Saturday, May 10, 2014
How to Bleed Boat Trailer Brakes
Boating has become a popular pastime for many people. With the use of boats as a holiday, correct maintenance of the boat trailer is needed to ensure continual transportation. With the interaction with salt water, brakes on the trailer can become damaged. Contamination of the brake fluid will cause the brakes to not perform to the required standard. If this occurs, you must bleed your brakes, and replace the fluid to ensure they work correctly. This process should be carried out on a regular basis.
Instructions
- 1
Fill the master cylinder with new brake fluid.
2Insert a bleeder hose on the bleeder screw of the wheel cylinder of the furthest brake away from the master cylinder. Place the other end of the hose into a glass container of brake fluid.
3Loosen the brake bleeder screw. Have a helper depress the rod assembly with a slotted screwdriver. This will apply force to the front of the coupler case assembly, forcing out brake fluid and any air bubbles in it. Look for bubbles in the fluid in the glass container.
4Remove the hose and securely tighten the bleeder screw. Repeat the process on all of the brakes. Make sure the master cylinder does not get less than half full.
5Refill the master cylinder with brake fluid once the process is complete. Check that the brakes on your boat trailer are working correctly before continual use.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
How to Hook Up Electric Brakes
Electric brakes are the most common type of brakes found on small trailers that can be pulled with a passenger vehicle. This includes horse, utility and travel trailers. While regulations vary between jurisdictions, it is common for electric brakes to be required on trailers that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 3,000 pounds or more. Check with your local transportation department for regulations before pulling a trailer that does not have electric brakes installed.
Instructions
- 1
Install a brake controller in the tow vehicle if there is not one already installed. Without this, the electric brakes on the trailer will not function. Many newer vehicles that are capable of towing a trailer will have a wiring harness for a brake controller already installed underneath the dash, below the steering column. Mount the brake controller to the underside of the dash and hook up wires according to the controllers instructions.
2Fit the brake controllers wiring with a circuit breaker and run the brake controllers wires to the rear of the vehicle. If there is a factory towing wiring harness installed, this step can be skipped.
3Mount a 7-way RV blade at the rear of the tow vehicle and connect it to the wiring that you ran from the brake controller. A 7-way RV Blade will be the most versatile plug in style and allow you to connect to trailers with various style electrical systems.
4Check to see what type of electrical connector your trailer is wired with. Common prong types include 7-way, 6-way, 5-way and 4-way, each of which may come shaped uniquely, depending on the manufacturer. If the vehicle receptacle does not match the trailers plug-in, you will need to purchase an adapter.
5Plug the trailers electrical connector in the the vehicles receptacle using an adapter if needed. Start the tow vehicle and depress the brake pedal. Have an assistant observe the trailers brake lights and ensure that they are functioning before using the trailer.