M1101 Trailer Backing and Brakes Locking

[Mainsail]

I pulled the old one out and cleaned the grease off everything. The old one looks OK, it's not quite as stiff as the new one, but I put the new one in anyway.

I hooked up to the jeep and pulled it forward from its parking spot just a few feet and tried going backwards- brakes still locking in reverse. Repeated it a few times and it seems to be working. I drove it around to the driveway and backed it up the small incline towards the garage and it's rolling backwards ok. I'll pull the wheels off and take a look when I get back from Florida.

 

[Tinstar]

The surge brake shock is very deceptive.
How can something so small cost so much and look fine and not work?

 

[wheelspinner]

View attachment 787143In "backup mode".View attachment 787144Flipped up for regular "tow mode".

I finally got to look at mine and this bar is missing. Guess that’s why I didn’t know it was needed.

 

[Mainsail]

Finally had some sun so I pulled the left wheel and hubcap- looked too nice to do exploratory surgery so I decided to take it around town instead. Did some highway, back roads, pushed it backwards on pavement, backwards on gravel, backwards uphill- everything is working as it's supposed to.

So I'm calling it fixed with the swap of the damper.

 

[mdmorgan]

I finally got to look at mine and this bar is missing. Guess that’s why I didn’t know it was needed.

I made it, that's why your's is "missing".

 

[mijoe]

No voodoo but some good info....from the 'Book of Knowledge'....

https://www.championtrailers.com/content/Manual/titan-dico-model-6-manual.pdf

This is good info, thanks. I am curious though, I thought the prevailing wisdom was to use DOT5 fluid? I might need to go flush mine out if that was a bad plan...

 

[Zed254]

For brake fluid go with what the military TM calls for. Our discussion was about how the brake actuator worked. Mainsail was having problems backing his trailer so we took a look at the civilian manual.