Options for a trailer no one wants to work on?

[smthng]

My trailers' brakes don't work right now. Pretty sure the actuator got damaged when it came off the truck going across railroad tracks. There's no pressure between the two "parts" of the front of the trailer. No one around here wants to work on it and I have managed to somehow screw up just about every attempt I've ever done working on brakes on just about every vehicle I've attempted. Brakes are just one of those things I will find a way to mess up.

I took it to the dealer I bought my last trailer from and left it so he could look at it for two days and he called me back and said he didn't want to do it. I called the local Yamaha dealer who told me they didn't work on trailers, but gave me a recommendation of a guy they take the trailers to. I called him and he said he won't do it because he can't get parts for MFIs. I called a third shop and the dude said $1000 to start because he wouldn't replace the actuator without replacing the whole system. WTF?

So, that leaves me with two options that I can come up with... replace it myself or rip it all out and weld the front end together so it basically no longer has brakes. Assuming I have only your basic ratchety tools, screwdrivers, etc, and I have no idea what I'm doing, what are the chances of someone being able to hold my hand enough to get this fixed, one way or the other? I'm also open to other options if anyone has them.

 

[kthrash]

Drag it to Mississippi, ill help you do it..

In all seriousness, parts are readily available, and the whole set up is very easily done with basic hand tools.. Air powered tools make it 100x easier though.. you also might need some form of cutting device if all your bolts are rusted together.. Being an 08 in Florida I would assume so..

Any brake kit will go on the trailer.. UFP is what came from MFI.. Below is where I ordered all my stuff..


I ordered all the springs, shackels and bolts from Trailerpartsdepot.com cheaper than eTrailer.

1 81199 SPRING,25-1/4"DE 2500#(2-BOX) 4 LEAF 2 0 $79.34 $158.68

2 81180 TIE PLATE KIT 2.38" ROUND TRAILER AXLE 2 0 $21.98 $43.96

3 86250 SPRING BOLT KIT-9/16X 3"SPLINE [2-PKG] 7 0 $7.73 $54.11

4 44536 SHACKLE PLATE,3-3/4"OAL ZINC 8 0 $2.48 $19.84


I ordered all the brake stuff from them as well.. trailerpartsdepot.com

1 34033 UFP DISC BRAKE KIT 10" ZINC/PTD (PAIR) 1 0 $266.85 $266.85

2 32264K UFP BREAKAWAY CABLE ASY MODEL A-60/70 1 0 $10.00 $10.00

3 34355 UFP BREAKAWAY CABLE CLIP MODEL A-75/60 1 0 $1.47 $1.47

4 81203 CHAIN SAFETY CL-3 W/S-HOOK (2-PKG) 1 0 $15.23 $15.23


I ordered this stuff from pacifictrailers.com

UFP A-60 Inner Member Slide, 7500lb. 1 Axle Disc Brakes #34043 UFP34043 $159.95 1 $159.95

UFP Top Lockout Upgrade, (Brake Lockout Cap) #34359 UFP34359 $9.95 1 $9.95

20' Single Axle Brake Line Kit 539-001 Brakes: Disc Brakes Includes (2) Flex Hoses $74.95 1 $74.95

24" Flexible Hydraulic Trailer Brake Hose #18024-MF BLU18024-MF $15.95 1 $15.95

 

[kthrash]

What exactly is broken?

 

[MOA_Chaser]

You really need to double-check those springs against eTrailer. I bought four springs from them at $21 each vs $79.

My trailer is a 6000 lb rated trailer, 2 axles, so that's two 1500 lb springs for each axle.

 

[kthrash]

You really need to double-check those springs against eTrailer. I bought four springs from them at $21 each vs $79.

My trailer is a 6000 lb rated trailer, 2 axles, so that's two 1500 lb springs for each axle.

The ones I got were $79 a pair, each was 2500lb rated..

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Ah, OK. Do you have a 10,000 lb trailer? I didn't want to make the suspension too stiff on mine so I went with the ratings and what the previous springs were.

I'll say one thing, I don't want to have to do that bunch of research and finding all those parts across all the websites again anytime soon! That was a process (finding stainless/plated hardware at reasonable prices).

 

[kthrash]

no it was a 7K rated MFI trailer (twin 3500lb axles). I was advised to get those springs.. trailer rode great with the boat on it..

 

[smthng]

What exactly is broken?

Er... one of the things that does something to the other things that makes all the things stop when I press the thing.

There's a plastic "sliding thing" that's coming out from under the rear part of the tongue. When I hit the brakes, the trailer slams forward against the hitch part without brakes activating. When it's not on the hitch, I can move the front portion in and out by hand without too much effort. I just call that "broke". :S I'll see if I can get some more details and maybe a picture or two if I can get home at lunch.

