Parts Needed To Use Electric Drum Brakes On Tow Dolly

Question:

Hello, May I get a list of parts I need for my tow dolly with electric drum brakes. I need electrical wiring to activate the electric drum, or the actuator the will brake the trailer when the vehicle brakes. or what hitch will I need with a electric brake actuator

asked by: Carl

Expert Reply:

Since your tow dolly has electric drum brakes you only need 7-way wiring along with a brake controller like # RED52VR in your tow vehicle to use the brakes. If you don't already have a 7-way on your vehicle you will need to add one.

If you can let me know which vehicle you have there is likely a custom 4-way wiring harness you can use. You could also use the splice-in Curt # C59236 which is a universal 4-way. Once you have a 4-way installed you can upgrade to a 7-way using the Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller # ETBC7.

Since you mentioned a brake actuator it sounds like you may not be 100% sure what you have on the tow dolly. If you can let me know what kind of tow dolly it is, or send some pictures, I would be happy to help you identify what you have. If it has a brake actuator like the # DM8609101 you looked at then you don't need the brake controller and you have hydraulic brakes. The tow dolly brakes will be applied through the actuator when the tow vehicle slows or stops. Another way to know would be if you have hydraulic brake lines running to the brakes instead of wires.

expert reply by: Robin H