RLow

[RLow]

5th wheel Trailer Brakes… I just noticed my Jayco 5th wheel has very limited breaking. Even with my gain set at 10, I can hardly tell the brakes are working. I tested my truck brake unit on another trailer and it worked fine. I recently had my wheel bearings replaced but not sure what that would have to do with my brakes. Any ideas?

[Murff]

You might pull a wheel off and see if they greased your brake linings, too.

Murff

[RoadrunnerII]

Either wiring is broken or the brake drums and pads are greased from a bad rear seal.
We converted our eagle to electric over hydraulic disc brakes
Night and day difference
Electric drum 8 out of 10
Discs 2.5
Never again will we own electric drums

RoadrunnerII

[RLow]

Thanks…no grease on drums. Worked fine when I put trailer away for the winter. There is a little breaking action with gain maxed out at 10 but very little. If a wire was broke I would think I would have no brakes or 1 brake would not work but the other 3 would work properly.

What was the cost and complexity of going to hydraulic?

[RoadrunnerII]

Look up titan brakrite kits
Being Canadian our cost was different 2 years ago.
I have 2k invested

RoadrunnerII

[JFlightRisk]

Check to see if critters chewed the wires to the brakes. A simple way to see if there is indeed power to each wheel, with a helper to depress the brake pedal, hold a compass to each wheel. If the needle spins towards the wheel, that one is getting power.

[RLow]

Getting power but very little braking at full gain.

[RoadrunnerII]

So check for voltage at each magnet connection while you have the emergency braking switch tab pulled out. Look for corrosion if low voltage. Double check your embilical cord connections are clean and not corroded. Check under the trailer if the brake wires where run from driver side to passenger side inside the axle. Rust and bouncing action can work thru the insulation and give you a dead short.
If that's ok hookup to truck again and check voltages. If voltages are too low it's embilical or truck wiring. If that all checks out I would be pulling hubs and looking for grease and double checking the magnets for continuity thru the magnets. Magnets do wear down and sometimes go open internally.

Just some ideas to try

RoadrunnerII

[RLow]

Thanks, more things to check out.

[RoadrunnerII]

As to complexity of converting to disc brakes... I'm pretty mechanically inclined and had all but the double flaring tool. I bought a titan flaring tool for 1/4"tubing. Air impacts make it easier.
I have a shed with cement floor so jacked up the whole 5th on 8 ton axle stands
Pulled the brake drums, and backer plates. Installed the caliper mounts on axles
Installed bearings and seals on each rotor
Installed brake pads and calipers
I installed pump in front compartment under 5th.
Brake line Ran under and teed in line down each frame I beam to near front tandem added a tee and continued to second tandem each side. Then just add a flex line to each caliper. I used stainless flex lines. Gotta watch your flex line length is long enough for when axles are hanging but not swinging into tires when compressed.
It was a great enhancement for our trailer. Never feel like the trailer is pushing the truck. Just trailer brakes will pull truck and trailer dead stop easily
I used nickel copper tubing as it's easier to bend.
Kit I bought was all plug and play for the electrical connections from embilical to the brakrite pump.
Calipers and brake pads are common gm vehicle parts easily sourced at auto parts stores. Rotor hub is available thru titan etrailer and others
You should be able to find my install post on here from two years ago or Lake Hurons post as well
Mine was 6 stud hubs Lake Hurons was 8 stud hubs

RoadrunnerII

[RLow]

Sounds like a project worth doing.
Thanks