Brakes on 2004 T@B

LaurieOregonGal

Well, I brought my new-to-me T@B trailer home (or to the storage facility) a month ago and there it has sat.  Geez it's been raining here in the NW!  And snow too.  But now I'm ready to be figuring it all out.  I took a bunch of photos and have been reading the manual, but am puzzled by the brakes.  Here's a photo.  They're AL-KO brakes. I assume this is like a handbrake.  In the attached photo, the handle is in the upright position.  Brake is engaged, right?  If I move the lever to a more horizontal position, brake is off, right?  Sorry - I'm feeling like the village idiot here.  So here's my question - what position should it be in when towing?  I brought it home with the lever up, and it towed fine.  Took it to the tire place, and pushed/pulled the trailer around without difficulty, all with level up.  But when I backed it into its parking spot, it kinda jumped around, I assume because the brake was engaged?  I haven't moved the handle yet.  I pulled on it a bit and it didn't budge, but I haven't reefed on it yet either.    Remember I'm a beginner here............. and thanks in advance for your help!   Laurie

  

rfuss928

The brakes are engaged when the lever is up - as in your photo.  The lever is "up" way too far indicating worn, out of adjustment brakes.  If you have towed in this position and the trailer rolls around - your brakes are shot.
You need to replace all the internal brake components in each hub and adjust the linkages and actuators. 
It is also quite likely the wheel bearings also need replacement as this type of error overheats the bearings and causes all the grease to run out.  The worn out bearings are probably why you sensed things "jumping around" when backing up.
NuCamp stocks the parts and I have attached the brake adjustment procedure.

LaurieOregonGal

Thanks so much for this information. Very helpful.  I purchased new tires as I was bringing it home and they checked the bearings and thought they were fine.  I'm also wondering if it was the snow/ice that day.  There was a lot of slipping and sliding going on that day.  I'll work to figure that out.

rfuss928

It's possible you just have very worn brakes - which is what the handle position and no resistance moving the trailer indicate to me.  If the tire shop guys said the bearings seemed OK you may be good there.  Diagnostics from 3000 miles away are a little difficult.
To replace the brakes you will need to pull the hubs off so there will be an opportunity inspect the bearings more closely.  For the added cost of new sealed bearings (~$80), it may be prudent to replace them while everything is apart.  The brake system is elegantly simple and most any mechanic should have no problem doing the maintenance.
Good luck!
Have fun!!
Bob

irvingj

Although I would still recommend pulling the wheels and brake drums off to inspect EVERYTHING, it may just be a matter of adjustment, as implied above. These brakes are strictly mechanical and NOT self-adjusting, so they need to be adjusted every so often. (Think 60s era brakes...)

By all means check the system out, but hopefully it may only be a matter of tweaking the adjusting eccentrics to set the shoes out further. If in doubt, take it to a mechanic who has a knowledge of these old- fashioned (yet extremely simple) brakes.

When we first got our 2004/5 T@B, that was one of the first things I did. I found the brakes to be very robust, simple, and effective --- IF they were adjusted correctly.