electric brakes

Guys.......many of you know I actively support my local Australian Shepherd club in holding stockdog trials. The Club has a 14-ft trailer loaded with necessary stuff to set-up the trial course with obstacles. We hire and import judges from around the country. When you have enuff "wins", you gitt tittles to brag about and can make yer puppies worth more.

Ennyway, I hauled the club trailer NORTH 200mi and the trailer brakes slowed the trailer just fine. So this Sunday evening, I hook-up and started home. Got into some traffic and WHOA!!! NO BRAKES!!! pulled into rest stop and tried to troubleshoot. I "sanded" the 7-pin bumper plug connectors with knife blade; NO DIFF. With careful driving and pucker muscle tite I got home.

So brite'n'early I'm down at the place that sold/installed the trailer electric brake controller. Said they just had a 3pm cancellation and they would try and work me in. It had a code read-out of "NC" which means NOT CONNECTED. Turns out the controller is just fine ...but... the 7-blade bumper socket is broken inside. So I said so replace it. "Our next opening is 3pm Friday" jeeze. So sell me a new 7-blade socket ($7.50) and I'll dooer myself. So guess what I'm goin' be doin' tomorrow???

Cost me $60 for the trailer tech's inspection of the controller. I didn't have a clue. ........clueless Dell

Dell,

A few days ago I was clueless too and didn't know how to test 6 volt generators. Now I do.

It will pass my friend, just give it a few days.

Larry Wallace, Tractor Rookie.

truck side die or the trailer side?

hope it's the trailer side. no fun laying under the truck.

Lost the brakes on my travel trailers many - many times. Got to be a real PITA. Every time it was corrosion. Usually at the connector, but almost as often it was a ground connection.

Time to get the multi-meter out and start probing.

If it were me, I would do some trouble shooting with a jumper wire between the magnet ground and the battery negative. At least that eliminates the ground as a source of the problem. I'm not sure how your magnets are grounded - sometimes you have to pull the drum. Hope that's not the case. If it is, just attach the ground wire to a clean spot on backing plate or axle.

Hope you find it easily.

What no meter or test light??? Simple to trouble shoot a brake controller by checking for voltage from the brake wire. No voltage be wire or controller. Of course most common brake problem is a simple bad ground. But then I am the guy many people come to, to fix there trailer wiring problems

Time to pick-up an aerosol can of CRC(tm) electrical connection cleaner (corrosion) and lubricant. Plastic Safe. Spray ocssionally all connections and recepticles.

John Fresh can in my service van for all of the normal preventative maintenance on refrigeration equipment for this season. Mechanical/electrical equipment.

I suspect Dell knows more about test lights, meters and testing than the majority of us. However, seven prong connectors can be troublesome to people trained in installing them. Im surprised you didnt tell him to buy a meter at Oreillys and pour a little ATF on the connector.

Some of what you just said is uncalled for and is not in the true nature of this forum. As to him knowing thing yes he should but so should I since I was a Navy E-T and repaired computers and radios etc. As for ATF you should know it has it place but not with electrical stuff and your just being an a$$

Dell did the right thing and when ya deal with electrical sys as everybody knows no matter how good you are they can stump the best troubleshooter.They work great one trip and not the next time. If it wasn't for old and his ATF my rings would still be stuck on a 2N. The only ? is why the trailer place had to have $60, are times really so bad ya gig a guy for what in my day would be a courtesy check and it would come back 3 fold in Dell coming back and/or telling others about the good service he got, but thats my take and it works for me.

I totally agree with the use of CRC 'Lectamotive', however it can't fix anything that is broke.

A plug tester is about $20... It ranks as the best $20 (whut I paid for mine) I ever spent... It simulates the trailer brakes or the controller thinks the trailer is hooked up... In a mater of a min. you know either its the truck side are the trailer side...

http://www.trailerpartsusa.com/products/TK-6562?gclid=CLubxIeL9bYCFSpnOgodSnYAcQ

Simulates load of electric brakes making it ideal for setting up brake controls without a trailer. :wink: :wink:

If a woman drives up its common they did not orientate the trailer connector to the truck,,, most will go (hook up) in even with the key slot out of alignment :shock:

Nutter note,,, I always wire in 12V supply and the back up lights at the rear plug,,, fill'em all up... Its not uncommon to find the trailer brake wired into the 12V supply terminal at the trailer plug... I always stack my under hood fuse side by side so all the owner has to do is swap these to leads at the breaker/fuse and move on with the show if he hooks to a trailer wired wrong...