Brakes and Tires

Ok, since last post I have changed the tires and brakes on the camper. The tires are like any others, take them off and go to a tire shop and purchase new ones. They will mount and balance them, then you just have to put them back on. One of the tires from our camper.

While the tires are off you should inspect your brakes. Our camper had a bad magnet on one of the brakes. Most of the time if your brake controller shows an over current or a short, you should start by checking the magnets that work the brakes. The magnet and pads cost about $65 dollars per wheel. The entire brake assembly is usually cheaper, ours were only $55 dollars each. And it is easier to replace the entire assembly, than just the pads and magnets.
You should first gather all the tools you will need, to replace the brake assembly you will need, a wrench that fits the four nuts on the back of the assembly, a small hammer, a set of adjustable pliers, a set of wire pliers, a flat screwdriver, a bearing packer, a jack, and lug wrench.

 Start by taking off the tires, then you can start removing the brake drums. To do this remove the bearing cover, it is the dome shaped cap in the middle of the brake drum. Then remove the carter pin and the king nut from the spindle. The king nut should only be hand tight.

After you remove the king nut, slide the brake drum forward slightly and remove the outer bearing, DO NOT GET ANY DIRT OR CONTAMINATES IN THE BEARING. Then slide the brake drum off the spindle, again taking care not to get any dirt in the inner bearing which will be on the inside of the drum. This bearing is held in place by a grease seal. Also do not get the drums mixed up, unless you are replacing them mark which spindle they came off of with a permanent marker.

Once the drum is removed you can inspect the brakes. This is when you can check your magnets for wear if no wear is visible you can connect a volt meter in series and check for continuity. This is what mine looked like with the drums removed. Since these where the original brakes I decided to change them all.

The next step is to disconnect the two wires from the brake assembly, you can cut them with the wire cutters, just make sure you leave as much wire connected to the trailer wiring as possible. You can always remove more, but it is hard to add if you make it to short. Then you can remove the four nuts on the back holding the assemblies on. This is what the spindles will look like once the brake assemblies are removed.

Ok, so you have everything off, you can take one old assembly to the nearest RV dealer or parts store and purchase new ones. A really good parts store in the Atlanta area is K&C RV in Dallas, Ga. they have most everything in stock. As well as reasonable prices. Make sure you inspect your drums as well as the assemblies. If they are scratched or pitted inside or have groove on the inside replace them, you should also check your bearings for signs of wear, such as flat spots or discoloration on the bearings. I was lucky and my drums and bearings where in good shape. This is what a good used drum should look like.

So I purchased four brake assemblies, and four bearing seals. The seals are not reusable and have to be replaced when the bearings are removed and repacked with grease. Next you can start putting the brake assemblies back on. Make sure you put the ones marked left on the drivers side of the camper and the right ones on the passenger side. Place them over the spindles and tighten the nuts you removed from the old ones. Next connect the wires to the magnets, it does not matter which wires are connected to the ones on the camper. They just form a continuous loop, as long as they are connected. I prefer to use the Scotchlock connectors, but you can use wire nuts. Once the wires are connected your assemblies should look like this.

Next we will repack the bearings and replace the grease seals. Then all that is left is to replace the drums and tires and your finished. I recommend doing the drums one at a time. First remove the grease seal on the inside of the drum, then use a bearing packer to repack the bearings. Being sure keep the outer and inner bearings seperated.

Bearing packer

Old bearing before repacking.

This is the bearing after repacking.



Once the bearings are repacked with grease, you can put the inner bearing into the inside of the drum and replace the grease seal. Make sure the seal is square to the hole in the drum and use the hammer and a block of wood to drive the seal into place. The grease seals should be slightly recessed in the drum when installed.

After the seal is in place you can replace the drum on the spindle.

Then replace the outer bearing, king nut, cotter pin, dust cap, and replace the tires. Your all finished.

Have fun and Happy RVing.