New Seismic Wave Brakes Weak

Turtle Tim · 05-08-2016, 10:18 PM

Just purchased a Seismic Wave 355W and the braking seems weak to me. TV is a 2013 Ford and when I slide the brake control to all on, I can feel some grab but not much. Feels like light braking.

My previous toyhaulers would lock up the trailer brakes or at least brake hard.
Any ideas what might be the issue?

I plan on taking it in for some warranty work and will bring this up along with a few other small issues I have found.

oldmanAZ · 05-08-2016, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle Tim

Just purchased a Seismic Wave 355W and the braking seems weak to me. TV is a 2013 Ford and when I slide the brake control to all on, I can feel some grab but not much. Feels like light braking.

My previous toyhaulers would lock up the trailer brakes or at least brake hard.
Any ideas what might be the issue?

I plan on taking it in for some warranty work and will bring this up along with a few other small issues I have found.

If this is a brand new trailer, it will take some driving (and braking, of course) for the trailer brakes to 'seat.' I believe it was mentioned somewhere in the owners manual. I know it was true for our trailer and it has been mentioned from time to time in this forum.

Turtle Tim · 05-08-2016, 11:08 PM

I read that in the manual too. Any idea how many miles, or better yet, how much braking needed to seat new brakes?
I bought this 2300 miles away and drove back on the Interstate with minimal braking, and just got back from a weekend camping trip (first outing) of about 100 miles of winding roads with plenty of average braking and no noticeable improvement.
I have had 2 other toyhaulers, but this is the heaviest and maybe I'm expecting too much?
Don't want to have to brake hard and feel like the tail is wagging the dog!

Grumpy · 05-09-2016, 05:41 AM

I'd check the wiring on the axles to be sure no connections are loose. You may only be braking with one.

P25ct · 05-09-2016, 06:15 PM

I had dealer check brakes and hubs prior to taking my 2016 out for first time this season. Purchased last year. It was $ out of pocket but for me, I will do it every year for maintenance. When it comes to these big rigs, I mitigate all risk as much as possible for towing. That's just me though. I'm a federal safety inspector for a transportation agency, Maybe it's just the way I'm programmed.

Turtle Tim · 05-09-2016, 08:26 PM

I agree on good maintenance. Don't ever want to break down along the road.

I will check the wiring. I crawled underneath the entire unit during the PDI and found a couple items that needed addressed, but at first glance, the brake wiring looked ok. Maybe I need to do a more thorough inspection, hook up the TV and use my meter to check. Good suggestion.
How much grab should I be feeling with this larger hauler?
My last hauler was 32' and I could nearly lock up the wheels, they grabbed hard.

P25ct · 05-09-2016, 08:58 PM

If I recall, you can check the brake continuity by using a meter, if your savvy, by applying full brake control and measuring the current draw. Jayco or dealer should be able to tell you about what it should be for 6 brakes fully applied. Whether or not they do, another story. Talk to your dealer they may create a warranty ticket for it based on how you describe your concern. Let us know how you make out and congrats on your 355. That's a nice unit.

oz97tj · 05-09-2016, 09:01 PM

I'm jealous of that 355. I want that model myself.

As for brakes, no matter how big the unit, the brakes should be able strong enough to lock up. You certainly have an issue somewhere.

klassic · 05-10-2016, 05:09 PM

I've been running through the weak brake mill for a while now. Never could LOCK them. Towed at full power (10) with my Ford IBC. Still had weak brakes.
Dealer went crazy trying to make me happy. They had confirmation from Lippert to replace all brake components, until the service manager at my dealership had me come in on a Sunday for a final brake "shakedown".
He didn't like how the cord kept pulling out of his truck (because it is a little too short) so he jammed his truck key into the cord plug end, to make the contacts tighter.
Guess what...now I set my brake controller at 7.5 because the connection is tighter.

Long story short.. Try squeezing the brake tabs in the cord end tighter before you drive to the dealer.

