Trailer brake wiring
- Thread starter jharvey
- Start date
Max Power
Senior Member
Trailer brakes are really simple. There are 2 wires to each brake. One is ground and the other is the one you supple voltage to apply the brakes.
Basically you have 1 wire coming from your trailer plug and it splits to each brake. You could ground the other wire to the frame but a better way to do it would be to run the ground from each brake to a ground junction that comes directly from your electrical plug.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Basically you have 1 wire coming from your trailer plug and it splits to each brake. You could ground the other wire to the frame but a better way to do it would be to run the ground from each brake to a ground junction that comes directly from your electrical plug.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
rgdillon
*
Max Power said:
That's how I do it also. Try to have the least amount of splices possible, esp on the brake connections. I do however install a junction box on the trailer where the lead goes to the truck. This makes it easy to track down problems.
I've got seven trailers and it seems like it's always something. People smashing lights, breaking plugs etc.
Ron
FordMastertech
Ford Guru
The inside of the drum where the lug studs are is where the magnet grabs the drum when power is applied to them. The magnet is mounted to a lever, kind of like the lever that was used for the drum style parking brakes years ago. The rotation of the wheel/drum pulls this lever/magnet and applies the brake.
FMT
FMT
jharv--you can get just the mags at any trailer dealer--sure there bad--or is the wiring messed up??? hot wire the brakes direct on the trailer to see if working-with wheel jacked-should lock tight---or hooked to truck-should drag tires while moving at full apply of brake switch lever---empty of course!!!!!!!!!!!
One mag is missing the other one looks like it has been run over. I haven't had time to mess with it yet, maybe this weekend if the wifey ok's it 
iracemine
black and tan
thread back from the dead!!!!!!
I have a prodagy brake controler, new. and a new trailer, brakes adjusted right. when towing ill hit the brakes and for about two or three seconds the contoler reads fine, but then sets into a overload statis for one or two seconds and then goes back and forth. when sitting still I have my ol lady use the manual lever and ill shake the **** out of the wires plugs and nothing?????? both mags working, i get 2.0 ohms resistance at the trailer plug, mags hooked up in parallal, all wires and connections are good except for the wire of trailer ground is only like a 18 gauge. please help!!
I have a prodagy brake controler, new. and a new trailer, brakes adjusted right. when towing ill hit the brakes and for about two or three seconds the contoler reads fine, but then sets into a overload statis for one or two seconds and then goes back and forth. when sitting still I have my ol lady use the manual lever and ill shake the **** out of the wires plugs and nothing?????? both mags working, i get 2.0 ohms resistance at the trailer plug, mags hooked up in parallal, all wires and connections are good except for the wire of trailer ground is only like a 18 gauge. please help!!
iracemine
black and tan
so I spent an hour re-wireing the break away switch and it still doesent work so I know there is somthing I did wrong but cant understand. please any suggestions would help. thanks.
firesoutmatt
SDD Junior Member
Check the 7 way plug and make sure the wires are in the right spot and you don't have a loose stran of wire touching another terminal.
It's real easy to not see if you don't check close.
I've chase my tail for hours and it ended up being a single stran of wire touching the terminal next to it.
It's real easy to not see if you don't check close.
I've chase my tail for hours and it ended up being a single stran of wire touching the terminal next to it.