Blowout Damage: 2018 2800BH: Wires Exposed

[The Maltman]

Hello,

Looking for a little help. We had a blowout on our last trip and luckily the damage seems pretty minor to some of the photos I've seen here.

I have also read there's no wiring diagram for these trailers so having a hard time finding th answer to my issue. During the blowout, the loose tread pulled some wires down that are connected to the brakes. I tied them down with bungie cord so we could make it home, but I'd like to figure out where they came from.

Thanks for the assistance! I saw some other posts about repairing the wheel well portion so working on that today.

Cheers,
Erik

 

[Riverbug]

Those wires are usually tethered to the axle with a zip tie or something. Is it possible the tire tread just ripped the zip tie off and left them hanging? It looks like they are still intact, but you have check to make sure all brakes are still working?

 

[Steven@147]

They probably were just tied to the back of the wheel plate or stuffed inside the coroplast the covering on the bottom of the frame. Don't know which tire this is but one set of wires probably go to the back of the wheel and the other set goes into the axle then across to the other side tire.

Yes make sure that brake is working electrically.

 

[The Maltman]

Those wires are usually tethered to the axle with a zip tie or something. Is it possible the tire tread just ripped the zip tie off and left them hanging? It looks like they are still intact, but you have check to make sure all brakes are still working?

Thank you, yeah I don’t recall seeing them before so it was a surprise to find them.
The tire blew out and I think the giant flap of tire pulled them out/down from wherever they were at before.
Looks like they got a it of the insulation rubbed off but otherwise intact. This is the drivers side.
Any suggestion on checking the brakes? I tried using the gain in the truck but that didn’t confirm they were working

 

[Riverbug]

Thank you, yeah I don’t recall seeing them before so it was a surprise to find them.
The tire blew out and I think the giant flap of tire pulled them out/down from wherever they were at before.
Looks like they got a it of the insulation rubbed off but otherwise intact. This is the drivers side.
Any suggestion on checking the brakes? I tried using the gain in the truck but that didn’t confirm they were working

If you have a gravel driveway by chance, you could use the manual activator on your controller as you pull (turning the gain all the way up) and then see if you have skid marks at each wheel. Otherwise, connect the umbilical, jack one wheel up at a time, and either have someone push the brake pedal while you turn the wheel by hand or pull the emergency brake pin to check each wheel. Maybe someone else will have a simpler suggestion but those are the ways I've done it.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

If you have a gravel driveway by chance, you could use the manual activator on your controller as you pull (turning the gain all the way up) and then see if you have skid marks at each wheel. Otherwise, connect the umbilical, jack one wheel up at a time, and either have someone push the brake pedal while you turn the wheel by hand or pull the emergency brake pin to check each wheel. Maybe someone else will have a simpler suggestion but those are the ways I've done it.

This would be the perfect excuse to buy a clamp-on amp meter. They are super handy to have, and very useful. Just make sure it measures DC amperage, a lot do not.

 

[Riverbug]

This would be the perfect excuse to buy a clamp-on amp meter. They are super handy to have, and very useful. Just make sure it measures DC amperage, a lot do not.

Hmm. I guess that would show current is getting to the brake system at least. In this situation maybe that's all he needs. I'd prefer verifying the brakes are actually engaging personally.

 

[Wileykid]

Easiest for me would be loose surface like dirt or rocks, and slowly drive using only the manual trailer brakes. Go to 100% for 5-10', get out and see if you see the tires dragging. Sometimes it is hard to see on a hard surface, and less/no wear on the tires in the dirt. With the tandem, there should be a small amount of dirt/rock in front of each tire.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Easiest for me would be loose surface like dirt or rocks, and slowly drive using only the manual trailer brakes. Go to 100% for 5-10', get out and see if you see the tires dragging. Sometimes it is hard to see on a hard surface, and less/no wear on the tires in the dirt. With the tandem, there should be a small amount of dirt/rock in front of each tire.

That is true, but it only gives you go/no go result. The amp meter will tell you if you're pulling the necessary amperage to provide the most braking. I've read that holding a compass near the wheel will give an indication the magnets are working.

This trailer and our previous one wouldn't skid the tires though, so I don't know if you'd get any buildup in front of the tires in that case. Not sure.

 

[Riverbug]

That is true, but it only gives you go/no go result. The amp meter will tell you if you're pulling the necessary amperage to provide the most braking. I've read that holding a compass near the wheel will give an indication the magnets are working.

This trailer and our previous one wouldn't skid the tires though, so I don't know if you'd get any buildup in front of the tires in that case. Not sure.

What amperage would be ideal when checking that? I haven't done it that way before but will give it a try, but would have to research to figure out what I readings I should expect for optimal braking. I'd still do the check to make sure they are actually engaging correctly.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

What amperage would be ideal when checking that? I haven't done it that way before but will give it a try, but would have to research to figure out what I readings I should expect for optimal braking. I'd still do the check to make sure they are actually engaging correctly.

I believe it's 3 amps/wheel. If you measure total draw for a tandem, it should be 12 amps. My understanding that would be with 12 gauge wire, and if you have thinner wire, the readings could be less.

 

[Riverbug]

I believe it's 3 amps/wheel. If you measure total draw for a tandem, it should be 12 amps. My understanding that would be with 12 gauge wire, and if you have thinner wire, the readings could be less.

Thanks, I'm going to play around with that when I do my spring maintenance.

 

[The Maltman]

If you have a gravel driveway by chance, you could use the manual activator on your controller as you pull (turning the gain all the way up) and then see if you have skid marks at each wheel. Otherwise, connect the umbilical, jack one wheel up at a time, and either have someone push the brake pedal while you turn the wheel by hand or pull the emergency brake pin to check each wheel. Maybe someone else will have a simpler suggestion but those are the ways I've done it.

Further review shows that the brake wire bundle has some frays. Going to clip these spots out and reconnect and seal.

 

[Riverbug]

Further review shows that the brake wire bundle has some frays. Going to clip these spots out and reconnect and seal.

That's a good catch. I had intermittent warnings on a trip and finally found a wire inside the drum area was pinched and frayed and randomly shorted against the backing place. Irritating to get those random warnings and not be able to find it until we got back home and I did my hub maintenance.