Trailer Brakes

Click on the pictures to make it larger, then use the back button to go back. You should have your brakes checked by a professional if you are not sure how to do the work. It is more important to be able to stop than to start. What I am trying to do in the three pictures here is give you an idea on how electric brakes work. When you look under your trailer (I hope you do) & see wires that are not connected to anything, that may mean you have no brakes.

This is my opinion and we all have one. Yours may be better than mine.

A new & old Magnet

Here you have a new & an old magnet. The top one being new, so the bottom one is the old one. Look at the holes in each one, see how the bottom one is worn; this did not stop it from working. What stopped it from working was the broken wire. The magnet drags on the brake drum at all times. When you press on the brake, current runs through the magnet; the magnetic force tries to stick on the drum. Rotation of the drum then pushes out the shoes to stop the rotation of the wheel.

The Brake

This is the brake. I have wrapped a rag around the spindle to keep from getting greasy. My rag covers up a large part of the magnet. The magnet is located at the bottom, (look at wires going to magnet). The magnet drags on the drum at all times (you hear the sound when the wheel turns). When you put on the brakes there is current sent to the magnet so that it will try to stick on the drum, that action pushes the brakes shoes out against the brake drum. That is what slows the wheel.

A simple Leveling system for an RV

The following four postings explain how I made some simple leveling ramps using pressure treated 2x10 boards. The 10 inch width allows room for the tires to completely sit on the ramp without hanging over the edges. The system consists of eight 3/4 inch dowel rods 3 inches long, four boards (the length of two tires with the two top boards being one foot shorter), four eye screws and two large nails for a set. Drill eight 3/4 inch holes to place the dowel rods in after cutting 2 boards to equal lengths and 2 boards one foot shorter, with one end of each board cut at a 45 degree angle. In the squared off end of each board, place two eye screws where nails will keep them in place and prevent kicking up when completed. The shorter boards with the same 45 degree angle will have no eye screws in them. Place one of the shorter boards on top of the longer board with with square ends evenly flush; clamp in this position, then drill four 7/8 inch holes where dowel rods will be placed to keep them from moving when driving upon them. Paint the board sets with the dowel rods placed in them one color; paint the other set a different color so that the dowel rods will fit properly. The reason for this is that the drilled holes may differ somewhat. Click on any picture to see larger details and then use your back button to return to posting. This explains how I did it; you may have a better method.

Single set of ramps

These two boards were cut from a 2x10x8 board. I used pressure treated wood as it will last longer.

In the end of the squared off end of the boards you can see two eye screws they are for holding the boards together while driving up on them. You put a nail, etc, through the eyes and boards will not be as likely to move when you pull your RV up on them. I used the 2x10 board so the tires will be sure to be completely on the board. It is not good to have a tire not completely on the board, also the angle on the end means the tire does not have to ride over the 90 degree corner of the non beveled end of a board.

Set of single ramps beveled end

This shows the beveled end of the single ramp. It is a 45 degree cut because that angle is easy to cut & you waste no board.

Beveled end of the double set

We are looking at the beveled end of the double ramp. When put together the ramp is beveled on each end to a 45 degree angle. The purpose is to make it easier on your tires to move upon them. And as you can see, you would have a hard time putting unlike colors together.

The reason I do not put the ramps together now is due to the weight in handling them; also there are more ways they can be used (like putting under a jack) if not assembled.

Double Set

All of these board were cut from one 2x10x12. They are painted to make it easy to set up. The like colors go together. They were clamped together; then the holes were drilled so as to make it easy to line up the holes. I then placed the 3/4 inch dowel pins in each hole which were cut from a dowel rod. The drilled holes are 7/8 inch, so if while sitting , if the wood were to swell the pins will still be easy to get out. You can see in the ends of the two longer base boards there are a total of four eye screws in this set for one side of an RV. Place the squared ends together with the eye screws lined up and then push a nail or bolt through the eyes of the screws, one from each side, to secure them and keep the boards from raising up as you back from one to the other. Many an RV has been damaged from a board jumping up on one end, and hitting the bottom of the RV. Guess how I know?