Expert Answers about Trailer Brakes

• Do Trailer Brake Magnets Touch Brake Drums All the Time
• A trailer brake assembly magnet is going to lightly touch the armature surface of the brake drum even when the brakes aren't applied. They basically glide along the smooth surface until you apply the trailer brakes which magnetizes them and then activates the braking mechanism to slow the trailer.
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• Electric Trailer Brakes With Parking Brakes For Dexter 6,000LB Trailer Axles
• You would need the Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Assembly with Parking Brake Left # 23-112 and Right # 23-113 for each axle to use the brakes as a parking brake. The Dexter Breakaway and Parking Kit for Drum Brakes # T2385200 will give you the cables and handle needed to set the brakes. The only way to keep the Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Assembly Left # 23-105 and Right # 23-106 would require constant 12 volt power to keep the electromagnet engaged to the brake drum.
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• Can Second Trailer Have Trailer Brakes Activated as Well
• Sounds like you are towing two trailers that both have trailer brakes. As long as the brake output circuit is completed from one trailer to the next the part # C57674 would work to send the amperage to each trailer. You will want to be sure that each trailer has 10 gauge wire for the brake output circuit like part # 10-1-1 (sold by the foot). The blue wire of this adapter would need to get run to the output of a brake controller that is designed to handle the amount of brake assemblies...
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• Parts Needed for Disc Brake Conversion on Take 3 Auto Transport Trailer with Three 7,000-Lb Axles
• I looked up the Take 3 auto transport trailer and it showed it has electric brakes. To convert your electric brakes to disc brakes you will need to use the disc brake conversion kits for 7,000-lb axles with the hub and rotor, hydraulic line kits for three axles, electric over hydraulic actuator, trailer breakaway kit, and a brake controller that is compatible with electric over hydraulic brakes. The disc brake conversion kits will come in pairs, so you will need three sets. These kits...
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• Recommended Brake Controller for Electric Drum Brakes on Boat Trailer
• Electric drum brakes are found as OEM equipment on boat trailers more and more these days. This is due to their simpler 2-wire installation compared to what is involved with installing hydraulic brake lines, and also due to their moderate prices. There are no water-proof electric brakes, but what you can do to keep things right is simply to disconnect the trailer's electrical connector from the tow vehicle before backing the trailer into water. This action also helps to protect your trailer...
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• Is There a Brake Controller and Wiring Adapter Harness for a 2021 Jayco Redhawk Motorhome 22j
• For your 2021 Jayco Redhawk 22j which is on the 2021 Ford E-Series cutaway chassis there is only one adapter available. That is the Curt Custom Wiring Adapter for Trailer Brake Controllers # C51432 which will work with a Curt brake controller like the Curt Echo Under-Dash Trailer Brake Controller # C27JR. The Curt Echo Under-Dash Trailer Brake Controller # C27JR is a bluetooth-enabled brake controller that wirelessly connects to your smartphone, turning your phone into a brake controller...
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• Can Drum Brakes on 5th Wheel Trailer Be Converted to Electric Disc Brakes
• I do not know of any fully electric disc brake systems for 5th wheel trailers. There are electric-over-hydraulic (EOH) brake actuators that take in an electric brake signal from a trailer brake controller, such as the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885, and convert this signal to hydraulic pressure to operate disc (or drum) brakes. Such hybrid systems do require an EOH actuator, a trailer brake controller as well as all the hydraulic lines, breakaway kit and the disc brake assemblies themselves....
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Brake Controller that Only Works with Foot Pedal
• Do the trailer brakes immediately lock up when you hit the brakes? That would mean you have a short between the trailer brake output circuit and the brake/turn signal circuit of your trailer wiring. Another way to test this would be to turn on both blinkers and see if either causes the brakes to pulse in rhythm with the blinker. I also attached a help article on troubleshooting brake controller installs for you to check out as well.
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• Disc Brake Conversion Kit for 2013 Redwood 5th Wheel
• I have attached an article which covers the parts needed to add electric over hydraulic disc brakes to a trailer. You will need the disc brake assemblies, a brake line kit, an electric over hydraulic actuator, and a brake controller. For a 7000 lb axle we offer brakes kits for 8 on 6-1/2 wheel bolt patterns, one being the Kodiak Disc Brake Kit, # K2HR712. I have included a link to the others for you as well. You will want to confirm that your trailer does indeed use this wheel bolt pattern...
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• Process to Convert Trailer from Air-Over-Hydraulic Brakes to Electric-Over-Hydraulic Brakes
• If the brakes assemblies and hubs/drums on the subject trailers are actually 16-inches in diameter we have no compatible brakes. The largest electric and hydraulic drum brakes we have are 12-1/4 x 5, such as the left/right electric brake set # AKEBRK-12 which is rated for a 12K axle and the left/right hydraulic set # 23-408-409 also rated for 12K axles. We do have electric-over-hydraulic (EOH) actuators like the HydraStar Drum Brake Actuator # HBA-10 and the others shown on the linked...