Turtle Tim · 05-18-2016, 09:49 PM

Ok, picked the trailer up from storage today to get ready for a trip this weekend. Squeezed the tabs on the trailer plug as suggested and no dice.
Crawled underneath and had the wife apply the brakes using the brake controller. I could hear the brakes work on both axels. I checked voltage and had 10.7 volts at the axels. Checked at the plug, and it was 13.6 volts at the plug.
So, is the loss of 2.9 volts enough to cause the weak braking?

klassic · 05-19-2016, 03:50 PM

Here is some magnet info. Maybe it will help.
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-testing...-function.aspx

PETERS · 05-19-2016, 09:03 PM

2014 Jayco 31.5 RLTS 2012 Ford F-350 I had weak brakes. Controller Set on 10 could not come close to locking up brakes Checked , ohms amps ,connections,voltages, Adjusted brakes etc... Everything working to specs.
Rig weighs 10k. Bought bigger 6k Dexter backing plate assembly's still not happy. Going down the pass always felt I was getting pushed when braking. Installed disc brakes they are awesome. AWESOME! I drive with brake gain set at 7.0 now and feel very comfortable. Now I feel safe.

Peter Szegiet
Service Advisor 24 years at an automotive dealership.
Going to Yellowstone with confidence at end of the month.

klassic · 05-19-2016, 09:20 PM

Peters.. Have you ever pulled a heavy rig with working drum brakes?
If so, how do the disks compare to that?

I'm still thinking about putting disks on.

P25ct · 05-19-2016, 09:23 PM

I had a 2014 3914 and currently have a 2016 4112. I have no issues with stopping. Every year dealer paid to remove tire and check hubs, brakes, etc. with exhaust brake, TV brakes on the Dually and the Seismic brakes, the rolling stock is stout when it comes to stopping.

Turtle Tim · 06-28-2016, 12:29 AM

I just returned from a week long camping trip and had virtually no brakes coming home.
I had my Sailuns installed today, and checked adjustment on the brakes. They were way out of adjustment. Took several turns on the adjusting wheels to get them where they should be.
They were better but still not as strong as brakes on my other toyhaulers.
I think it might be due to the small wire size used from the king pin to the brake drums. It looks like #12 wire. I have heard of other brands of toyhaulers using undersized wire and when upgraded to at least #10 braking power improved.

Wilsonbryk · 09-10-2016, 09:39 AM

Just joined this forum and saw the posting about weak brakes. I too have a 355w and have noticed the same issue. They seemed good at first but are actually getting worse. I am a mechanic and I am going to inspect all brakes before I head out again. I will post my findings.

jasum · 09-10-2016, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle Tim

Just purchased a Seismic Wave 355W and the braking seems weak to me. TV is a 2013 Ford and when I slide the brake control to all on, I can feel some grab but not much. Feels like light braking.

My previous toyhaulers would lock up the trailer brakes or at least brake hard.
Any ideas what might be the issue?

I plan on taking it in for some warranty work and will bring this up along with a few other small issues I have found.

My Pinnacle is the same way......
Idiots at deAler said it's working properly.
Probably need adjusted.

Turtle Tim · 09-10-2016, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilsonbryk

Just joined this forum and saw the posting about weak brakes. I too have a 355w and have noticed the same issue. They seemed good at first but are actually getting worse. I am a mechanic and I am going to inspect all brakes before I head out again. I will post my findings.

I am still having issues with weak braking. I have checked adjustment another time and it was good. I was wrong about the wire size from the kingpin to the axles. It looks like it is #8, which should be more than adequate.
Look forward to what you find Wilsonbryk. I am taking mine in to an independent dealer today for some other work and may see what they think. I'll post if they figure out the problem.

Wilsonbryk · 09-10-2016, 10:28 AM

Sounds good.. Thanks

Loboclone · 09-10-2016, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle Tim

I am still having issues with weak braking. I have checked adjustment another time and it was good. I was wrong about the wire size from the kingpin to the axles. It looks like it is #8, which should be more than adequate.
Look forward to what you find Wilsonbryk. I am taking mine in to an independent dealer today for some other work and may see what they think. I'll post if they figure out the problem.

Here is what I found: It locked up this brake only

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