I made it through 75 years of life not knowing exactly how electric trailer brakes worked. I can now complete my life with that knowledge. Thank you !!!
I've been a mechanic for 20+ years, but never worked on trailer brakes until I bought a Travel Trailer. Awesome video, gave me exactly what I needed without all of the extra "talking" people usually do. Thank you very much...keep up the good work!
Excellent video! Short and sweet, only pertinent information, clear vocals, no camera shaking and lots of good info. Thank you for the video it really helps.
Outstanding - brief, but not too fast, and complete. All youtubers should have to view this before posting. I love it. And after several years on youtube still helping out. Thanks!
Thanks Rod! I know exactly what you mean. I watch tons of videos myself. Many are droning on and on and never seem to get to the point, and others are using so many jump cuts you don't have a millisecond to digest what's just been said. I do try to strike a balance between the two, but will admit I do get a bit verbose from time to time. Glad you found this video useful/informative. Good luck and take care, G.
I could swear this was narrated by Matthew McConaughey! That’s a compliment by the way, just a very distinct style of speech. Alright, alright, alright!!! Great video! Thanks.
Excellent video. I have an older 1971 Prowler camp trailer and the magnet portion is almost a big as the inside of the drum. I was confused about how it worked, but your video has cleared up any confusion I had. Thanks a million for this video!
Thanks! Great video and explanation of the electric brake system. Been towing an RV for years but never fully understood the brakes. Did not realize that the electromagnet rode the inside of the drum, and grabbed the drum in order to leverage the shoes.
Towed a few, but never owned one and hadn't been inside for maintenance/repairs. Having seen a picture of the magnet, I thought it was a torsion cam that rotated by EM force to spread the shoes. But dang, this is as simple as it gets.
This is the exact video I needed. We just got a trailer that had caught of fire (before we got it), and so we need to re-wire it completely. Thank you so very much.
You are a great teacher. Thank you. Greasy hands on keyboard here. Etrailer had great pre-packed grease hubs and brake assembly. Good description on why there is a R and L!!!!!
Learn something new everyday! I had assumed that there was a solenoid with a plunger similar to a wheel cylinder. Never knew it actually grabbed the inside of the drum on the lug face.
Thank you!!! I've never worked on electric brakes before.i had a hot spindle and when I opened it up and saw the wear on the face of the drum I thought that something was wrong. I'm going to repack the bearings and put it back together. Thanks again !
thank you for this video, i'm going to replace my brakes and rewire my trailer, Never done any electric brake work Your video saved me a lot of guess work. Well done!
Thank you!! Just bought a camper with electric brakes and wanted to know how they worked. Very good explanation. I can say I feel like i learned a lot :)
Great video. I remember years ago, changing the shoes but not knowing why the smaller shoe was in front. I'm 77 years old and yes you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the next video. Always something different and interesting. Ken..... Marina, CA
Outstanding! Thank you - I've done tons of brake jobs in my life, but have only recently encountered electric trailer brakes - I had NO idea how they worked until I watched this video. Thanks again!
I just bought a used 5th wheel trailer & greased the wheel bearings for the first time. With your excellent video I now know how electric brakes work. Thanks for sharing 👍
This video gave me that "AHH HAA" moment, ya know when something finally clicks and you can wrap your head around how something really works! Thank you sir!
"so much thing to go wrong..." that statement is empty. List what can go wrong with electric brakes and list why hydraulic are better. Include a list what can go wrong with hydraulic brakes for comparison to electric brakes.
skyline9789 semi trucks or properly tractor trailers use air brakes. Air pressure is used on both vehicles the tractor truck and trailer. I have no idea what has made you think commercial vehicles with high gross weight ratings use electric brakes but sir you’re are very wrong and I hope you have not been spreading that nonsense around.
Makes total sense. Thank you for explaining. When I have a trailer hooked up I have someone press the brake pedal and I would go around to each trailer axel that had brakes and listen for the "hummmmm" of the electric brakes engaging.
Glad you liked it. If you're ever alone, you can pull the pin out of the break away switch and achieve the same results (providing your trailer battery is charged). Or perhaps wedge something between the seat and break pedal. Take care, G.
