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Trailer brakes locking up


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I have a new 2011 boatmate trailer for my 11 vlx. While pulling the trailer only today the brakes on the trailer locked up on me and the trailer started bouncing violently. I stoped as quickly as I could and pulled over. Brakes were smoking a bit. Pulled out again drove a mile or so and it did it again a total of 3 or 4 times. Then I was able to make it the 20 miles home without it doing it again.

What the heck caused that to happen> any ideas?

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Be sure your trailer is level. If it's your front brakes it's too high. If it's the rear brakes then could be too low. Surge brakes rely on a level trailer it work.

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Be sure your trailer is level. If it's your front brakes it's too high. If it's the rear brakes then could be too low. Surge brakes rely on a level trailer it work.

Thanks for your responce. I don't know. I had the trailer level. The ball is suppose to be between 20 and 21 inches at the top of the ball, which mine is. It seemed to happen when I hit bump in the road and the empty trailer bounced a little to start with. Maybe that had something to do with it but the last 20 miles I drove there were also bumps in the road and it didn't lock up again. And I was on the interstate so it's not like there are huge bumps in the road.

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This happened to me once when I had the hitch ball too high. I switched to a lower drop ball and solved the problem. I actually think I have to have the front end of the trailer lower than level.

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Happens to me when the trailer does not have the boat on it & I brake hard, possibly going down hill. Only way to stop it is to disable the surge brakes by putting the key in the slot.

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  • 10 months later...

the same thing happened when I ran over some landscaping rubbage with the boat off the trailer,

it locked up my right tire only

Don't know where this key is but will try putting the key in the slot.

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  • 10 months later...

I have finally fixed this gremlin. UFP has been great working with me on this. The fix ended up being a small pinhole fitting placed in the brake line after the master cyl and before the line splits off to seperate brake lines. I put mine in at the front axle just before the split of the line to seperate brakes. I had previously tried changing the back up selonoid then shock and neither fixed the problem. Now I have a torsion axle broken but that is another story. See broken axle thread for that.

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