Hating the Surge Brakes on King Trailer

I've had the same problem after changing from drum to kodiac disk brakes. It was fine the first few times then started locking up in reverse. I just drilled a hole through the surge coupler & lock it out with a 1/4" pin before backing.
 
Peter, I had to change my entire actuator; master cylinder rusted and froze "on". You will have to bleed. You are introducing air into the system and it must be bled out.

The new one came w/ the two wire unit. I screwed the brake soft line onto the solenoid (using some sealer made for pneumatic lines) and then mounted the actuator to the tongue and wired it up. I then bled the system out.
 
Yeah Vern, I'll probably do the same. And yes Mark, I hope I don't have to change the actuator but will if I use. I'm now convinced that I'll need to bleed the brakes and have read up on how to and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Thanks Mark.

Trailers, arghhh!
 
Pat, I never wired up the backup function of our trailer for backing, thinking I would rarely engage the brakes in reverse due to backing uphill. I was right, and have only needed to insert a pin we carry in an extra hole of the hitch itself twice since owning the 19.

The simple pin requires one of us to walk back and insert it for backing upslope, but for the frequency we need that ability, it works great for us and I don't plan making it more automatic.

Greg
 
Peter,

When it comes time to bleed your brakes, look for Youtube vids on how to do it solo. Essentially you use a modified garden sprayer to pressurize the system. I've done it, works great, and fast.

jd
 
Pat...I hated the surge brakes that came with my trailer...but found that once I installed spring bars on my hitch the surge brakes work much better...the spring bars really improve the towing...much smoother now.
 
Jazzmanic":mosm75na said:
Yeah Vern, I'll probably do the same. And yes Mark, I hope I don't have to change the actuator but will if I use. I'm now convinced that I'll need to bleed the brakes and have read up on how to and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Thanks Mark.

Trailers, arghhh!
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Peter, in a steering thread, Boris recommended a pressure bleeder that you can get at an auto parts store (Motive products Bleeder Model 0160 ) you could probably use one for both applications.
 
My actuator has a slot where a screw driver is inserted and used to pump fluid through when bleeding. I put a little clear hose on the bleed port and the hose into a glass jar. Pump, go look at the hose/jar for bubbles, then pump more if bubbles are present. I may have used an extra 3 or 4 ounces of fluid that way, but still cheaper and faster than using a pressure gadget (or finding my vacuum gadget that I have somewhere in the garage).

Mark
 
a pressure bleeder
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They do work. I've used them on cars and the steering system on our Dory. But they cost a few dollars and you'll need the proper cap on the unit to fit onto the master cylinder. One could even make one out of a pump garden sprayer.

I'd just use the master to bleed as noted above. A piece of clear tubing that fits over the bleeder valve on the brakes dunked into a container w/ a little brake fluid; pump the master until no bubbles are present. Start at the rear brakes if double axle.
 
I've bled the brakes a couple of times "manually." On one actuator brand (Tie Down) it wasn't too bad (although that one died a premature death for some other reason); on the Titan it was a royal pain, and required multiple people (no easy way to wiggle the master cylinder with a screwdriver).

So this past spring, when I re-did the whole system myself (so as to finally know everything was right), I went for the Motive bleeder (hand pressurized garden sprayer type dealie). I had helped a friend bleed some RV brakes with one and it made it so much easier! But I did hold out for a year and a half on buying my own because it's one of those things that just seems overpriced for what you get (especially the little caps).

But now, having used it once? Price is totally forgotten. And although a buddy helped me use it the first time, it was easy to see I'd be able to bleed the brakes solo in future with the Motive. Because of how the kits were sold and prices/availability at the time, I got the "black label" bleeder with an included cap for my RV (Ford), and then bought the cap for the trailer separately.

I'm sure if I lived somewhere where I had a consistent, conscientious, expert trailer service person, I would have left all my trailer work to that person. But since that has not been the case, I figured out how to do it myself (not that hard, especially thanks to this forum and youtube, plus the online parts places). So I can justify spending money on the tools to do it. In the case of this last "refit," I bought all new brakes, lines, hubs, races, bearings, wiring, coupler, tires, the Motive bleeder -- and probably a few other things I'm forgetting -- and spent around the same amount of money as I would have to hire a trailer place to just re-do my brake lines, bleed the (existing) brakes, and put a coupler on. Who knows whether they would have seen/mentioned any other issues, or how much that would have added to the cost of the job ($$).

Granted I didn't count my time, but I thought of it as "free school" :D

Anyway, all that to say that although the Motive bleeder seems totally overpriced, and I'm sure there's a way to make one from parts; I bought one and it worked very well, no complaints. I'm glad to see it sitting over in my "trailer work corner" now :thup
 
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