 I could feel the trailer braking before the truck braked. I had my DW in the truck and she applied the brakes and I went around to each wheel and I could hear the clicking, so I know that something is trying to work. I pulled 1 drum which looked great, the shoes were hardly worn and the magnet did not seem to be very worn either. While the drum was off, I moved the mechanisim by hand and that seems function appropriately. I have read how you can test the magnets' amperage using a battery and a meter although I have not done that yet.
Do the brake magnets fail with age? I am pretty sure the trailer has low mileage: the tires look original (I am replacing them tomorrow) as they all match with lots of tread and all dated the same (0504); and the limited brake wear. Since the trailer is 8-9 years old would it make sense to just replace the entire brake assemblies? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.