Brakes not dis-engaging -- VERY hot!!!

[c130king]

Well maybe I can make it down there during my travels and see if we can't fix you up....

Come on down and we will go sailing on my Catalina. You are always welcome.

Cheers,
Jim

[Catigale]

....keep an eye on tht weather forecast and storm track please, Colonel....

[c130king]

Oh, I am keeping a close eye on it. I have a couple of "contingency" plans. But it looks like it is going to veer far enough to the East that Gulfport, MS will be spared any big winds.

Got a friend who is going to go double up on my dock lines and lash down the furler and secure a few items.

There are two 's parked very close to me. Wonder if they will get pulled out?

[Catigale]

Looks like its slipping west of you Colonel..

[c130king]

Maybe...

But MS Gulf Coast will probably get pretty big winds/storm-surge being in NE quadrant.

OPERATION POLARIS is in effect. My friend has the boat in Biloxi (about 12 miles east from GPT) right now waiting on some additional helpers. Then they will finish motoring into the Biloxi Back Bay and tie it up to ride out the storm.

My friend and his 2 helpers are all "crew" on the 65' Schooner (Replica of an Old Oyster/Crabbing/Shrimping Sail Boat) that sails out of Biloxi. They took that big boat to the Back Bay yesterday and have it anchored out there. And after they finish moving my 31' Catalina he tells me they have another boat to move back there.

Biggest PITA right now is getting Ann here for the retirement ceremony. Her flight was scheduled from GPT for Wed afternoon...storm hits Wed AM...airport will most likely be closed. I think I am going to be able to get her out tomorrow from JAN tomorrow early before the storm...fortunately they have already made the decison to close her school tomorrow and Wednesday. She already had subs lined up for Thursday and Friday.

Jim

[TFlight]

Sorry I missed your call Jim,

Angela and I spent 7 days on Lake Champlain and I was off the grid. We had a fantastic time, great lake, weather and sailing!
Sorry to hear your trailer troubles, I would have gladly helped. You can call me anytime.

Tony

[K9Kampers]

Great thread!

I'm having similar brake issues too. At last launch, noticed steam when wheels submerged at launch. Ten miles into return trip (halfway) hubs HOT... gave time to cool, gave shots of grease, made it home. Always use reverse anti-lock pin when backing, surge unit disengaged, brake fluid full, never experienced brakes locking or dragging while towing. Soon continuing diagnostic...

[bscott]

Always let your brakes cool down before dunking the trailer and let them dry out before hitting the road. It's hard to do the Mac bump with wet trailer brakes.

Bob

[RobertB]

Always use reverse anti-lock pin when backing, surge unit disengaged, brake fluid full, never experienced brakes locking or dragging while towing. Soon continuing diagnostic...

I take it you do not wire to a five pin connector (fifth pin wired to vehicle backup lights for lockout solenoid) - or are you a raincoat and umbrella type

[K9Kampers]

Raincoat and umbrella type? I tried to look that one up. Is that a British reference?
Actually, I do have the 5 pin connector, and that's where I'll resume my diag when I get the truck back.

[c130king]

I think I might have a bad connector because my trailer brakes frequently lock up on the gravel lot of my marina when backing.

But most of the time I don't even use the round connector as I am only going from the ramp to my parking spot. I just stick the pin in to lock out the brakes.

Just one more thing I will check out when I work on the brakes back in Mississippi.

Cheers,
Jim

[kmclemore]

Raincoat and umbrella type? I tried to look that one up. Is that a British reference?

It's a bit like a 'belt and suspenders' guy. You use two things that do the same job - i.e. overly redundant.

[K9Kampers]

Raincoat and umbrella type? I tried to look that one up. Is that a British reference?

It's a bit like a 'belt and suspenders' guy. You use two things that do the same job - i.e. overly redundant.

Like tequila and grand marnier?! ... Guilty!

Tonite I tested the reverse lockout solenoid with a 12V battery - it activated when energized. Thinking I'm next going to confirm the brake lines don't have air in them.
The reverse anti-lock pin prevents the surge actuator from actuating, and the 5-pin connector / solenoid is supposed to bypass the actuator when in reverse. Both are of the same unit. The brakes were not engaged when backing into my yard and were not engaged on the road. What could casuse to the brakes to lock in my yard?
Never had a problem pushing around the trailer empty by hand.

[RobertB]

I was having strange engagement issues with my brakes backing up. Before shelling out $100 or such for a new solenoid, I traced the wiring. Found no problem with the +12 VDC but did find a bad ground path - the evils of corrosion. I wired a ground wire between the solenoid and the trailer frame and problem solved.

[seahouse]

Cat asked (back on page 4)...

Are the rotors on your trailer SS? My recollection is that even on SS brakes, the rotors were still cast iron

Now that I have the trailer out of storage (and the boat on it) I can confirm that the rotros are, indeed, cast iron. They do have what appears to be a layer of aluminum paint on them (on all except on the pad-swept surface), which has been effective at preventing any signs of rust from appearing so far.

- Brian