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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through August 06, 2007

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Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-15-2007, 11:30 PM Reply   
So I went out with the wife today and some family for a nice little outing and we get back to the house and the little rubber cover on my hub buddy pops off as I back the boat into the driveway. I think nothing of it until I look a little closer. It seems My hubs with the brakes on it is a little hot, and I check the other side and its the same thing. Grease is oozing out of the hubs, and I smell burnt rubber, almost like hot brakes. I also noticed that when I was driving home my truck seemed to labor a little (it was only a 10 mile drive and really hot so I didn't think much of it at the time)in pulling the trailer around. I am new to owning a boat, not being on one so what should I look for? I pulled the trailer electrical connection and when I did a little water poured out. Near as I can tell I got it wet and shorted out the brakes so they were always on, but tell me what I should look for to help in the self diagnosis. Thanks for the help in advance.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 11:04 AM Reply   
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Old     (l1spoogy)      Join Date: Jun 2004       07-16-2007, 11:19 AM Reply   
If you could give a little more info on your trailer it may help. Without knowing I'll give you an opinion.

Since we are talking about a boat we can eliminate your thought of an electrical short causing the brakes to be "always on". 99% of boat trailers with brakes have "surge brakes".

The brakes are applied when the tow vehicle slows down and the trailer continues forward until the actuator on the trailer is compressed enough to apply the trailer brakes.

The brakes on the trailer release when the tow vehicle surges forward and the actuator decompresses.

So there could be a couple of things wrong.

Your brakes are dragging for some reason? Rust or any number of things.

Or more likely your actuator was/is stuck in the compressed position and your brakes are/were engaged somewhat.

Most of the time this happens when you are going down hill for a long period of time and you use your brakes. They engage and never disengage until you give your tow vehicle a little gas to surge forward and open the actuator. Most people never do this until the bottom of the hill or when they have to go up another.

Since there aren't too many hills in Woodland I don't think it was a hill problem.

Maybe you need to look at your actuator and give it a little oil too make sure it's not getting stuck.

Depending on the age of the trailer it may be time to replace (actuator) it.


Hope this helps a little.

David
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 11:51 AM Reply   
it helps alot actually, the trailer is a 2003, I know it's a surge system, I thought that there was some electrical control to is since the connector has a tab for Electric brakes.

Where is the actuator, the trailer is a DHM, I know you may not know the exact location but a general idea may help.

The hills are not a problem, except that large climb on I-5 from the airport over the bridge.

On the rust front, where should I look? The disks look clean, the calipers also look clean, there is no rust on the trailer that is readily visible. Do I take off the wheels and look closer at the hubs?
I consider myself reasonably mechanically inclined growing up on a farm, I've just never had a trailer with brakes. Thanks for the ideas.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 11:52 AM Reply   
oops looked at your trailer on your profile David, they are the same, I have an extreme, sorry, not a DHM
Old     (mkperceptions)      Join Date: Jan 2007       07-16-2007, 11:53 AM Reply   
I doubt they are hanging up. If i had a pic of your cap i could tell you what to do and where to get one. I would say you might just have a little too much grease in there but I have to see them. does it use bearing buddied or do you remove the rubber plug and pimp grease in a nipple on the end of the spindle?
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 12:03 PM Reply   
I have to "pimp" (I love mispellings and am guilty of that myself all the freaking time) Grease in the little zerk fitting (the actual name of the nipple thing) on the hub and have the stuff at the ranch to do just that. But that's not what I'm worried about, I want to try to diagnose if I need to take the trailer in or if I can fix it myself.

OR Maybe I'm just being a freak new boat owner.
Old     (l1spoogy)      Join Date: Jun 2004       07-16-2007, 12:08 PM Reply   
Since its a 2003 I really doubt its a rust issue. I would look at the actuator.

The actuator is the front part of the trailer. Where the ball goes into the trailer. Its the whole front part. If you look on both sides of the front part of the trailer you should see what looks like a slot with what I can only describe as a large pin. This is where it slides back and forth using the weight of the trailer and truck.

If the pin is all the way back the brakes are on if its all the way to the front the brakes are off.

When you put the truck in reverse the 5 pin connector sends a signal to a solenoid near the actuator which disengages the breaks.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 12:14 PM Reply   
On the pin I would have thought it was the reverse of what you said. If memory serves me correctly when I looked at it last night the actuator is all the way back, maybe it's stuck that way, what should I lube it up with, I know wd-40 won't work but how about a bike chain lube? And where should I lube it?

I got it now on the electrical part for the brakes. All the farm trailers don't have brakes so that makes it interesting trying to stop sometimes! If you think boats are heavy try farm equipment and tractors with Cast Iron Blocks the size of My truck bed!

(Message edited by mikerod29 on July 16, 2007)
Old     (mkperceptions)      Join Date: Jan 2007       07-16-2007, 12:14 PM Reply   
I would call the place you bough the boat or dhm and ask them. I think it should be ok but if they have time to check it out have it looked at. My brakes smell when they work hard that is just the nature of the beast. As long as they dont smoke you are ok. You can even get a heat gun to check the temperature of your hubs.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 12:15 PM Reply   
What would an appropriate temp be for the hubs? The ones with the brakes you couldn't even touch but the front ones were cool to the touch.
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       07-16-2007, 12:21 PM Reply   
if your brakes heated up enough to ooze grease out of the hub, I'd tear em down and repack them with grease... I had my brake cylinder stick on me last summer and it heated up the brakes/hub enough to liquify the grease and toast my outter wheel bearing, like completely gone only the outter race was left... I see you have disks and I have drums, so perhaps your actuator is stuck, I've heard of it happening with my friends, or possibly a clogged brake line causing your caliper to stay closed? If water got into the break system it would probably wreak havoc like that... check the actuator, if its stuck, get it unstuck, drain the system, bleed the brakes and you should be good...
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       07-16-2007, 12:22 PM Reply   
I'd say you should be able to grab your hubs unless some serious hills were gone up and down, hot to touch should be fine, but burning, not good...
Old     (mkperceptions)      Join Date: Jan 2007       07-16-2007, 12:31 PM Reply   
If you have spindle lube spindles or acculube you can repack without taking it apart. It actually works really well. pump in new grease and the old grease gets pumped out. gotta know what you have tho.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 12:33 PM Reply   
Duane
my thoughts exactly, any other thoughts on what it may be? I'm gonna try the actuator tonight to see if it's stuck and re-grease the hubs, since it's only a 12 mile drive to the lauch ramp, I'm not worried about the bearings being toast, yet. I will just pump the grease in and see what happens.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-16-2007, 10:25 PM Reply   
Good news its not the actuator as they worked fine tonight, bad news I have no clue what it is, looks like brake job here I come! I'll keep you posted
Old     (greg2)      Join Date: May 2002       07-17-2007, 6:01 PM Reply   
On my Extreme trailer there is a brake release tab on the under side of the actuator...if yours has one , maybe it locked up? Just a thought.
Old     (mikerod29)      Join Date: Dec 2002       07-17-2007, 9:41 PM Reply   
nope, checked it, no tab . I was also told to check the trailer position, that it may be too low on the hitch and need to sit more level.

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