Trailer Brake Malfunction on Feather-Lite Horse Trailer  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Since your brake controller is working when you attach to a different trailer and this issue is only occurring when you apply the brakes, we can isolate this issue to the brake wire on your trailer side. Since the brake circuit wire only receives power when the brakes are applied, you would only be able to accurately test for a completed circuit when the brakes are depressed. If the wire has become disconnected, broken or frayed it could be causing this short/malfunction.

There could also be an issue with the ground wire for the brake magnets; most of the time the trailer brakes are grounded to the frame and over time, a large amount of debris, dirt and rust can accumulate at the brake magnet grounds. It would be a good idea to check those grounds and make sure they look like they're still in good condition or repair as needed. This would also be a good time to remove the hubs and check the magnets themselves; look for abnormal wear or copper wiring exposed which are both signs the magnets need to be replaced.

If these steps haven't isolated the problem you will need to trace back the brake wire through the trailer looking for damaged sections that may be exposed to the frame and replace this wiring as needed with new wire. You can get new wire by the foot similar to # 10-1-1 .

If none of these solutions seem to work on this trailer, please let me know and I will continue to troubleshoot with you. I've also linked a help article on trailer wiring troubleshooting that is going to go over a lot of what I covered in this answer, but will be a good reference to refer back to.

expert reply by: Erik B

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