7" Brakes clip that keeps magnet on arm fell off?

[DogHaus]

Grr... last summer I had brakes installed on my 13' Scamp and it was a hassle. Immediately last fall the passenger side clip that held the magnet on the arm failed. This spring it was the driver's side. Do these clips commonly fail, or should I be good for a while? These are 7" electric brakes.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Doghaus

Grr... last summer I had brakes installed on my 13' Scamp and it was a hassle. Immediately last fall the passenger side clip that held the magnet on the arm failed. This spring it was the driver's side. Do these clips commonly fail, or should I be good for a while? These are 7" electric brakes.

Same thing happened to me. First one side then the other. The magnet got mangled. The drum got scored. My trailer (new) came with very rusty brakes. I had to pull the wheel at 500 miles because I couldn't adjust the brakes so when the magnet clips failed I assumed it was because of the rust. Last year at 30k, I installed new brakes and drums. I will be pulling the wheels to do the annual bearing grease job and I might just add a small cotter pin to the arm. What do you think? Raz

[Darral T.]

I just had a round with my 7" brakes on my 2010 Scamp. I adjusted the "Road" side because when I was giving my Scamp a test run earlier this spring and using brakes, the curb side heated up more than the road (driver) side...apx 107 F vs 98 F which is not bad either way. But, I did as instructed-- tightened the shoes until it locked the wheel then backed off about 5-7 clicks. While pulling, the road side then became VERY warm (Not hot according to Dexter) at apx 124 F-- and this was with NOOO brakes! My hubs have NEVER ran that warm so I knew the shoes must be "dragging".

Here's what I found.... that jarring the wheel, it would spin free as usual/normal. But when I would have the wife activate the brakes with the Tekonsha brake controller lever, they would "bind" again. Finally, I backed them off about *10* clicks. I originally tightened them about 25. They still slightly bound...but just the least jar would free the wheel up. I towed to about 900 miles round trip afterwards with NO problems with the hubs heating.

I just checked a couple a weeks ago while pulling about 80 miles on a trip and the road side now heats up to about 106 F while the curb side is about 5-8 deg F cooler. So I NOW know the road side it "carrying its load" more.

Speaking with Dexter, they agreed that probably, since I adjusted and the shoes are in "new" territory, they're "sticking". But really...I wonder about the "clip" you guys speak of. But since they worked as well as they did on both trips and I'm basically done with long trips this year, I'm not tearing the goofy things down on this 13'er right now in 95+ weather and humidty .

[DogHaus]

Darral you would probably hear a horrible shrieking squeak if your magnet came off of the arm, like mine did. Very audible particularly at low speeds.

[Carol H]

Could it be a heat related issue? Brakes not adjusted after the first x so many miles - I think I recall first 300miles than every 3000 after? Causing them to run to hot?

[DogHaus]

Have no idea why it happened. Drove 50miles after having the second clip replaced and wheel cleaned up, repacked, brakes cleaned etc. And the clip is holding so far. Carrying a spare clip with me just in case.

[Darral T.]

Makes sense to me. I happened to remember that on this forum I read where someone changed their brakes or had them changed by a mechanic. To make a long story short, they fought heat AND a "shriek" you speak of! Till finally, they took it to another shop and they found that clip missing. I think a tear down and thorough cleaning will fix mine as far as the "sticking" which I believe is what I was experiencing. But for right now I'm content with them. My 13' has ample brakes when I apply them with the brake controller.

Thanks for sharing your experience/info.

Originally Posted by Doghaus

Darral you would probably hear a horrible shrieking squeak if your magnet came off of the arm, like mine did. Very audible particularly at low speeds.

[SilverGhost]

I have been fighting grabbing and a jerk to one side along with hot hubs almost since new. I always figured it was my controller not coming on smooth enough but now I wonder if there is a clip missing.

Jason

[John in Michigan]

I have several posts in my Trillium 4500 journal (see link below) about flaky problem with trailer brake (right side brake overheats, brakes squeal, etc.). So I inspected the suspected left brake as promised in my most recent post, and guess what? The magnet clip was broken! The magnet just hangs loose!

I will replace the clip and re-test.

[Raz]

Not sure about the 10" but on the 7" version there is a groove in the swing arm that the clip tabs catch on. Worth checking for rust.

[John in Michigan]

Raz, mine are 7" brakes, and my Dexter axle/hubs/bearings/brakes (everything) was new last year. I didn't see any rust.

[Raz]

When this first happened to me I had hoped of adding a pin to keep things in place but after inspection I couldn't see an easy way to do it. That groove is what keeps the clip in place which is what keeps the magnet in place. Give it and the tabs on the clip a good look. If you lost your magnet then you might need a spring as well as clips. If you need a source, etrailer sells them. Good luck, Raz

[John in Michigan]

Raz, thanks for your support.

My camper has Dexter 7" 023-047-00 LH and 023-048-00 RH brake assemblies. These brakes use the Magnet Kit K71-057-00 which contains Magnet 042-134-00, Spring 046-086-00 and Clip 046-121-00.

I am finding that local shops have lots of spare parts for Dexter 10" and 12" electric brakes, but very sparse spare parts for the 7" brakes. Etrailer doesn't sell this particular clip, although a couple of other online suppliers do. And I believe I found a local supply for this clip and will hopefully be buying some this AM.

I did not notice a groove in the tab on which the magnet mounts, but I will take a closer look and posts pics in a day or two. At that point I will also post a pic of my cracked 046-121-00 clip, and hopefully a new replacement clip, etc.

One benefit of working this problem is that its motivating me to find local shops that stock Dexter axle, wheel and brake parts.

[John in Michigan]

Again, one benefit of this drill is that its forcing me to find local sources. Found a shop a few miles from me yesterday that has an impressive supply of axle/wheel/brake parts, leaf springs (might need on my Boler 1700), jacks, chains, lights, etc, etc. They also build various types of utility trailers and their fabrication shop seemed very busy yesterday.

This morning I will visit another such shop 30 miles away that claims they have my clip. While there, of course I will observe what other types of trailer parts they stock.

Both of these shops and two other local suppliers I contacted yesterday stock few if any Dexter 7" brake spare parts.

[Raz]

I have bought the clips from etrailer. If I'm not mistaken the 10" assembly uses the same clip though I don't remember where I read that. I bought a complete magnet assembly a few years back that had the clip and the spring and recently a pack of 4 clips as spares. But if you can find local sources that's better.

[John in Michigan]

Here are pics of the brake. Broken ciip on left. New clip on right. Chewed up magnet, etc. The inside of the brake drum is undamaged. I will put all back together and road test. (EDIT: Definitely will remove debris before re-assembling.)

[Raz]

Here's mine. The tabs snap into a groove on the swing arm.

[John in Michigan]

Saw your type of clip everywhere we looked. For my brakes, the rectangular slot/hole in the center of the clip slides over the end of the magnet bracket but doesn't actually snap into a groove, etc

[Raz]

Originally Posted by John in Michigan

Saw your type of clip everywhere we looked. For my brakes, the rectangular slot/hole in the center of the clip slides over the end of the magnet bracket but doesn't actually snap into a groove, etc

Same brakes, same Dexter backing plates, same numbers. Go figure