complete brake job on 2013 16dbs

[the]

Forgive me if my thoughts aren't too organized here, I'm fuming. I'm hoping there's something I don't under stand that y'all may shed light on.

I just paid a pretty penny for a brake job. They replaced the brake assemblies completely. When I go to pick up there trailer, there are practically no brakes. I normally run the gain around 3.5 for this trailer. But now even if I turned the gain up to 10, the trailer can't even hold the truck back from idling forward. Over the next 45 mins I was told many ridiculous things from the shop, but never that they'd fix the issue. They finally said there was a break in period. They use lippert parts, so I look up the lippert burnish procedure. It states to get the truck up to 40 mph, then have the trailer brakes slow you down to 20-ish, no engine brake, no truck brake. I tried this with no effect. Where I store my trailer is about 20 miles away, I kept trying with no luck. Everyone else I talked to that has had a brake job done reports that brakes worked post brake job, but did take 100 miles or so to get a consistent gain setting. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

Trailer is a 2013 16DBS, tow vehicle is a 2021 tundra long bed.

[DavidM]

The brakes probably need to be adjusted. There is a slot on the inside of each brake and you use a special tool, or in a pinch a screwdriver will do, to move a star wheel inside which will tighten the brakes.

And yes there is a break in period where the new shoes have to be bedded to the brake drum. But what you are describing is more than that- adjustment probably will fix it.

Take it back to them and ask them to readjust the brake shoes as described above.

It is also possible that the brake cable is disconnected, at least on one side.

David

[Merlin]

If there are essentially no brakes, I suspect they didn't reconnect the electric wiring. Look under the camper and see if the electric wires at least run into the drum and are not left dangling. Even if they run into the drum, they may not have made the final connection.

If there are almost no brakes, then David's right and they need to be adjusted. It requires some experience to do right and get all 4 the same for even braking.

The break in period is not relevant in your case; they can't get broken in if they don't work.

I'm surprised they didn't use self-adjusting brakes. If they did, they didn't get the initial adjustment correct.