Having some trouble with my new-to-me trailer. It's a 2008 Trailmaster tandem axle with brakes on all four hubs. It's got the five flat hook up, that hooks into my '15 RAM 1500. The brakes are constantly locking up on one side when put it in reverse. If I pull forward a bit, they usually let loose an allow me to back it up - but sometimes I gotta drive forward a several feet (not always possible). Regardless, it would appear they're malfunctioning, intermittently, and I don't want to be on a longer trip and have something catastrophic happen.
This AM a friend helped me trouble shoot the coupler, brake lines, calipers, etc. We THINK we're getting power to the actuator, but there's no fluid being pushed to the wheels. We pulled all the hardware up front and cleaned all the tubes, joints, elbows, etc as best we could (it was rusty in there as this particular trailer hadn't been used in at least 2 years - probably more like 3 or 4) only to not have the reservoir go down at all while pumping the brakes - there was no bleeding to be had.
The trailer itself is in pretty good shape (some fender damage, half life on tires or less, couple calipers look pretty worn, it needs a new winch and strap probably, couple bunks are in solid shape but others need to be replaced, wiring is all spliced together here and there, etc etc). It's not perfect by any means, but for the short distances I tow, it's probably okay for those (only in town, and without brakes at this point). We do put 500 miles on round trip, 2x per summer, too - so those trips are in question for sure). I'm thinking if I need to put all new brake lines, a new actuator, fix a couple of other things, replace tires in a couple years, etc, that maybe I should just get a new trailer all together. I COULD limp along on this one for the rest of the summer/fall, and wait until winter to have it fixed. This is not something I can tackle on my own...and I definitely want it down professionally.
The boat that sits on it is a great boat. Got a great deal on it because it needed some significant work. That work turned out better than we had hoped, and we really like the boat a lot. It looks and runs like it's brand new. Would it be stupid to order a new trailer so we had a perfectly working trailer, and peace of mind? Or should I keep cobbling this thing together? How much am I looking at for replacing much of the braking system? Wiring?
Anyone else been down this road and regretted making either of the above decision (stay old/buy new)? Would love to read what anyone thinks. Thanks!!