Bleading surg type disk brakes

[bluewingjb]

I have a single axle EZLoader trailer with surge disk brakes. I had to replace the old metal brake line that was located in the framing as it had rusted holes in several places. I managed to somewhat get the brakes bleed after that but think there is still a little air in the lines. Any tips on how to bleed these?? How far should I be able to push the acuator in before it gets stiff and the brakes grab?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[DABS]

Unplug the trailer wiring and try to back up a slight hill. The forward pin should be half to 3/4 of the travel in the slot on the side of the actuator on full brake application. Any further requires more bleeding. The bleeding instructions are on pg 22 -25 of the actuator manual. If you don't have one you can download the pdf file at http://www.ufpnet.com and click on actuators. There you will find the owners manual. Lower the nose of the trailer before bleeding. Air travels up, so lowering the nose below the bleeders on the calipers will make this easier.

[bluewingjb]

Thanks for the help but I think mine have sort of worked themselves out over time. I just tried to push the nose of the coupling in and could barely move it even a 1/2 inch. I did notice that when pulling the clunking has stopped. Hey if lowering the from of the boat forces the air to the calipers and the bleeders then wouldnt raising the nose way up cause the air to move back up to the reservoir? If so then all you have to do is pop the cap and vent it. In any case thanks for the tip.

[DABS]

The air coming back the the actuator may cause it to remain in the piston and never get back to the reservoir. This causes a weak delivery as the air just compresses as it does in a partially filled balloon. You can in fact test to see if there is air in the piston by using the screwdriver in the access hole and only stroking the pushrod 1/4" at a time while watching inside the reservoir. If you see tiny bubble coming up from the rear, continue to use the short strokes until all bubbles disappear. Now the piston is completely loaded.

[bluewingjb]

Thanks again I will go and check that in a few minutes..

[bluewingjb]

Well I went out and did what you said and no bubbles at all!! The nose is good and stiff when I try and push in and I noticed that the slack is no longer then when taking off from a stop.