Frequently Asked Questions
Dump Trailers
Why does hydraulic fluid spew out of the reservoir when I lower the dump bed?
- When the battery on a dump trailer does not have adequate charge, the pump will not turn fast enough to pump fluid into the reservoir to keep up with the dump bed lowering, so it over-pressurizes the reservoir and pops the pressure relief valve in the cap, pouring hydraulic fluid into your toolbox.
- This can be remedied in the short term by pressing the down button for a second or two, waiting a second or two for the pressure to equalize, then pressing the button again for a second or two and repeating until the bed is all the way down. Long term, the dump trailer battery charger should be plugged into 110v power to ensure it’s fully charged
How many dumps can I expect to get on a fully charged battery?
The manufacturers’ average number of dumps on a fully charged battery is approximately 4. There are lots of factors that can influence this & many times, you can get more than 4, but that is the number to expect.
If I’m driving and the truck is charging the dump trailer battery, why can I only still get a few dumps out of the battery?
The truck does charge the battery, BUT it’s a very slow charge – only a few amps. Hydraulic pumps use an extremely large amount of power to cycle, so the modest truck charge isn’t enough to keep up with the demand. The simplest option is to plug the charger in to 110v power overnight prior to using the trailer. There are also other options available – contact us for more details.
All Trailers
My new brakes don’t feel like they’re working very well, what is wrong?
New brakes need to be “burnished,” which is a process of heating them up (through driving) and getting the new pads to “seat” into the drums. This is from Dexter Axle Corp: “After replacing your brake shoes and magnets you will experience a decrease in braking performance until the components have worn into the drum and finished the burnishing process. This process requires many stops to bring the new shoe's performance back to normal. This may take more than 100 stops to finish this break-in period with stops of 20 mph decreases in speed.”
What maintentance do I need to do on my new trailer?
- Multiple items need attention shortly after purchasing a new trailer. You will need to re-torque the lug nuts after the first 50 miles and again after 100 miles. The specific requirements and specifications are listed in the appropriate owners manual for your axles on this website: https://www.dextergroup.com/resources/information-center/?type=70
- Or this website: https://support.lci1.com/master-owners-manual-axles-and-suspension
- All grease zerks must be greased regularly, especially in harsh weather conditions
- Axles must be greased regularly, according to the specification listed in the above referenced axle owner’s manuals.
- **For Additional information, please see the Dexter or Lippert Axle information pages at:
https://www.dextergroup.com/contact/faqs/axles