Trailer troubles?

[sparkkky]

Hello, got a 12,000lb bumper pull with one brake axle. While my brake is plugged in the light on the brake control lights even with the key off. And the rear tires on the brake axle looks like they have more wear and are different the brands the same but look like different patterns with the same name but front set has a extra LT marking. Trailer is new.

Should the light be on on the controler all the time and why are the tires different.

One side off the brake axle has thrown alittle grease would this be from heat?

 

[NoMo]

Not sure about your particular brake controller, but most have an LED that lights up when the trailer is plugged in. This is so that you know there is a 'good' connection to the trailer.

Tires are different because someone installed different ones???

You shouldn't have grease coming out of any place. If you continue to see leaking, check for a seal that isn't properly installed in the hub.

 

[BarryinMN]

Light on the controller means trailer is attached and hooked up. My light turns green to red indicating brakes are on stopping the trailer. Check your controller manual.

Mixed tires may not be bad however trailer tires are labeled ST (stiffer sidewalls) vs light truck tires are LT. Check the sidewall load rating a 12K trailer should have 10 ply 3085 lb or better.

A bigger caveat is that crossing state lines might mandate brakes on all axles for trailers over 3K lbs. There might be grandfathering wiggle room for a 7K trailer and single axle brakes. Over 10K trailer is a different ballgame.

If you think grease might be missing or on the brake drums pull it & have a look, better now than out on the road somewhere with a load.

 

[sparkkky]

Carried my tractor 500 miles and it looks like the back tires are way more worn. Had to stop and move tractor up more because it was light on the hitch and bobbing around. Does it need to be farther up on the trailer would that wear the tires more?

 

[Highbeam]

Most tandem axle trailers have a link between the two axles which actually loads them both equally. When turning, one of the axles will scrub more than the other and that may cause increased wear on that axle. Perhaps it is time to rotate the tires. I know I would if I was seeing one axle wearing sooner.

 

[john_bud]

Sparky,

This might be an indication that the brakes were not adjusted correctly. Did you level the brake controller (electronically) and adjust the brake energy and delay? You may be skidding the back tires by locking up the brakes. It's a LOT easier to do on trailers with 1 axle having brakes than trailers with brakes on all. Personally, I would buy a kit and get brakes on all, but it's your call.

If you did have the brakes adjusted correctly, you might have one axle cocked to the side so the tires are always skidding. Rare, but it happens.

Oh, did you tend to "feather" the brakes when slowing and stopping? When hauling my tractor around, if I do that the trailer tends to do all the stopping work. I have to be more aggressive on the brakes so that the truck does more stopping. May have been just an operator induced situation. (?)

Weight distribution typically won't affect tire wear patters, unless you grossly overload the one axle or grossly under inflate the tires. I'm guessing that wasn't your issue.

 

[BarryinMN]

You do want to put 10-15% weight on the tongue. On a bumper pull excessive tongue weight squats the rear of the tow vehicle unloading weight on the steer axle. Either too little or too much tongue weight could cause a weave.

Is your trailer a mx of new & used parts? 500 miles with wear showing - something is clearly wrong.

Did you feel the trailer tires & hubs at each gas stop? One or a pair of tires significantly hotter than the others might tell a story - Brakes not dragging? Does the trailer track straight & true? Take the combination down the road and inspect with a second vehicle.

My hefty chipper had old sun rotted tires too hot to touch after 50 miles. I'm certain the axle is bent out of alignment causing the tires to scrub. It also pulls very hard even after allowing the 8' high snout aerodynamics. 40 years bouncing behind a commercial chipper truck takes a toll.

Since it rarely leaves the farm my fix was to buy 2 new tires for it. The tires run hot but not scary hot.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Every trailer I've ever been around has it's own "personality". There's always one set of tires that wear different than the other. When you're turning, you drag (either front pair or rear) one set sideways, since they don't turn with the steering. My 25' gooseneck wears the front pair about 25% faster than the rears. All I can offer is to try rotating the tires every few thousand miles. See if that has any effect.

Single axle brakes will work, provided that axle has the same (or more) weight loaded on it as the other axle. Even with "walking beam axles", that doesn't always happen according to plan. Should the brakes end up on a "light" axle, you'll be dragging them, especially when the trailer is towed empty.

