Hey guys, kind of of topic but here goes. My electric brakes have been cutting out. To make a long story short, I took it in to get the axles serviced and to have them check the brake prob. The mechanic told me that the bearings got over greased, blew the seals out and got grease all over the magnets, shoes and sensors. He wants $500. to replace the parts. I had to 86 the repair do to fund shortage. Has anyone replaced their own magnets and other parts on a trailer. I'm not familiar with this system at all. It is a tandem axle 26 foot wells cargo trailer. Thanks in advance.

 

I have a 3 axle Weekend Warrior, and I changed the brake shoes myself. Took two days because of it being my first time. $500 doesnt sound too bad if that includes labor and materials. If you do it yourself, make sure you buy a spring tool. Also, the longer brake shoe goes on the rear side of the hub. I didn't replace the magnets because they were not worn down too much. If you have the time and the patience you can probably save $300. But it can be a bitch if you've never done it before.

 

w1ngnut,

Theres a smokin' trailer parts store over on Boulder Hwy, 1/2 mile east of 95/Boulder Station. South side, a bit past Johnny Walker. Could be worth a trip. If you go to any Vegas trailer dealers, the parts will probably be more expensive.

I pulled mine apart and replaced the studs on the hub. None of it looked to intimidating. dstroll gots some good points. I also take a lot of pictures with a digital camera during the tear down in case I work to far past beer 'thirty.


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something doesn't add up here.

What exacty was the damage that occured? First, grease won't damage anything but the brake shoes. I have no idea what sensor's he's talking about. Electric brakes consist of a large electro magnet that when energised clamps to the drum which in turn levers the shoes up against the drum. To my knowledge, there is no sensor of any sort involved. Grease would NOT damage the magnets, they would just need to be degreased really well.

Unless there was damage to the bearings, spindle, hub, the price seems a bit much. Where did you take the trailer for service? Does the service department where you took it specialize in trailers? or was it the bombardier dealer or other motosports dealer. if so, I would suggest taking it to a RV dealership that deals with this every day. How much of the $500 was labor, how much was parts?

When I was an RV tech, I used to get a half hour per axle for a bearing repack. magnet replacement was a half hour to do both sides IF that was the only repair that I needed to complete, if I did it in conjunction with a bearing repack, it was more like .8 hour per axle. From your description, worst case scenario that I could see is ~2 hours labor (includes repacking all bearings on both axles), ~$10 for new seal, ~$20 for new bearings on one hub(probably not needed), ~$50 for new pads on one hub, and 2-3 cans of brake-clean at $6 each.

at $100 per hour for labor

$200 labor
$98 parts

total of $298

parts may vary by 10%-20% but is still ALOT lower than what you were quoted.

 

I have 'redneck' brand brakes on a single 3500lb axle

I pay $41 for the whole brake setup on each side. Plate, magnets, shoes,,,,the whole setup comes as one piece. 4 bolts to loosen and the whole unit is replaced. Its as easy as changing a tire.

$500 sounds like a real lube job to me

 

Bing is 100% correct . you're gettin hosed !

 

I thought it was alot too. I just had him re-grease and put new seals on each axle. I went to a reputable trailer place. Now I feel like he was trying to bone me. I'll have him explain the situation when I pick it up. I will repost what he tells me. I was thinking brake cleaner would take the grease of too. We shall see

 

Thanks for all the info guys!!!!!!!!!!Maybe the owner needs his zerks in his ears greased!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hey people,

I only check my brakes and bearings once a year on my 1997 34' 5th wheel. I haven't had to replace anything yet, TG. But I changed the brakes and bearings on my dad's trailer. I found out that it's cheaper to purchase the backing plate assembled thean each part. Usually the axels are dexter. So i just purchased the backing plate and it came with all of the brake parts assembeled. Four bolts, two wire and pack the bearings and I was done. It's cake! The backing plates were $102.00 ea and it tool less than 2 hours for all four.

Check RV/trailer stores for parts. I used RV Traders in Mesa Az.

 

There are no reputable places in Vegas. I've come to the conclusion I pay better attention when working on my stuff than the guys at the dealers. So nobody touches my toys. Now if my Cummins diesel were to let loose, I would let the dealer handle that since its under warrenty.

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