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• Is Brake Controller Needed in 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 to Activate Trailer Self Adjusting Brakes
• Yes your truck would need to have a brake controller installed in it to activate the self adjusting brakes of your trailer. For a brake controller I would recommend the Prodigy P2 Brake Controller part # 90885. This is our best selling brake controller because of how well it works and how easy it is to setup. This is a proportional brake controller that senses the amount of braking the tow vehicle is applying and applies a proportionate amount to the trailer brakes. To install the controller...
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• Brake Controller Recommendation for 2009 Chevy Silverado to Apply Trailer Brakes
• 7-Way trailer connectors do not have a dedicated brake signal ran to them. That signal is carried on the turn signal circuit wires as they are combined. Are you possibly trying to get the brake output circuit active for trailer brakes? For that you'd need a brake controller as that requires carefully applicated voltage to smoothly apply the trailer brakes. For a brake controller I would recommend the Prodigy P2 Brake Controller part # 90885. This is our best selling brake controller because...
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• What Wiring to Use to Install Electric Trailer Brakes
• Trailer axles do sometimes include a wire for an electric trailer brake circuit to make it easier to route power to each of the brake assemblies. We have suitable 10-gauge brake circuit wiring, part # 10-1-1, that can be ordered by the foot. This wire has blue insulation which is the color usually associated with trailer brake wiring. Electric trailer brakes use a 2-wire hookup. Either wire from the brake can be used as ground or hot; since these wires are non-polarized it does not matter...
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• Towing a Trailer with Electric Brakes with a Semi Tractor with Air Brakes
• To tow your trailer that uses an RV style 7-way blade style connector with your semi that has a 7-pin connector, you need to construct an adapter that will also combine the brake signal into the right and left directional signal pins. This can be done by using a female 7-pin socket # PK11720 to accept the plug from the semi, a tail light converter # 119178 and a female 7-way RV blade-style socket # PK12-707E. The converter would be wired in between both sockets to combine the brake light...
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• Troubleshooting Brake Controller that Locks Up Trailer Brakes Till Brake Pedal is Pulled Forward
• You have a bad brake pedal switch. It's sticking which is why your brake lights are staying on and your brake controller wants to lock the brakes up. You can try cleaning the switch with some electric parts cleaner to see if you can get it to work smoother and free up but what you really need is a replacement switch.
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• How To Control The Electric Brakes On A Trailer Being Towed By Multiple Trucks With Air Brakes
• The Hayes Air Brake Control, part # HA100400C, is designed for use with air brake systems of tow vehicles and automatically operates electric trailer brakes in synchronization with air brakes. So, it will do what you're wanting. However, it is not designed to be used as a temporary braking solution, so the installation requires tapping into the vehicle's air lines. I wish there was an easily transferable solution that would do what you're wanting, but there isn't any type of adapter or...
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• Parts Needed To Replace 12 x 2 Hydraulic Drum Brakes With Electric Drum Brakes
• We do have the parts available to convert your 12x2 hydraulic brakes to electric brakes, but they are not available in a pre-made kit. There are few things you will need to determine to choose the correct electric brake assembly to fit your trailer. First, you will need to know the weight capacity of the axle, the bolt pattern of the brake mounting flange, and size of the brake assembly you are replacing. In addition to the electric brake assemblies, you will need to install and run wiring...
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• Availability of Corrosion Resistant Brake Assemblies for Boat Trailer
• Because electric brake assemblies like the etrailer.com self adjusting brake assembly part # AKEBRK-7L-SA are not typically used for boat trailers, the assemblies are not specially coated for saltwater corrosion resistance. Boat trailers usually use hydraulic brakes, and would use a hydraulic brake assembly like part # 42029 and # 42028. These assemblies are galvanized for corrosion resistance. To convert to hydraulic brakes, you would need a hydraulic coupler/actuator like part # 099-175-00....
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• Can Truck with Factory Brake Controller Tow Trailer with Prodigy RF Brake Controller
• If you are towing a trailer that has the Prodigy RF brake controller part # TK94FR installed on it you can use either it as the brake controller or the factory controller of your 2016 Ram 1500. To use the Ram controller you'd just have to unplug the trailer's 7-way from the RF and then plug that directly to the truck. Otherwise if you leave the 7-way of the trailer plugged into the RF you'd have to use it.
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• Options for Adding Electric Drum Brakes to Existing Trailer
• If you prefer not to have to order and install multiple trailer brake parts to convert your existing 3500-lb axle to braked operation you have the option of swapping the entire axle for a new one with all the brake flanges, brakes assemblies, and hubs/drums in one kit. I linked our page for all 3500-lb axles that include electric drum brakes, such as the kit # 3e43SR which has EZ-Lube spindles and hubs with the popular 5-on-4-1/2 wheel bolt pattern. We also have the unique Timbren axle-less...
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