How do you inspect the trailer brakes?

Checking pad thickness. Checking drum for any visible cracks. Doing trailer tug. Making sure brakes are locked. Checking airline hoses for audible leaks. Oil or grease present. All i can think of at the moment.

 

If I can slide my tandems, things are working like they should. Especially if I have 45-47K in the box.

 

Add to the above, bleed off air tanks (remove any standing or condensed water, if any). While under there, inspect springs, air lines (clearance, rubbing, chaffing... blah, blah)... all that pre-trip stuff. Also want to do a roll/trolley brake stop if you have trolley brakes.

 

Applied leak test.

 

Not a Prime driver, but my 2 cents.

Get gong at 15mph and pull the handbrake.

 

crawl under the trailer and check things out pad thickness cracks in the drums any thing bent or look out of place

 

I always check the adjustment when picking up a new trailer and tighten up the lose one(s) to match. I try to avoid tightening them up and backing them off to set them, apparently it wears the adjusters out. It gives plenty of time to notice other things under there.

My daily inspection is mostly a quick glance looking for a leaking seal.


This is something that has been on my mind alot. I see alot of brakes that are out of adjustment for having "automatic" adjusters. I like the green prepass lights and hope to keep them but some of the things I see makes me wonder for how long.

 

In addition to pad thickness, you want to look for cracks in the pads, too. No oil on the pad or drum surfaces. Make sure the return springs are present, and not damaged. While I'm under there I look inside to make sure my wheel seals aren't leaking, and I always use a flashlight, even during the day. ABS sensors and wires--those wires get snapped all the time. Look at the integrity of the air chambers (they rust), and the mounts where they're attached to the axle. I've seen air chambers with broken mounts just hanging by the slack adjuster and air lines. Check the mounts for the air tanks, too--they sometimes break and crack, or the mounting bolts break or work loose. Look at the slack adjusters for a quick visual check to see if they seem to be in the proper position, and that all the cotter pins are present. Thoroughly check the air lines for chafing and rubbing because that's an issue where LOTS of tickets are written. Zip ties can be big help. If your tandems are slid forward, make sure your air lines aren't hanging too close to the ground. Check your brake lights, too. If you have a trolley bar that will stay applied on its own, brake lights are easy to check; if you either don't have that kind of trolley bar or don't have one at all, you have to be a little more creative, but it's worth checking because a bad brake light is easy for the cops to spot and they can pull you over for it. While leaving the tractor brakes applied, it's not a bad idea to push in the red dash valve to supply air to the trailer, then walk back to the trailer tandems and listen for leaks.

 

I do a general inspection on the brakes looking at the thickness and for cracks also looking at airlines and listening for leaks.before pulling out I do a drag test using my johnson bar to apply the trl brakes and drag the trl a couple of feet to see if the tires turn (on empty trl) if not the brakes are good.