trailer brakes

[VDB]

trailer brake question?

i have a 97 bass cat jaguar and my surge brakes are clunking by the hitch every time i take off. maybe master cylinder?

[Genie]

Check fluid levels.  Same thing happened to me.  Found out I had a small kink in one of the brake lines and the fluid was draining out.

[VDB]

thanks genie

fluid was a little low, i put about a 1/4 cup in to top off.  hopefully it helps. 

[djkimmel]

My Ranger has a small shock absorber in it to help with the clunk. If your hitch has one, it might need to be replaced if the fluid doesn't solve the problem. Hopefully, it is just the fluid. Occam's razor - always start with the most likely, simple answer and go from there. Good luck.

[Genie]

If it was low, you may want to find a helper and just bleed the lines to make sure no air got into the line.  That could be the cause as well.  With the proper fluid and pressure, the forward and reverse movement of the surge should be controlled.  Dan is also right, most compartments have a "bump stop" like rubber gizmo inside the surge compartment to help with over travel.  Check there too.

[VDB]

thanks again guys,is this rubber stop gizmo an easy fix for a mechanically uniclined person?

[Genie]

I did it ...

[VDB]

i will give it a shot, i need something to keep me busy with no fishing for three months.