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Bleeding trailer brakes

pjsomers2

Contributing Member
"My boat has been in storage f

"My boat has been in storage for just over a year waiting for the new engine, just notice that the brake reservoir was empty, started thinking about it and didn't know how I would bleed the brakes, do you just find a hill and go back and fourth to pump them up? Thanks in advance for any ones wisdom, Joe"
 
"First you need to find out wh

"First you need to find out where the brake fluid went- won't due to bleed the brakes if it all runs out on the ground somewhere.

Once you fix the leak, you can squirt some good oil on the side bars that let the hitch move and manually move them back and forth to pump the master cylinder. Sometimes -on the right system, I've seen them "gravity feed" all the air from the system by just opening the wheel cylinder bleeds into a jar one for each wheel till the bubbles stop.

Then take it to a gravel road and step on the brakes and go read the tracks in the dirt to determin if your both wheels are braking correctly."
 
"Don't know what kind of b

"Don't know what kind of brakes you have but most surge brakes can be bled as follows. Take a close look at the hitch on your trailer and see if you have a bolt sticking out the front of your hitch. It will be above and behind your ball socket. When you find the bolt look directly below it and you should see a hole. This hole is there to hold a large screw driver blade. Put the tip of your screw driver in the hole and the shaft against the bolt. Now you can pump your brakes using the screw driver as a lever. Once you got that figured out, go buy a 20" or so piece of vacuum hose that will fit tightly over your brake bleeder fitting. Fill a one quart jar half full of brake fluid. stick the open end of the hose into the jar open the bleeder then go pump your brakes. When the fluid level in the jar is increasing with no air bubbles have someone hold the screw driver in the pressure stroke. Go tighten the bleeder nipple. Repeat on each axle that has brakes. Oh, and don't forget to add fluid as needed when pumping the actuator and remember to top it off when you are done."
 
I've found it easiest to u

I've found it easiest to use a hand operated vacuum pump and a "brake bleeding jar". Lots of places sell them in a packaged kit. Only drawback to the kits is most of those jars are too small. I stole one of the pint mason jars fromm the basement and fab'ed a lid to hold the fittings.

Don't do too many in a year but never had one come back in over 25 years of using this approach.
 
"Hey thanks for the info guys,

"Hey thanks for the info guys, many of my neighbors are boaters as well and we have been scratching are heads having never done this. Thanks Joe"
 
"Hey WOW! it is really great w

"Hey WOW! it is really great when the brakes work right. Just took the boat out today and man it brakes so smooth, thanks again Joe"
 
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