Boat trailer jumps under breaking
 

Long story short I just got home from the lake.

When I start to break and hit a bump the trailer starts to bounce so bad that the trailer gets air.
The tires lock up in the air and then skid when they land and make the trailer jump again and again.
It is very bad and pushes the Yukon.
The only real way to make it stop is to accelerate or give it some time to calm down

The trailer is a torsion bar suspension.
I just had the trailer breaks fixed but that was it. This is the second year I owned the boat.

2005 MB 23 foot.
Dual axel trailer with disk breaks.

Can a torsion bar suspension go bad?
Any ideas?

Sorry should have been brake not break.
Can't edit the post.
Sent from iPhone

Sounds like your brakes are locking up.

Sounds basic - but check to make sure you have brake fluid. Sounds like the surge brakes are locking up to too easy

Isn't there a shock or spring that helps the brakes operate smoothly? I wonder if that is bad and causing the herky/jerky action?

Also does anyone know how to adjust the surge brake?

i assume this is when the trailer is empty? mine did not bounce but the tires did lock up and skid a lot so i wired a switch in the cab to send 12v to the reverse wire. when i am unloaded or going through the mountains on those slow windy roads i hit the switch and it shuts the brakes off. i have heard you can flip the plug over and turn your lights on will do the same thing but i'm not sure if signals and everything work correctly then plus i didn't want to have to get out and switch the plug back and forth all the time.

It is accually happening when the trailer has the 5,000 pound boat on it.
The trailer tires get off the ground and pushes the Yukon down the road.
Not to safe :eek:

In this diagram you will see the shock absorber. This is to make sure you have smooth and reliable brake pressure as well as it is intended to reduce the slop in the system when you accelerate. It is "likely" that this shock has gone bad and is over applying your brakes causing them to lock up and hop.

We had the same problem, turns out the our trailer was a five prong plug while the truck only had a four prong plug. I think someone mentioned it earlier, but you can flip the trailer plug over and it should stop the brakes from kicking in. You might have to buy a converter or you could just tape it for short trips.

Thanks for all the input. I just got back from the trailer shop.

They tell me the trailer brakes where overheated and caused the bearing buddy to puke grease all over the tire. Now the pads have oil on them and need to be replaced and the brake fluid is almost gone now.
They tell me that I should add another set of brakes to the other axle.
They say that anything over 3,000 pounds should have a second set of brakes.
My MB is 5000 pounds.

Does this sound right?

Yes and No. More brakes is always better, but - I will go out on a limb and say the majority of boat trailers in our world only have brakes on one axle. Sounds like they did shotty work the first time and instead of just saying someone screwed up, they say you need extra brakes.