@ghostses Thank you for the idea of the break away. I will use that next time. Yes I always make sure the trailer battery is charged and is charging from the truck. Part of my pre trip check list
Excellent video on this. I am troubleshooting my trailer brakes, and your video is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for being knowledgeable, logical, and clear.
Thank you for doing this video. I never knew exactly how it all works in there, until the brakes went out on my camper and now I have to service them. Very good video.
Superb Video and to the point. You talk at just the right speed and your explanations are great, as is the video quality itself. I am new at rebuilding trailer brakes and didnt know exactly how the electro magnet worked. This is excellent. Thank you....
Awesome video! First time trailer owner ,I was under the assumption it had a coil/rod push/pull system like a starter coil... This make alot more sense lol
Tanks Drew. It would seem that way having not peered into a setup. Now you know how they're setup and how they work. Glad it was helpful and good luck with your trailer. Take care, G.
That is probably the best tutorial I have ever seen. Short, clear and very informative. I knew magnets were involved, but I wasn't quite sure how they actually operated. Now I know. Thanks mate. Cheers
Interestingly enough, when I had the aftermarket trailer brake module installed in my truck, I asked the mechanic how they worked. Your explanation was far more concise but he told me that when it came time replace the brake pads or whatever, it was actually cheaper to replace the ENTIRE brake assembly, I.e., the drum, pads, magnets; the whole shebang. Labor charges were far less as well.
@@kensimon4478 I bought a new trailer and had the in-cab module unit installed by an RV dealer for a little over $200 for the unit and labor. I have not had to replace the brakes yet so I’m not sure how much that would be.
Well done. Wish all explanations were as concise. Only thing I'd add is to note the brake adjustment screw at the bottom of the brake assembly used to set position of the shoes relative to the drum. Thanks for this.
I thought I pretty much knew about trailer brakes but I did learn some things I did not know. Good video. What you didn't explain was how to adjust the "delay". I have never heard of that feature. Perhaps you could do another video to explain that. I think the "gain" for the magnet comes from the controller on the tow vehicle but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks again for a good video.
+Scotty Brunton Thanks Scotty! No, I sure didn't explain how to adjust the delay. You are correct, the gain comes from the controller- as does the delay. There are two types of controllers, time delay and proportional. Mine is a time delay unit but want to change over to proportional. I'll try to shoot a clip as I have time and explain things in greater detail. I may even purchase a proportional controller so I can show them side by side to explain the differences of each type. Take care, G.
ghostses , thanks for sharing your knowledge. You have a very good natural ability to simplify mechanical concepts. Ever thought of teaching at a community college? There are not enough good vocational teachers to meet demands for RV technicians
Thanks Jim! I'm glad you found the information useful and do appreciate the compliments. While I've never entertained formally teaching, I do love to teach those that care to listen/learn. I've learned tons from others so I like to pay anything I know forward. Take care, G.
thanks for a very simple and informative explanation ,i started watching to find out whether these brakes were polarity sensitive and it was one of the first things said,either way i kept watching thanks again.
There are other posts on electric drum trailer brakes. I like your post because you have a better way of explanation. Like a few YTubers, it's like the viewer is looking over your shoulder. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I'll be waiting for your next video. Thankz
+Audio Tech Labs Well thanks! That's the number one reason I shoot my videos the way I do- so it's like the viewer is seeing through my eyes or looking over my shoulder as you say. I'm glad you like the videos! Take care, G.
that was very straight to the point and very informative I now understand what electric brakes are until resently they where not legal in the UK thanks for posting I can now look at putting them on my mobile houses
I was unsure if it mattered which wire on the brakes was positive and which one was negative. This video really cleared it up for me. I have built trailers but never used axles with brakes. Bought a pair of axles to build a tilt car trailer with and needed some clarity. Thank you
That's cool Keith! As you found out, it doesn't matter. You just want to make sure they're wired in parallel and not in series. Good luck with your build. You should video the process and post it. I'm sure it would get tons of traffic. Take care, G.
