Updating Trailer Brakes

[Lynn Blackburn]

We just completed a 10 week road trip thru the West, Az,Ut,Nv,Ca,Or,Id,Wy, then back thru Ut, and Az. We towed our 20' 5th wheel with a F150.The trailer is a 1984 TOWLITE. This is not the Towlite that collapses, it is a small regular 5th wheel trailer.

We had a nice trip with no real problems. But we did have the electric trailer brakes fail at a Forest Service campground in Utah. This was at the top of a mountain on a dirt road. So I either hired a tow truck to take the trailer down the mountain or repair the brakes where we camped.

I checked with Napa Auto after I determined the electromagnets, called  pucks, had failed and they said they could have the pucks in the store the next day. Hooray for Napa, after all this is a 1984 Hayes axle! So repair was the best way to go. I ordered the pucks.

I went back to Napa the next day for my parts and in the meantime I had pulled the drums, and decided the brake shoe should be replaced. Napa said they had those also. Well we could not be sure the new shoes would fit, again 1984 axle, so the partsman suggested that I replace the entire brake assembles. He had a set of new USA Dexter brake assembles plug and play ready to install with just 4 bolts plus the 2 brake wires. Much easier than rebuilding the old brakes. Amazingly the cost was about the same as the pucks!

Repair completed and  down the mountain we went.

So I upgraded my brakes to modern Dexter brakes, parts are available everywhere for these. Plus I now have a brand new brake system in my old trailer.

Anyone with an old trailer should consider upgrading to modern brakes when the old brakes need repair.

Lynn