 

[kthrash]

sounds like all you need is this:

http://www.pacifictrailers.com/UFP-A-60-Brake-Actuator-Replacement-Parts-for-Disc-Drum-brakes/

 

[smthng]

I think I actually need this:
http://www.pacifictrailers.com/UFP-XR84-brake-actuator-single-disc/
...which I'm guessing is pretty much the inside guts of what you posted above. That leads to a few questions....
My trailer has the old style "press or lift the handle thing" to lock the trailer on the ball, not the new flat thing like on this one. Is it safe to assume that doesn't really matter?
Are all of these pretty much a standard size, so I don't have to worry about whether it will fit or if those two slidy/roller pins will line up?
How do I attach that thing above to the brake line? How do I get the existing line off... it's inside the trailer frame and I doubt I can get the existing assembly out without disconnecting that line first.

 

[kthrash]

actually this is what you need and you are correct it is the guts of what I posted above.. The UFP-XR84 wont fit the housing on your trailer.. the UFP-60 is a direct replacement for the one you have, the locking latch is just different..

to remove/replace all you do is unscrew the brake line from the brake cylinder in the sleeve (you can see it under the trailer tongue) then remove the two pins held on with lock rings, slide the old one off, slide the new one in, replace the pins and lock rings, then reattach the brake line, fill the fluid, pump/bleed the brakes and you are done..

http://www.pacifictrailers.com/UFP-A-60-Inner-Member-Slide-7500lb-1-Axle-Disc-Brakes-34043/

 

[christopherglenn]

Have you tried refilling the fluid, and bleeding the brakes? If you find a leak, you know where to start...

 

[smthng]

...to remove/replace all you do is unscrew the brake line from the brake cylinder in the sleeve (you can see it under the trailer tongue) then remove the two pins held on with lock rings, slide the old one off, slide the new one in, replace the pins and lock rings, then reattach the brake line, fill the fluid, pump/bleed the brakes and you are done..

Seems you're right, that A-60 inner is a direct replacement for my A-70. So, let me see if I can get everything I need set up before ripping my trailer apart.. here are some additional problems I can see or anticipate as part of this job:

I go to unscrew the brake line and it disintegrates. See pic below. Uh... what then?

My brake line already appears short... I can fold my tongue back about 90 degrees before it starts pulling on the brake line. I assume that isn't normal and I should be able to fold it back completely to the frame. I have a "coil" of metal line at the axle end of the trailer. Could I undo a coil or two of that and push it back up in the frame to get some slack?

Any other potential snafus you guys can anticipate from my pictures before I start ordering parts?

Have you tried refilling the fluid, and bleeding the brakes? If you find a leak, you know where to start...

The entire front of the trailer is pretty much covered in brake fluid. I'm a big fan of "just replace it all".

 

[kthrash]

if the brakes are good on the axels, I would buy this as well:

24" Flexible Hydraulic Trailer Brake Hose #18024-MF BLU18024-MF $15.95 1 $15.95

and replace from the tongue to the steel line, personally I would replace everything and buy this as well to replace all the lines, just to make sure there is no trash in them..

20' Single Axle Brake Line Kit 539-001 Brakes: Disc Brakes Includes (2) Flex Hoses $74.95 1 $74.95

 

[kthrash]

to answer your question, if you are going to replace the hose anyways, use some scissors and simply cut it in half, pull the whole slide out and replace, the biggest problem I think you will have is getting the hose off the steel brake line.. hence why I said replace everything all the way back to the calipers..

 

[Glassman]

@kthrash



You are now my go-to guy for trailer questions!

 

[kthrash]

@Glassman, rebuild one from the frame down and you pretty much become an expert by default LOL..

But thanks..

 

[Glassman]

@Glassman, rebuild one from the frame down and you pretty much become an expert by default LOL..

But thanks..

I've rebuilt and repaired trailers, toy haulers and just about anything with wheels, but these MFI trailers always seem to have some niggling thing pop up at the worst moment...and for some reason I can never "quickly" find the right part. You have it down.

 

[smthng]

to answer your question, if you are going to replace the hose anyways, use some scissors and simply cut it in half, pull the whole slide out and replace, the biggest problem I think you will have is getting the hose off the steel brake line.. hence why I said replace everything all the way back to the calipers..

Ok, so two more questions I think...

Assuming I get the parts you spec'd, I'd just need appropriate wrenches to connect all the fittings, a fish or something to get the line through the frame and fluid. Anything else?

It looks like the kit expects a "T" fitting to be somewhere on the axle. Mine doesn't have that. It looks like the steel line runs into one brake caliper, the another line runs from the bottom of the caliper to the other caliper. Do I need to find a T fitting and block off the lower hole on the caliper, or should the kit work as is to replace the existing lines?

Finally, for my future reference, links to the flex hose and the trailer brake line kit. Thanks!

 

[kthrash]

The kit comes with everything you need to completely replace all the lines.. all you need is some snap ring pliers, a small rubber hammer, and a few wrenches, I tied a string to the end of the steel brake line and when I saw it at the exit hole by the axel I used it to gently pull it through..