Trailer break problem. I need help, I;='m Stumped

[sb47]

Well it ain't as bad as my problem my bucket truck with cat diesel engine just spun a thrust bearing for the crank and the transmission is blown up to boot. New truck is 120 K You aint seen a bad day!

Trust me I have been there before as well. Bought an 94 R model Mack (used) but completely rebuilt and drove it to Heaber Springs AK and had put a brand new 90” tree spade on it at $130,000 just for the spade. Two weeks later the frame on the mack broke in half while I was driving down the road.
Now for those that are no familiar with R model Mack’s is there designed to be off road trucks with a double frame. I had all the walking beams removed and had them box in the double frame with another ½” frame over the top of the double frame. Witch made it a triple framed truck. She still broke in half.

I know all to well when you get into big trucks the price for parts and labor are ridiculous.
Just 10 tries can run you 10 grand depending on the tire you use.

I had one with 50”teara tires on the rear and 18” wide tires on the front. She was a mudder! That think would stand up like a tractor pull truck and lift the front tires off the ground about 10 feet. There was no steering but she would because of no left and rite break but shed crawl through some serious mud.

 

[sb47]

Dare I say it, but I think it’s working properly now, at least for the moment anyway.lol
Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
I also bought me a good quality tarp to cover my loads and installed it as well.
It’s like the ones that dump trucks use to cover there loads.
The one I used on my tree truck lasted for years, the gray weave kind. Not the cheap black weave kind. 7x17 ran me a whopping 90 bucks.

 

[John_in_KS]

One more time

If the flashers or brake lights make every thing flash you have a ground problem. Trust me on this. One of the tail lights isn't making proper ground so it feeds back thru the tail light socket which makes all the lights flash.

 

[sb47]

I added a 10 gage ground from the mounting bracket where the truck plug attaches to the bumper and grounded it to the frame and tong of the trailer. I drilled and tapped the steal and used a heavy screw with a nut and lock washer, and used the crimp on round connectors that are designed to be screwed down. I left a disconnect plug in the ground wire so I can disconnect the trailer and just unplug it.
Only time will tell if it holds up.
And I did go back and check the connector on the plugs just to make sure there were no stray wires toughing anything else.
Its got two independent grounds, along with the ground in the plug. So that’s 3 positive grounds on it now.

And I made sure I screwed the little tiny screws that came with the round connectors
In real tight.

I don’t see how it can be a ground problem anymore.

I did replace the rear tail light with new ones while I was at it. I had the LED type but many of the LEDs were out so maybe that dad something to do with it.

Many have suggested soldering the connections, I tried that on a trailer one time thinking I was doing a good job. That thing corroded faster then anything I have seen in my life.
The solder did not corrode but the wire just next to where I put sure did.


Sorry again about the rants, but when you spent weeks and lots of money to fix a seemingly easy problem and it torments you for 2 weeks, I get a little crazy.

The Valium did help. I no longer want to pull my hear out anymore.lol


I know all of you tried your best to help and it was appreciated very much.

Thnks Dennis

 

[sb47]

I was almost ready to buy a dumper but with all the expenses lately it kinda killed that idea for awhile.

 

[John_in_KS]

Tail lights have two wires. One for the turn signal/brake light. The other for the tail light. They have a metal strip behind one of the mounting holes and that's where they make their ground. Unless it's one that mounts with a rubber grommet then it should have a ground wire. It's one of the lights that isn't making ground that causes the other lights to flash.

Some how when you changed the lights they didn't get a good ground.

 

[sb47]

When I rewire a plug I always cut the wire a little ling so I have a reference to where the wires went.
But I see your point,

 

[sb47]

In the last month I’ve spent 1000 on my truck, 2500 on my tractor,spent 2000 grand on 3 new saws, and parts and chains, sprockets, bar oil totally redid my splitter then estimating 500+ on the trailer.
That would have got me a nice dumper.

 

[sb47]

Tail lights have two wires. One for the turn signal/brake light. The other for the tail light. They have a metal strip behind one of the mounting holes and that's where they make their ground. Unless it's one that mounts with a rubber grommet then it should have a ground wire. It's one of the lights that isn't making ground that causes the other lights to flash.

Some how when you changed the lights they didn't get a good ground.

There just the common 2-3 way plug in type.

 

[John_in_KS]

OK, now I'm with you. I was thinking of the old round lights that riveted on like we used to use when I had a trailer plant. Made about 500 trailers a year for a lot of years.

