Resolved: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

[kathyo]

I am at Camping World in El Paso and have been here for a week. I had the brakes for each wheel replaced, had the drums turned. The truck controller is fine, the wiring has been checked, the trailer wiring has checked out, the voltage drop is less than one volt. Other trucks have had no luck stopping the trailer. There is a slight slowing of the trailer with a setting of 10 on the chev 2500HD but the tires should almost lock up.

Kathyo

 

[danemayer]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Hi kaytho,

I had a similar experience with new Dexter pads and drums 2 years ago. Had absolutely no braking. The controller wouldn't stop the trailer with the truck just at an idle.

I talked with Dexter Customer Service and one of their engineers who suggested the following, which worked.

Find a lonely stretch of road and get to 40mph. Pinch the brake controller about 1/2 way and hold until you slow down to 20mph. Repeat once every mile 40-50 times.

You should start seeing significant improvements about 1/2 way through.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[ParkIt]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Hi kaytho,

I had a similar experience with new Dexter pads and drums 2 years ago. Had absolutely no braking. The controller wouldn't stop the trailer with the truck just at an idle.

I talked with Dexter Customer Service and one of their engineers who suggested the following, which worked.

Find a lonely stretch of road and get to 40mph. Pinch the brake controller about 1/2 way and hold until you slow down to 20mph. Repeat once every mile 40-50 times.

You should start seeing significant improvements about 1/2 way through.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Just curious, did he say why that would work?

 

[danemayer]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Just curious, did he say why that would work?

There were two issues: 1) the new parts don't fit together perfectly - the pads have to wear in a little before they conform to the shape of the drum, 2) the material on the replacement pads was designed for longer wear and needed a longer break-in.

 

[NWILSON]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Hi kaytho,

I had a similar experience with new Dexter pads and drums 2 years ago. Had absolutely no braking. The controller wouldn't stop the trailer with the truck just at an idle.

I talked with Dexter Customer Service and one of their engineers who suggested the following, which worked.

Find a lonely stretch of road and get to 40mph. Pinch the brake controller about 1/2 way and hold until you slow down to 20mph. Repeat once every mile 40-50 times.

You should start seeing significant improvements about 1/2 way through.

Seems impractical not to mention unsafe!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Ii guess I just don't understand the need for this process they call "burnishing" for trailer brakes. When I used to install new shoes in cars (back in the day) the biggest factor was to have them properly adjusted and they seemed to work well from the git go. Sure it took a few miles or trips around the block but not 40 or 50 stops.

I wonder if the Installer of the OP's brakes did something wrong or maybe something on the magnet surface is causing a problem.

 

[kathyo]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Thanks everyone for the speedy reply. I will try the fix on Monday Morning and let everyone know.

 

[westxsrt10]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

First thought that comes to my mind is they need to be adjusted tighter manually. I would ask to watch the adjustment process as I have zero faith in Camping World. I'm not sure I'd have the drums turned as they are thin when new.

 

[danemayer]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

I also thought that burnishing for 50 miles was unreasonable, and of course towing with brakes that don't work correctly creates a real safety concern. In our case, we had a rural area nearby that had almost no traffic, and under the circumstances, it seemed worth trying. And it worked.

If you don't feel comfortable with the 50 mile approach, a call to Dexter might be worthwhile. Perhaps they've changed the composition of the pads and can ship a set that works out of the box. Or maybe they have another answer now.

 

[Gary521]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

You did not say if they are self adjusting or manually adjusting brakes. Either case, they need to be manually adjusted prior to use. Also whether self adjusting or manually adjusting, they need to be burnished. Did these things happen?

 

[VLaurie1799]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

Another good reason disc brakes should be standard.

 

[brianharrison]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

I have always bedded/burnished new pads/rotors or shoes/drums.

Here is a white paper from StopTech that talks to the process.

Brian

 

[NWILSON]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

When would it be accomplished on a new rig? We're missing something here I think.

 

[jnbhobe]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

I sure am glad I installed disc brakes years ago, I always hated the electric brake BS.

 

[codycarver]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

I sure am glad I installed disc brakes years ago, I always hated the electric brake BS.

Another good reason disc brakes should be standard.

Ours should be here on Monday. If all goes smoothly We'll be in the disc brake club by the weekend

 

[GOTTOYS]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

I replaced all of my brakes last Summer as they all had grease on them. It must have been delivered that way as I never touched those Easy Lube hubs. Anyway I replaced the entire brake assembly on each wheel and adjusted them properly. On my initial tow they barely worked, just like they were before. The Dexter instructions emphasized burnishing them in. I did this stopping about 40 times using just the brake controller. I was careful to wait a few minutes between stops to let them cool. By the end of the drive I had brakes! After I got back I readjusted them manually. I can now stop and actually hold my truck back using just the trailer brakes. First time ever I could do this. I'm thinking this should be done when you take delivery of a new trailer as well....For those that question this procedure, try it, I know it works just as the Dexter people said it would...Don

 

[kathyo]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

The pads were not burnished prior to installing but it will be worth a try on Monday morning This Camping World has been great so far

 

[danemayer]

Re: No brakes after repairs on Bighorn 3400 RL

When would it be accomplished on a new rig? We're missing something here I think.

I'm not sure, but my impression was that they used different material on the original brake assemblies that ship with the axles.

 

[kathyo]

Update

After driving for 20 miles on a frontage road from El Paso to Las Cruses the brakes are working very well again. We are now in Phoenix and happy to be traveling again.

Thanks for all the help. The burnishing was the way to go
Warren and Kathy Feray