how to check electric brakes on caravan

Hook the caravan up, power the brake controller, and use the manual override—at walking pace on a flat road, you should feel a firm tug as the van does the slowing.

If nothing happens, bump the gain up a notch and try again, then inspect the plug (7/12‑pin) for corrosion and the breakaway switch battery for charge. Jack a wheel only if safe, spin it by hand, and apply the override—the wheel should stop smartly and you’ll often hear a faint hum from the magnets. Uneven braking usually means shoe adjustment or a lazy magnet; intermittent action screams dodgy wiring or earth. When in doubt, get an auto sparky to test current draw to each magnet—cheaper than learning about physics the hard way.