HW296 brakes?

[Woody2472]

Have any owners of a HW296 ever had issues with the trailer brakes? I have had my 2012 for a year now, with a few short trips under the belt, and have not utilized the trailer brakes as of yet. When I first picked up the camper, I hooked up the trailer braking system, drove about 30 miles and then checked the hubs. One of the wheels felt hot, so I disengaged the electric brakes and have not used them since. I just had the camper's bearings and brakes checked out by a reputable dealer and was told something very interesting. The people told me that the unit had 7" brakes installed, which are WAY undersized for that size of a camper. They also told me that three of the four brakes were smoked, with the fourth about to go, most likely the one that felt hot. Replacing all four brakes was straight-forward and fairly inexpensive, but due to being undersized, they'd wear out very quickly and have to be replaced again. The owner said he had never seen such small brakes installed on such a large unit, and that those brakes are designed for small trailers, such as single-axle, much lighter trailers. To install the correct size brakes would require replacing the axles at a cost of ~$2,000. Any insight would be helpful and much appreciated!

[spurticus]

It sounds like that would be worth a call to Forest River. If in fact the wrong brakes were installed, that becomes a safety issue. They should immediately correct that. I'm not familiar with the HW296, so I'm not sure.

[bikendan]

What brake controller are you using in your tow vehicle?

[f5moab]

No expert on HW trailers; however, my 228BH, has only a 2800 lb axle and I have only one axle/2 brakes. You have two axles/4 brakes. I would call forest river, since the dealer may be wrong. If FR says the axles and brakes are correct; call another dealer.

[raspivey]

I'd ask what they meant by "smoked". 7" on a dual axle in your weight range sounds about right. Problem could have been from over adjusting them and dragging them or from a breakaway being pulled for extended periods of time and damaging magnets. Really need to know why they failed to prevent it from happening again.

[f5moab]

ANY NEW INFO?

[Woody2472]

Thank you all for the feedback. I ended up emailing Forest River, with the VIN#, and they said I have the correct setup/equipment. So, it's on for a second opinion in the service department world.