Hello everyone:

While removing the drums on my '07 Viking with 10" Dexter drum brakes to clean and repack the bearings and change the seals, I noticed that the friction material on the shoes were severely cracked and some of the material was flaking off. The trailer has been towed about 10,000 miles. Anyway, I ended up replacing the shoes and springs and cleaned some minor corrosion off the drum where the magnets make contact. The magnet appeared to be in good shape as did the wiring. I adjusted the shoes so there was light drag on the drum, just like every drum brake ive done (however this is my first time fooling with electrics). Heres where i think i may have a problem. I didn't touch the output on my controller, when i first tried the brakes with the new shoes, they did nothing so i upped the output. They grabbed a little bit. Even with the gain turned all the way up they just barely stopped the car and trailer at 10 mph. Before i started they worked perfectly where i had it set at about half output, at full output they could bring the whole rig to a halt and give you whiplash and now this?? I adjusted the shoes, putting some more drag on the drum and drove around with my controller set where i usually have it and it seemed to be ok, however when i do the manual overide they barely grab and even at full output it isn't the same as it used to be. They barely stop the car and trailer. I checked them again and the drivers side wheel assy was hot to the touch and the pass side was cool. This was after about an hour of mixed driving. The controller is Tekonsha Voyager and i have had very good results using this controller. Sorry this is long but i would appreciate any help from the experts out there to avoid having an "roadside emergency"

Thanks!!!!!

 

Couple of things to check; shoes installed in the right positions, spindle nuts adjusted correctly, hub drums squeaky clean after corrosion removal, wires not chafed where they enter the backing plates.

Steve

 

Shoes are on right, they came with instructions and i followed them to a "T." Cleaned the drums and lightly sanded the corrosion off of both of them. I didn't remove magnets and I did double check that the wires were routed correctly. Spindle nuts are on correctly, at least the way that Ive always done them, tighten then back off slightly.

Thanks Steve for the response!

 

Alex -

Did you ever get those trailer brakes working correctly?

Steve

 

Hi Steve:

I fooled around with them again the other day and adjusted them again and went for a ride. At first they seemed ok, but not like they were before. But after some mixed city and highway driving they basically faded away. My buddy at the RV dealer where i bought the rig said that it could be a magnet even though they looked ok. I ran out of time this week and I dropped it off at the dealer, they are better equipped to deal with it and i know they wont rip me off. I'll have better piece of mind on my trip knowing that its fixed and i wont have to worry about it.

Thanks again for your concern and the advice!

 

It sounds like your new shoes are just getting seated into the drums. It may take a few adjustments to get them fully seated because they are not self adjusting and they have to wear into the old drums. After adjusting your brakes and the wheel is off the ground try the brakes to make sure the magnets are working, be sure to spin the tire forward.

Denny

 

Kinda bringing this thread back up. I am getting my KZ Stoneridge ready for the season and what to adjust my brakes.

Have you done anything on this model? I assume it is the same to adjust as any other brake drum type.

Lift it off the ground, jack stands. remove plug off back plate. rotate star upward till you can no longer turn the wheel by hand. Then back off just enough that the wheel turns freely?

Do I have it about right?

 

Yes that's about right, the biggest problems with electric brakes is trying to tell the difference between the magnet dragging and the shoes dragging. Also if you want to check to make sure the magnets are working hookup your truck and hold a compass by each wheel when the brakes are applied, the needle should point to the wheel.

Denny

 

great tip.

 

That is a good tip!

Too bad my arms aren't long enough.