Trailer brake and suspension repair covers the running gear under your trailer: the brakes, wheel bearings, axles and springs, plus the brake controller in your tow vehicle. Keep Them Rolling Trailer Repair handles all of it on location in Hunterdon, Warren, Sussex and Morris counties, NJ, at your home, shop yard or job site. Owner Brad Smith answers at (973) 651-1045; tell him what the trailer is doing.
How trailer running gear fits together
The axle hangs under the frame on a pair of leaf springs, or on rubber cords packed inside a torsion tube. Each end of the axle is a machined spindle carrying an inner and an outer tapered roller bearing, and the hub turns on those two bearings. On a braked axle the brake assembly bolts to a flange just inboard of the hub, and the drum is usually cast into the hub itself. Up in the cab, the brake controller decides how much power those brakes receive.
Because these parts share one wheel end, a failure in one feeds the next. A dry bearing cooks the spindle it rides on. A snapped leaf lets the axle walk out of square and scrub the tires. A leaking grease seal soaks the brake shoes until they stop gripping. That is why Brad, who started Keep Them Rolling and has 30+ years working on trailers, looks over the whole wheel end once it is apart.
The five services in this group
Brakes
Trailer brake repair and replacement covers electric drum brakes, the surge hydraulic brakes found on many boat trailers, and disc brakes, from a shoe adjustment to new magnets, drums, calipers or complete assemblies. ABS-equipped trailers get their warning lamp and sensor wiring checked too.
Bearings and hubs
Wheel bearing service and repacking means pulling every hub, washing out the old grease, inspecting bearings and races, repacking and fitting new seals. Pitted or heat-marked bearings are replaced together with their races.
Axles
Trailer axle repair and replacement deals with bent beams, burnt or scored spindles and torn spring seats. When the axle itself is ruined, Brad measures the trailer and orders a replacement built to its capacity and dimensions.
Suspension
Trailer suspension repair replaces springs, hangers, shackles, bushings, U-bolts and tandem equalizers, and checks torsion axles for tired rubber and sagging arms.
Brake controllers
Brake controller diagnostics tests the controller in your truck, the 7-way connection, each wheel’s magnet, and the breakaway switch with its battery.
What the symptom usually points to
- The trailer shoves the truck when you stop: controller output, the plug, the wiring or the magnets.
- Grinding or growling from one wheel, or one hub far hotter than the rest after a drive: bearings, or a brake that is dragging.
- Tires worn on one edge, or a trailer that dog-tracks behind the truck: a bent axle or a spring that has shifted.
- One corner sitting low, with a clunk over bumps: a broken leaf, a worn shackle or a tired equalizer.
- A wheel that rocks when you grab it top and bottom: loose or worn bearings.
- Brakes that grab or lock with a light load: controller gain set too high, or trouble inside the drum.
These are starting points; Brad confirms the cause with the wheel off.
Why New Jersey is hard on running gear
Winter road salt works into brake assemblies, spring eyes and hanger welds, and freeze-thaw cycles push moisture past seals. Trailers parked from fall to spring often come out with rusted magnets, seized adjusters and grease that has taken on water. Boat trailers get the worst of it, since warm hubs get backed into cold water on every launch; boat trailer repair covers that routine. The simplest habit that heads off most of this is a yearly hub check.
Where the work happens
Brad works out of a service truck and an enclosed service trailer that carry his tools and parts, so most running-gear jobs get done where the trailer sits; see on-site and roadside trailer repair for how visits work. Once the trailer is supported and the suspect wheel is off, Brad shows you the worn part and prices the job honestly before he starts. Plenty of running-gear work wraps up in one trip; a complete axle or an odd-size spring gets ordered, and he returns to fit it.
He is based in Randolph and covers Morris County along with Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon, traveling up to about 100 miles when a job calls for it. Tires, rims and alignment sit under wheel, tire and alignment services, yearly check-ups under inspection and maintenance services, and the rest on the trailer repair services list. To book, request service online or call.
Common questions
What are the most common trailer repairs?
Most trailer repairs fall into a short list: lights and wiring, wheel bearings, brakes, tires, and worn suspension parts such as springs and shackles. Running gear shows up often because it turns every mile the trailer moves, carries the full load, and sits in rain, salt and sometimes lake water. Catching a dry bearing or a cracked spring early keeps a routine repair from turning into an axle replacement.
How much does it cost to service a trailer?
It depends on the trailer. A single-axle utility trailer with no brakes has two hubs to service; a tandem with electric brakes has four hubs and four brake assemblies. Rust that seizes drums and bolts adds time, and damaged races, seals or magnets add parts. Parts that must be ordered and the distance Brad travels also count. He sees the trailer first, then prices the work before starting it.
What is the average lifespan of a trailer?
There is no single number, because the frame and the running gear age on different clocks. A frame kept out of standing salt and repaired when it cracks can last for decades. Bearings and seals need attention every year, brake shoes and magnets wear with miles and use, springs fatigue, and tires age out. A trailer lasts as long as those wear parts get replaced before they damage the axle or frame.