I need HELP!!!: 192 towing pull

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192 towing pull

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Topic: 192 towing pull

Posted By: Markuendo
Subject: 192 towing pull
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 6:53am

New rPod 192. Noticed yesterday when applying the electric brakes that it tends to pull or push the vehicle towards the right side. I'm assuming my brakes are out of alignment.

I believe the left brake must be tighter than the right brake. I would assume applying would push the tongue of the RV to the left which would push the tow vehicle to the right. Anyone have any other ideas there?

I'll have to look up adjustments on them. But I hope it's similar to my pop-up with adjusting the star nut.

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'22 First RP 192
'19 RAM 1500 to pull it with

Replies:

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 7:16am

When mine was doing that it was because one of the wire connectors for the brakes had broken. The connectors they use aren't very good. I reconnected the wire and it fixed the issue.

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 10:25am

Originally posted by Markuendo

New iPad 192. Noticed yesterday when applying the electric brakes that it tends to pull or push the vehicle towards the right side. I'm assuming my brakes are out of alignment.

I believe the left brake must be tighter than the right brake. I would assume applying would push the tongue of the RV to the left which would push the tow vehicle to the right. Anyone have any other ideas there?

I'll have to look up adjustments on them. But I hope it's similar to my pop-up with adjusting the star nut.

I have had that when mis-adjusting brakes. You are on the right path. Re-adjust as you stated. And yes, it is a simple star nut adjustment, at least it is on my 177.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 5:23pm

Be careful with the star adjustment. These are self adjusting brakes so shouldn't really need the start turned to tighten them. And if you overtighten them it can be very difficult to get them to release. There is a locking tang on the start that acts like a ratchet so it only tightens. You have to gently pry the tang back before you can back off star, and the star points are hard to turn in reverse.

I would definitely check that the weak brake is getting good current to it's magnet before doing anything else. As others have said, the rpod spice connectors are junk. The magnets themselves can also be bad.

For this test a clamp on DC ammeter is very handy, Allowing you to check the current flowing to each side with your brake controller activated. They are wired in parallel.

Once you are sure the brakes are getting close to the same current then go out and follow the Lippert brake burnishing procedure to get them set up right. You can find that online. That will greatly enhance their performance and help make them operate consistently.

In mine I could never get the right brake magnet to take the same current as the left so it was always weak. I wound up reconnecting the brakes in series rather than parallel, which guarantees that they get the same current, and then turned the voltage up on the controller to compensate. Problem solved.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2022 at 9:08pm

Sounds familiar. Looks like the Driver brake is black with paint and looks normal on the drum through the wheel. The passenger side shows surface rust and I'm assuming not being engaged at the same pressure.

Def don't have an ammeter (guessing DC clamp meter is the same), but do have a voltage meter. Any checks I can do with that?

Assuming a rewire job will be pulling down that underbelly and tracing wires etc.

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'22 First RP 192
'19 RAM 1500 to pull it with

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 6:19am

You can buy a multimeter with DC current capability for under 40$ now. In Amazon or elsewhere. Well worth it. Be sure the clamp on ammeter function does both DC and ac, and keep it away from the magnets themselves or they will throw off the readings.

If you must use just a straight voltmeter you can disconnect the crummy "insulation displacement" type connectors at the suspect brake and be sure you're getting voltage to that point with your brake controller manually activated. That won't tell you if the magnet itself is good but it tells you something. If your meter has a resistance measurement you can check the ohm reading of the magnet while you have it disconnected. I don't recall the resistance it should have but it's in the Lippert manual. When you reconnect use good self sealing crimp connectors with glue filled heat shrink on them, and toss than old insulation displacement ones. Give them a good tug after crimping to be sure they will stay connected.

Also, I would suspect the brake which still has paint on it, not the one that doesn't. An operating brake should get hot enough to burn the paint off. When you get done wiring burnish the brakes, or that cold one will never work as well as the other one.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Markuendo
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 6:24am

interesting points about burning off the paint.

Will say using a laser style temp sensor, the driver brake was much warmer than the passenger after a trip home. Noticed this a couple times and with the vehicle trying to pull right when trailer brakes applied seems like the Driver brake is tighter or the passenger isn't being engaged.

Guess I need to pull them and see what's going on.

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'22 First RP 192
'19 RAM 1500 to pull it with

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 6:50am

If the left trailer brake is engaging and the right isn't then the trailer will veer to the left at the hitch which will rotate the tow vehicle to the right If that's what you're experiencing and the right brake isn't getting hot then most probably you have a disnnected right brake.

In mine the right brake was connected to the wires to the left brake so more prone to become disconnected, and also longer wire runs so more resistive kisses, which kept that magnet from ever getting engaged as much as the left one until I rewired them in series. I even tried having only the right brake connected and burnished again so it would get hot enough to burnish properly.

If you do rewire in series be sure to turn your controller gain all the way up to try to compensate for the series connection.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold