why do my trailer wheels make such a squeaking / grinding / rubbing noise

Hi , The magnets rub on the drums all the time on my Jayco, I dont hear them going along but when you spin them by hand, mates vans do it also,
Cheers Des.

Hi,
I think you will find the noise you can hear is the magnets rubbing on the face of the drum. The magnets have a spring behind them, this spring keeps slight pressure on the magnets that keep them in contact with the surface on the face of the drum. When you actuate the brakes on the vehicle with the controller send a electrical current to the magnets which once energized actuated a lever which in turn actuates the the brake shoes. So to cut a long story short the magnets need to be in contact with the drum face so they can work. Over a period of time the magnets do wear out and will need to be replaced and eventually the drums will need to be replaced as the magnet surface becomes very rough and doues not allow the magnets to work efficiently. Hope this helps

Ken

I'm not that mechanically minded (don't you just love a disclaimer) but, after a drive check to see if the rims/drums are smoking hot. I'm guessing they are going to be warm to hot normally however, you want to make sure the sound isn't anything causing the wheels to overheat. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a trailer ditched on the side of the road with a wheel broken off the axle.

As most of the replys have said the rubbing is normal,you should also find that after a few more hundred kms it should improve as the irregularities on the drum and magnets will match each other.
Vic

The previous responses seem to indicate brake noise, if the sound is a rubbing noise.
I put bearing buddy (or similar ) bearings and seals on a box trailer, and the rubber seals rub on the hub making a squeak noise, and have done so for a few months.
May be nothing like yours, but it may depend on the definition of squeal and squeak.
Cheers