Trailer Snatching

[Adam F]

Ive been having problems with the trailer on BW....

 

She is fine when I leave the house, fine when I slip her, fine when I recover her then about 10 mins into my return journey home, when I brake the trailer 'snatches' its brakes??

 

Any ideas? Ive tried slackening them off, basically so they have minimal contact and the car does the braking but it doesnt seem to have worked.

 

I did a search on the net tonight and it seems that under adjutsting them had adverse effect, such little contact on the drums causes the snatch, having full and proper contact seesm better and eliminates the snatch.

 

I plan to jack each wheel tomorrow, lock the adjuster nut right up and then slacken off until just moving.

 

I also found this site - worth knowing for trailer tips: http://www.rmtrailers.co.uk/Manual.pdf

[Afishionado]

This is a guess but an informed one.

 

The breaking/friction characteristic of the friction material must be altered after the first initial soaking in water some hours earlier and the subsequent one on recovery. So probable there is temporary swelling of the friction material causing the loss of clearance and the material itself may become more agressive for a time untill it dries out. i.e. the next trip.

 

Mad Mike

[Brian]

I agree with Mad Mike, or it could be a slight rust film from the imersion.

[Seamouse]

Hi Adam,

I get the same, but with Lookfar it is first time I touch the brakes after being standing for a few weeks (end of our road). It 'might' be the hydraulic ram mechanism that actuates the brakes unsticking itself, or maybe the brake cables themselves freeing off, but I'd tend to agree with the others and suggest it is the brakes grabbing due to a little rust on the drum surfaces. I always try to slow without brakes at the next junction to confirm that the brakes have freed back off. Once or twice they've dragged (that was rust!) until I've given the backplates some percussive adjustment. Easy to tell which side is dragging, its the one that burnt your finger

 

Steve

[Adam F]

Steve,

 

I also get the same as you, when I havent used it for a week or so, but once cleared they are all well.

 

It is on the return trip, they begin to snatch again, after I have done 50/60 miles...

 

Mike's explination may be plausable - if so, I guess there is nothing I can do?? Surely though even caravan brakes get wet when its raining heavy, so why do they not snatch? - or you never hear of them snatching...

[Swainiac]

Adam, caravans dont get reversed into salt water.....well not intentionally! Perhaps its something to do with the salt on the linings?

 

Rich

[Adam F]

I think I have solved it. The brakes were WELL out of adjustment.

 

Using the trailer guide above, I jacked the wheels up, and tightend the adjuster until the wheels were solid - I then backed them off until they were just rubbing.

 

Hitched her up and went for a cruise around the block - what a differance! No more slamming of the trailer into the car - in fact, nothing!....on braking, even hard braking, the trailer was silent, just a slight tug on the car as the brakes bit.

 

It took several turn of the adjuster to get them tight, so every time the wheels snatched I was backing them off, I was making this worse! The pads were so far away that the only thing stoping the boat was the car and the gas coupling, the snatching was just the brakes occasionaly catching the drum.

 

I would recommend anyone sufferig this to check the brakes, it takes minutes to do and is well worth it for the ease of trailering, the longevity of the trailer and for your safety. I know the other 165 users on this site suffer similar problems.

 

Adam

[cullodon]

i think youve got it right adam if the brakes dont slow the trailer it bottoms out on travel.

right where's the spanners

tony