I have a tandom 5000 lbs, 2000 Aluminum Slid-On trailer with a titan acuator and rear drum brakes. Last weekend I noticed the truck and trailer bucking and pulling, as I was going down the road. Last year I had the drums and bearings replaced and it seems that this is when the problem started. Can I "back-off" or adjust the brakes? I first thought it was my hitch because I bought a new truck and the drop height was to small. My old truck was a 2002 Yukon 4" drop), now I have a 2007 Yukon Denali (6" drop). I bought a new adjustable receiver and the problem still exists.

Those actuators are a SOB to get bled out properly & thoroughly. You can get a hand vacuum bleed kit for about $35 that does a great job.

Also, don't use synthetic fluid in them- DOT 3.

Chris,
You think its air in the system? I thought it might be just an adjustment, like backing the "star nut/wheel" a couple of turns.

I do. If it's pulling, that could likely be because one side is actuting more effectively and the other is compressing air.

Look at it this way- if it worked OK before with that adjustment, why doesn't it now. As long as the trailer is fairly level- it doesn't have to be exact- you should be OK.

Chris,

Thank You, I will try bleeding them this weekend. My buddy has one of those vacuum bleeders.

If you're going to the trouble, I'd suggest doing a fluid change. Brake fluid has dessicant properties- it absorbs moisture. It also gets dirty.

Chris,

I finally checked the fluid level in the resevior tonight, it was empty. It also had a far amount of rusty slim in it. How would you clean the rusty slim out?

You might just want to rebuild it. You can try wiping it out as best you can and then run fluid thru until it flows clean.

If you don't want to take it out...I'd pour fresh fluid in it, just some at a time, and use a basting bulb, 60cc syringe, ect. with a short length of hose on it to get as much sediment as possible out. The hose can be reached into the corners, and with some clean fluid in there you can blow out with the bulb as well to stir the chit up to suck it out/repeat/repeat.

This way you are minimizing what trash you push through your lines and wheel cylinders

Sounds like my trailer last year. I started by checking the bearings, found them pretty much trashed and the seals were bad so the drums were full of grease. Had the drums turned and bought new shoes, then found the wheel cylinders were bad. Put new wheel cylinders and springs in, found no fluid in the lines when changing the wheel cylinders. Went to the master cylinder and found just what you did, a pretty much empty resevoir full of rusty sludge.

Soooo, ordered a master cylinder over the winter, put it on this spring, along with Kodiak disc brakes to replace the drums. Spent about an hour trying to bleed them out and finally said 'piss on it'. I only use my trailer twice a year as it is since I keep the boat in a rack, in the 3 years I've had it I've only towed it about 4 times, I figure I've done it all those times before without the brakes on the trailer working I can do it one more time at end of season when it goes back to storage.

That being said I plan on welding the surge actuator on it and putting EOH on it over the winter, I would do it now but I think I've got at least 1500 bucks in that damn trailer over the last year, probably more.

So if you can wait until then for a new master cylinder and reverse lockout solenoid I'll just give you the damn thing for the cost of shipping. I have all the old drum brake stuff too, if you want any of that stuff, (turned drums with surface rust only, brand new shoes, backing plates, etc.).