One of those three wires is the ground wire. Do you get all the lights flashing with both turn signals or only one? If only one then it's easy to find the problem light. If both then neither one is making good ground connection.

I feel your pain. This type of problem is very frustrating.

 

[sb47]

As of this afternoon every light was working perfectly, just like they should.
Breaks worked good and both lights cam on brightly. Left and rite turn signals worked, flashers worked like they should, running lights worked good and bright.

I suspect the LED break lights were missing about half the lights so maybe there weren’t enough currants getting to the ground on those lights. I replaced with the regular bulb type. Those LED’s have always been a pain in the hind end. And they don’t seem to burn as bright as a bulb type light.

I don’t mind working hard and fixing things, but the last few weeks what needed working on was a cluster just to get to it to fix it.
Nothing simple about any of it.

Like replacing the lights on the front of my truck, seems simple enough, till you realize you need different tools and have to remove the whole front grill.
Not like the old days where you just reach in from the back and turn the lamp plug, slide it out pop in a new lamp and plug it back in and your done.

 

[Preston]

SB..one thing you're very wrong about. Fixing a wiring problem is not an easy thing to do. I got so upset once I took a sledge hammer of a light I couldn't get working. I think it worked cuz the next one I put on worked fine.

I'm happy for ya in getting it working. Now let's keep our fingers crossed it stays working. :msp_smile:

 

[Richard@PM]

Are the brake shoes glazed over from possible overheating or the magnets worn down? I run very heavy with my utility trailers and have to be very careful not to glaze the brake shoes when stopping. If the shoes are glazed over simply sand off the glazing with sandpaper on both the shoes and drums.

 

[Preston]

One thing that happened to me and my Teton fifth wheel. I tried to stop in somewhat of an emergency and couldn't. 16,000 lbs pushing 7,500 lb truck will get some things so tight a black eyed pea wouldn't pass through. I got home and went to work to see why. I found the springs behind the magnets were broken which caused the magnet to just hang there. The brakes on the Teton are just like automotive brakes. It took a bit but I got it fixed. So there is another item that can go wrong.

 

[sb47]

The whole break assembly and drums are brand new, so no glazing, no greased shoes and no broken parts.

 

[GVS]

Tail lights have two wires. One for the turn signal/brake light. The other for the tail light. They have a metal strip behind one of the mounting holes and that's where they make their ground. Unless it's one that mounts with a rubber grommet then it should have a ground wire. It's one of the lights that isn't making ground that causes the other lights to flash.

Some how when you changed the lights they didn't get a good ground.

Had a head scratcher with trailer lights.One of the lead terminals broke off the base of the bulb and lodged between the two strips in the light housing shorting out everything.Finaley noticed the piece of lead in there when I decided to change the bulb.

 

[sb47]

The old style light bulbs had a 1 or 2 elements depending on what they were for. Push them down and turn them to lock them in.
The lead would wear off on the bulb or the socket or the spring would freeze up and you had a hard time finding a problem.
I like the newer sealed lights that have just a snap in plug. They ether work or thay don’t. Not much else to go wrong with them.
They are more expensive but easer to change and trouble shoot.

The LED type are the most expensive of then all and they don’t shine as bright and if your at an angle there hard to see. and I thought that because they were LED they wouldn’t burn out, wrong! They don’t all go out at the same time but I have had DOT rite me up just because one or two of the 30 LED’s were out even though the rest were still on.
Dirty rat bastards! lol

 

[sb47]

An empty trailer bouncing down a gravel or dirt road will knock out the little element and they will go out. They don’t burn out, they get knocked out.

 

[sb47]

Since your folks were so helpful and I #####ed o much, I thought you guys deserved some photos of the trailer that has plagued me for so long.

Starting with the new plug on the truck and trailer with the very noticeable dedicated ground.

Next is the trailer hitch with the ground attached, drilled and tapped and lock washer and nut. And the breakaway switch.

My tool box that has all my straps and chains and spare lights.
With the new tarp I installed to cover my loads. I sandwiched it in between some aluminum flat bar and the top rail of the trailer.

Breakaway battery located behind the tool box.

 

[sb47]

New treated ½ plywood over the top of the treated 2x6 for a solid floor.

I drilled and tapped holes for bolts to hold my tale boards from bouncing out while driving down the road.

It just so happens that the hole that hold down the tale boards line up perfectly with the holes on the tarp.

The pole running through the tarp is so if a load is tall and the tarp wont reach the back I can tie it down.

Tarp covering the trailer.