Grabing brakes

[niel_5041197]

Being new to caravaning is it normal when braking gently for the caravans brakes to suddenly grab and pull the car back. Only to pull away again with a sudden thump of them releasing and the outfit shooting forward? tow with a 2.0 mondee and 950kg van. bought the van from dealer and should have been fully serviced.

 

[mkej100]

Niel...sounds to me like your brakes are not adjusted up properly quite possible if it's just been serviced get the dealer to take a look and if necessary readjust as if you have to brake suddenly one day it will skid.

 

[Jim.M_5040716]

Hi Neil. First this is not normal it seems that the brakes are sticking take back to dealer and have it fixed, do a road test before you have it back.

good luck Jim

 

[Zbungle]

Almost certainly the overrun damper is faulty and, instead of gradual braking in unison with the car, your caravan is running into the car, applying the brakes full on and then releasing suddenly as the car pulls forward. Not a difficult problem to overcome but certainly one that even a half competent service engineer would pick up in his sleep.

 

[Steve L]

i Niel. I would get the hitch damper checked, and if it is looking like it's a few yaers old, I'd replace it anyway. We had a van doing the same as yours and that was what it turned out to be. Go the dealer and try to get him to do it under any warrantee you may have. Also insist on taking the van out with the dealer riding shotgun for a road test prior to accepting repair. ATB Steve.

 

[Rod_5041370]

Sounds like the overrun damper is faulty.

If you push the hitch in by hand do you feel resistance and does it slowly return?

If not it is the damper which is allowing the brakes to activate immediately instead of progressively.

 

[mike_5041102]

'nother possibility is the brake over-run device has lost its damping fluid, or is the wrong size for your caravan. check with a dealer

 

[MikeG2]

Are we sure this is abnormal?

I think we are in danger of jumping to conclusions here. Considering that Neil is new to towing, the pull that can often be felt when the overrun brakes come on might be what he is experiencing, and it is possible to get a clunk when pulling away when the overrun has occured.

The noises we get when towing are often very loud to the uninitiated.

When I start off on every journey, I always feel for brakes coming on when gently applying the car brakes - it tells me it's all working!

 

[rayc]

Neil, it may be worth checking the operation of the hitch damper. If you are braking gently the damper should stop well adjusted brakes coming on.

With the handbrake off push on the front of the towhitch. If it goes in easily the damper is shot. If it goes in with effort check to see it release under its own pressure.

 

[gary]

I would suggest the shoes are the problem if this is hapening under gentle braking. If the 'leading edge' of the leading shoe has not been chamfered off it will grab the drum and pull the brakes on solid as soon as the shoes touch.

 

[Tim_5039997]

Niel, as someone else has mentioned, don't go down the expensivve route just yet.

I would ask you whther this happens for just a short while after the caravan has been standing for several weeks.

My Spite does this the firt couple of times I brake under these circumstances, but then settles down.

I view this as being a thin layer of surface rust on the drum faces which develops over time and then wears off after the fist couple of brake applications.

You can get a similar situation which the discs on your car when you wash the wheels. Leave it overnight after water has got onto the discs and you'll see a thin film of rust on them in the morning which dissappears as soon as you brake.