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Trailer Very Loud & Rough


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Hey Guys,

I have had my 1998 Response LX for a few years now and the brakes I'm guessing are nonfunctional. Each time I pull away from a stop "BAM"...each time I apply the truck brakes..."BAM". The noise is obviously the tongue sliding in and out of the trailer. I understand this is a braking feature but that's about all I know. Is there a DIY I'm missing or can anyone give me some good input on this topic. Would love to have functioning trailer brakes but at the very least, if the brakes are not going to work anyway, I would like to be able to stop the constant banging from the tongue going in and out of the trailer. I have a single axle trailer if that helps.

Love the boat...hate the trailer :biggrin:

Thanks so much,

Shawn

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I'm not sure which coupler you have but on my SMP trailer I have a UFP coupler which has a shock absorber mounted inside. When I rebuild my master cylinder I replaced the shock absorber, it was an easy job and only cost a few bucks.

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My guess is your master cylender needs to be rebuilt. I have done this on another boat, it really isn't that hard. If you are not one to do the rebuild yourself there should be units avaliable from the manufacturer.

REW

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Trailers need maintenance especially the older trailers. Are your brake lines running inside of the trailer frame? The constant chaffing and rubbing can cause a leak in your brake lines putting air into the system. On these older trailers it is sometimes better to run the new brake lines on the outside of the trailer frame. It doesn't look as good but there is less chafing and lets it dry out. Bleed the brakes and try it. If you keep banging the actuator you will damage it and then you have to take it apart and fix it. :Frustrated:

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Hey Guys,

I have had my 1998 Response LX for a few years now and the brakes I'm guessing are nonfunctional. Each time I pull away from a stop "BAM"...each time I apply the truck brakes..."BAM". The noise is obviously the tongue sliding in and out of the trailer. I understand this is a braking feature but that's about all I know. Is there a DIY I'm missing or can anyone give me some good input on this topic. Would love to have functioning trailer brakes but at the very least, if the brakes are not going to work anyway, I would like to be able to stop the constant banging from the tongue going in and out of the trailer. I have a single axle trailer if that helps.

Love the boat...hate the trailer :biggrin:

Thanks so much,

Shawn

Make sure your fliud level is full first, you may need to bleed the brakes. Do the wheels lock up when your trailer is unloaded?

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I'm in the middle of rebuilding mine (UFP actuator) right now. Is there rust on your brake rotors? That's another good indication that your brakes aren't working. When you brake or accelerate the master cylinder pushes or pulls fluid from the reservior in the master cylinder to the brakes, if the system is leaking it will just push air which means no resistance which will give you that "bam" you are feeling and hearing. I'm putting a new master cylinder, pushrod boot, safety cable, and pushrod bracket in mine. I think I could have gotten away with just the pushrod boot but since it's 4 years old, I figured why not. Take it out and look it over and decide what you need. Below is where to buy replacement parts, the UFP manual, and what mine looked like when I took it out.

drydockboat.com

UFP manual

post-8316-127297579128_thumb.jpg

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Thanks for the great advice guys. Think I will take you up on the link to dry dock and simply purchase a new inner member. I even went and took photos of the trailer and neck. I saw A-60 on the hitch. My question now is do I have a solenoid or not? Not sure how to tell the difference. I have a singe axle drum system. Not sure how to get the pics on the forum. Can anyone tell me how to determine if I have a solenoid or not? Again, thanks so much for all the help. I'm ready to dive in and see just how deep this rabbit hole goes...LOL Guessing it's not going to be as simple as just replacing the inner member. Will do what it takes though. Catch ya later

BTW - There is no lockup at all as they simply do not function at all. Never have. The lines are inside the trailer though...

The image below is not my boat and trailer but it appears to be the same model of both boat and trailer.

f_45698734-258fba80.jpeg

Edited by FLShawn
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If you have drum brakes, you don't have a solenoid because you don't need to lock the actuator when you back up. They shoule be free backing drum brakes.

Before you get too involved in tearing apart the actuator, I would make sure the cylinder if full of brake fluid. Once it is full, then check to see if you are still having the issue.

If your are still having the issue then I would poing to a faulty shock absorber.

If the actuator works correctly after you refill it, then you need to check to see where the fluid is going. My guess would be a bad wheel cylinder or a leak in the brake line.

Here is a link to the UFP actuator. http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/A-60,%2075%20_%2084%20Actuator%20Maintenance.pdf

I had the same problem as you and it turned out to be a bad drum brake wheel cylinder.

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