Trailer Brakes

[Alexandra B]

ok we went to Big Bear for the second weekend in a row escaping the heat. After the forst trip I had the brakes repaired on the tow, as the rotors were warped. I was told this was because the trailer brakes were notup high enough. So as we are coming out of the mountains we turn up the trailer brakes. andby the time we were down the mountaiin all the grease is all over both rims.

We are planning on doing this kind of weekend thing alot and therefore would liketo knw what it is either I am doing wrong or how to get the best product I can put on my 2002 17' casita? We love our little marshmellow and want to keep her in good order. We would only trade up for an 21' escape or 21' big foot

I know that I will need to replace the seals but I seem to be remembering that there was some kind of seals that had floaters in them or something. I am wondering if this would help the heating issue while braking from down the mountains.

thanks for your help

Alexandra

[floyd]

ok we went to Big Bear for the second weekend in a row escaping the heat. After the forst trip I had the brakes repaired on the tow, as the rotors were warped. I was told this was because the trailer brakes were notup high enough. So as we are coming out of the mountains we turn up the trailer brakes. andby the time we were down the mountaiin all the grease is all over both rims.

We are planning on doing this kind of weekend thing alot and therefore would liketo knw what it is either I am doing wrong or how to get the best product I can put on my 2002 17' casita? We love our little marshmellow and want to keep her in good order. We would only trade up for an 21' escape or 21' big foot

I know that I will need to replace the seals but I seem to be remembering that there was some kind of seals that had floaters in them or something. I am wondering if this would help the heating issue while braking from down the mountains.

thanks for your help

Alexandra

Replacing the seals next time you repack the bearings can't hurt and they are cheap, but if the grease on your wheels was on the side that you normally see, then you should look for additional causes, if you have E-Z lube spindles it may be something as simple as failing to reinsert the plug properly.
Also, if your brakes were adjusted too tight or used too agressively for too long, they could have run hot enough to liquify the grease more than normal causing it to be thin enough to find a way to leak out. Also failing to remove the grease from the outer chamber after greasing could cause it to pop the plug if enough heat is applied. lastly , even with modern lithium grease there are variations in heat range,so be sure and check the label for heat range, and be sure not to mix greases with different bases.
BTW; if your seals leaked you will likely have grease all over your brakes and magnets, preventing them from working.
It would help to know what tow vehicle you are using , but normally you should use a lower gear and let the engine do the braking on long descents, while maintaining a lower speed.
The wheel bearing system is independent of the brakes which are not and should not be exposed to grease.

[Alexandra B]

floyd I am using a toyota PU pre runner 2005, automatic.

thanks for your help

Alexandra

[Morgan]

Alexandra,

You don't mention the model of your Toyota, the Tacomas vary from 3500# to 6500# towing capacity. If you are on the low end of that, you may be overloading the truck.

You may know and practice all the following, if so please ignore it:

Another consideration is how you drive in the mountains. You must use engine braking rather than vehicle braking when descending hills. That means you have to change to a lower gear when descending such that you seldom use your foot on the brake pedal. One recommendation is to use the same gear going down a hill as you would use going up that hill. Changing to a lower gear will cause the engine RPM to increase and it may sound like it's racing, just watch your tachometer so that you don't over rev the engine.

[Alexandra B]

thanks Morgan had not done the following. I have the tacoma rated upto 5500. I know I am not over weight, just new to doing this thing.

thanks

Alexandra