Trailer Brakes

[chadjitsu1]

Guys I don't think that my trailer brakes are working at all. I can back the boat up and they don't lock up on me, I also onlu have a 4 prong pin on the Jeep wiring harness. I also have a lot of travel in the tongue when stopping and starting. I always hear a big bang when I take off, I don't think this is normal.

Today when I towed the boat to the lake the brakes on the car where steaming from getting so hot. Not good.

I understand how to work on brakes and all that but how do you bleed the brakes on a trailer. I have done this in a car a ton of times but I dont know how you would be able to pump the brakes on a trailer. I am thinking that there is a leak and no fluid.

Any help telling me how to bleed the brakes would be awesome.

[jmb]

I used my vehicle to bleed the brakes. I found this easiest for me. I blocked the back of the trailer wheels and then back the truck up until the actuator on the trailer is pushed all the way back. Set Emergency brake on the vehicle and then go back crack the bleeder valve on whichever caliper you are doing. Block trailer forward of tire and move vehicle forward pulling actuator back out. Fill Master Cylinder on trailer. Block behind trailer wheel again and push actuator back in. Then bleed again. Do this over and over until there is no air in either side. Do Caliper farthest from Master Cylinder first. Tedious, but this is how I did it.

[mmandley]

I used my vehicle to bleed the brakes. I found this easiest for me. I blocked the back of the trailer wheels and then back the truck up until the actuator on the trailer is pushed all the way back. Set Emergency brake on the vehicle and then go back crack the bleeder valve on whichever caliper you are doing. Block trailer forward of tire and move vehicle forward pulling actuator back out. Fill Master Cylinder on trailer. Block behind trailer wheel again and push actuator back in. Then bleed again. Do this over and over until there is no air in either side. Do Caliper farthest from Master Cylinder first. Tedious, but this is how I did it.

Thats deddication LOL.

Easy way is goto the Auto parts store. Buy the brake fluid DOT3 and a blake bleeding tool, Basically a hand held vacume pump with a hose.

Fill the resivour up, put the pump on the cliper you want to bleed, apply vacume, then crack open the valve for a couple seconds till you see fluid, if your vac is dropping pump it a few times to keep the vac going.

Stop and check the fuild level, if this goes low your wasting your time because you are sucking air in. Easiest to have a second set of hands to pour in the brake fluid.

Keep doing this till you get no air bubbles, just fluid.
DO each caliper like this.

[chadjitsu1]

Any idea what one of these things cost. I am thinking about the option #2 approach assuming that the pump isn't like 200.00

[james yarosz]

You can get one At Harbor Freight pretty cheap. On sale now for about $23.

[jmb]

Borrowed one from a friend but it didn't seem to work well for me. Didn't have any help either so ended up doing it that way.

[chadjitsu1]

Harbor Freight it is. Thanks