# More Ifor William brake problems (reversing up a hill)



## Cobwanted (20 February 2011)

I have a 1998 505R. The brakes were recently serviced and all was well. The trailer is fine to reverse on a perfectly flat service, but as soon as I try to go back up a slight incline the brakes lock on!!!! Anyone else experienced this problem? Please tell me its nothing serious and won't cost a fortune to fix!!


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## Louby (20 February 2011)

Sorry cant answer your question but when I had one years ago, it did the same but I was stuck trying to get through a gateway but on an angle.  I couldnt go backwards as the brakes had locked and I couldnt go forwards as I would catch the side of the gate.  The show organisers rocked my trailer sidewards so I could inch my way through eeek


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## debsflo (20 February 2011)

i have the same trailer and similar age and live on a hill so have to do this to park every time .i have to pull forward then reverse without putting the handbrake on if that makes sense. no problems then


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## competitiondiva (20 February 2011)

Don't have one but have heard lots of stories about brake issues with them, most people I speak to say they don't have an issue as long as they don't store/park them with the handbrake on, i.e once parked without being hitched they wedge it with a block, not with the handbrake.


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## Mike007 (20 February 2011)

Unfortunately this is normal for modern overrun hitches. The old hitches had a mechanical stop to prevent the overrun from acting,but people often forgot to take them off ,creating a very dangerous situation while driving forward.Whats happening when you reverse up a hill is that the hitch senses it as braking (forwards) and applys the trailer brake. It is possible that a service and adjustment by a good trailer mechanic may improve the situation.


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## PennyJ (20 February 2011)

I think its quite normal, and not serious? 

You should speak to someone who knows more about it that I do, the people who serviced it will know.  If you go forward a little bit you will disengage the brake and then you can reverse again.  Mine does it sometimes, its a similar age to yours.  Usually in or after wet weather and it indicates I need to grease the bit that slides in and out (might be called the drawbar?)


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## Brummyrat (20 February 2011)

I had a conversation about trailer parking earlier as it happens, Id just reverse parked an ifor williams, up an incline, round a bend, and the YO told me afterwards that I should always edge it forwards slightly after Ive parked it because reversing engages the trailer brakes and there could be a possibility they "stick" while its sitting there.  Ive heard this before from somebody who had a similar problem to yours, she said she was told to go forwards slightly and then into reverse and she didnt have any problems when she did this.  If you haven't already tried this then it may be worth a go??  Fingers crossed for you


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## suzysparkle (20 February 2011)

The brakes should come on if you try and reverse up a hill - unless you gave a manual reversing latch (or I believe some new ones have an automatic one). There is a damper mechanism which applies the brakes whenever it is compressed (the bit behind where your trailer hitches on your vehicle that extends and contracts). The brakes come on when going downhill or when braking- the trailer pushes your vehicle and causes the damper to conract. The same thing happens if you try and reverse up a hill - unless you lock the mechanism open. As has been said, if you ever park your trailer after reversing it into place you should always pull it forward a bit first to ensure the brakes are released. I have an older 510 and I recently replaced the entire braking sytem (cost a fortune but with a new aluminium floor should last many more years). I can really feel the difference now going downhill!!


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## perfect11s (20 February 2011)

they will drag to a certain extent, but they are designed  not to work in reverse by the way the linkage inside the drums works on the shoes so when it goes foward  the shoes grip and going back not so much,  it maybe the mecanism inside the hitch (spring damper) isnt functioning corectly ..   I would get a trailer place to have a look at it  better safe than sorry...


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