One more bit of advice, based on my experience (and opinion for whatever that's worth) is to adjust the brake bias down when towing a light load or empty trailer. I've seen many an empty trailer smoking the tires when the driver comes to a stop. That leads to flat-spotting the tires, which makes them "bounce" instead of rolling smoothly. A bouncing tire can't make good contact for the next braking. (Shock absorbers on a trailer would HELP correct some of this)

And from a couple bad experiences, trailer tires need to be replaced when they start showing uneven wear. They take a thrashing.

Signs of grease around a trailer brake hub might indicate a failing seal, or come from over-filling hub with wheel bearing grease. Electric brakes do generate quite a bit of heat. (Especially in "city driving")

Don't ignore signs of an impending problem with a trailers wheels, tires, axles, or brakes. It's trying to tell you something isn't right.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Guess you didn't get a chance to READ THE MANUAL which would tell you that the light stays on, and the electric backup (in case the trailer comes undone) brake is being charged all the time it is hooked up to your tow vehicle. The light indicates it's connected and charging the little battery on the trailer.

Apparently you bought a trailer new, but as is often the case, with used tires. Many trailer sellers do this and I've often seen mixed tires. If they are not the same rating and size, change them out immediately for the matching ratings/sizes.

I wouldn't think of running only one brake axle. It's just asking for trouble in my opinion. That's a heavy trailer and it needs two brakes.
John

 

[George2615]

The light on your controller does indicate you have a connection between your tow vehicle and trailer. It will be on as long as its plugged in even if your vehicle is turned off. The controller is wired to the hot (battery) lead as it should be.
When you say trailer is new, do you mean new to you or brand new? Most new double axle trailers come with the same size and tread tires. I thought that any trailer over 10K had to have brakes on both axles. How did you get one with brakes only on one?
If trailer is brand new I'd take it back and ask how they got away with brakes on one axle and why the tires are different. If its a 12K trailer and loaded to capacity brakes on one axle wont do you much good.

 

[Highbeam]

Trailer makers can be a sleezy bunch of crooks. THey want to offer low prices but still make money. Used wheels and tires is very common on bargain trailers. Single axle braking is also a sleezy way to save money. The manufacturers that I've seen that sell their base model as described seem to always offer optional upgrades to tandem brake axles and new tires.

I found that using a real trailer manufacturer like big tex or PJ made for a superior finished product. Much more superior but I recognize that there will always be a market for the cheapy trailers.

 

[George2615]

Yeah I know there are cheap trailer makers. Mines made by H&H trailers. You can't get any trailer over 7K without brakes on both axles. Before I bought my HH trailer I saw an 18' PJ at an auction but was out bid (wasn't going to spend over 2500 for a used trailer that size). They also had a 20' 10K 5th wheel unit I didn't bid on. It sold for a good price $3500. But I didn't have a 5th wheel hitch. Wish I could go back in time now, I should have bought that 5th wheel and bought the hitch for my truck. The 18' flatbed was made in Mexico but looked sturdy.

 

[sparkkky]

The tires are new same brand and almost same pattern and 10ply rated, the trailer is a Texas Bragg. Looks very well built and if there's any fault besides the different tires its the one brake axle.

 

[BarryinMN]

My trailer was made by a small Wisconsin shop. It came with 10 ply 3085 lb tires made in China. In the first year the tires developed bubbles sticking out the sidewall. On one trip home carrying a new tool one tire literally blew off shearing all 6 lugs. Dark rainy night I heard a bang but nothing seemed different.

Pulled in a rest stop got out to do the customary walk around and was staring at a exposed brake drum without studs /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I had checked all studs on the trailer about 50 miles earlier. Took awhile but I scrounged up new studs, wheel and tire before continuing.

The Manufacturer thru the dealer traded 3 tires for 4 new Taiwan manufacture ones at no charge. The nearest tire dealer of that brand was out in Montana or Idaho. I was not alone as there were other complaints on that same brand on a RV forum I ran across.

 

[jimainiac]

Boy, nothing says "high quality" like used tires and brakes on one axle. Can't imagine doing business with an outfit like that.

 

[BarryinMN]

This was a new tandem trailer with 4 brakes. The tires were all new still showing nubbies.

Most trailer mfgr's simply say go to the tire dealer for warranty. These guys went the extra step and we swapped at the dealership.

When I was looking for trailer tire defects the RV forums had a lot of Goodyear horror stories. Similar to a blowout throws the rig into the ditch. Not to pick on Goodyear they may have a greater market share than others.

My intention was to replace all the tires as the remaining 3 were run overloaded 25% for some distance. The single tire on one side was probably overloaded closer to 100%.

As stated earlier the trailer handling was no different which points to the trailer engineering and workmanship as top notch.