Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Lock Up When Trailer Wiring is Connected

Question:

Im trying to troubleshoot an issue with my R-Pod Trailer... The Brakes keep Overheating.... This weekend I did some more troubleshooting on it... I jacked up each tire one at a time... I adjusted the brake on each side using the star-wheel to the point where the wheel would free spin just shy of the brake pad touching.... I then noticed that if while I had one tire off the ground I could give the tire a good spin and then hurry over to the rear of my tow vehicle and plug in the 7-Pin connector... as soon as I plugged in the connector I could hear the trailer tire come to a stop... How could this be?... I even went as far as to completely un-hook my trailer brake controller... NO CHANGE.... I then checked for voltage on the 7_pin connection coming out of my tow vehicle... The only pin with voltage was the Top Right blade... as expected....... Suggestions???

asked by: RICHARD

Helpful Expert Reply:

There must be a short on your trailer's wire between the 12 volt accessory circuit you mentioned testing and the brake output circuit. Start at the back of the trailer connector and work your way back to the brake assemblies looking for any obvious shorts like exposed or cut wire and fix as needed.

I attached a help article on trailer wiring troubleshooting for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C