trailer brakes locking up when backing up??

does anyone have a solution for these trailers that have the sliding toungue that lock up when in reverse. My dealer said it's only when you have an extreme angle when backing up, or down steep slope, but my trailer locks up anytime i back the trailer up. I've got the little piece to lodge in to prevent this, but just seems like a big annoyance to have to do this everytime i want to back up. can you disconnect this without disconnecting the brakes. thanx for any input.

You should be able to wire it into the harness for your lights so when you put it in reverse, it shuts the brakes off. My friends Supra was the same but if you left it plugged in, it would shut off the brakes.

If you disconnect it, your brakes won't work. You should be able to do as Brian says. Most companies have the trailer already wired this way, you just need a five prong plug on your truck.

Hey Ryan,

your trailer should have a 5 pin connector, the extra pin recognizes when your reverse lights are on ( reversing the trailer) and it will lock out the brakes in that situation.

Your truck should have the round plug connector, make sure you have the correct adapter to convert to 5 pin for the trailer and that the wiring is working correctly. ( IE test the plug for voltage while you have your truck in reverse)

With that all said, ours does lock going up a slight incline( driveway) but works when we are going straight back.

I to have to talk to my dealer to see if this is normal with the trailers.

anyone know.

There are two potential problems:

1. The trailer is not wired correctly

2. The electric valve which is located on the trailer is not closing all the way (or not at all) when it is energized (by the reverse light circut) and is allowing brake fluid to pass through the valve and into the brake caliper (causing the brakes to lock-up)

It's a really simple system, your dealer should be able to correct it within an hour or two.

If your tow vehicle is equipped with a 7-Round plug, then most likely there is a separate fuse for the reverser lights connection within the plug, ie ... event though your reverse lights are working, the fuse to your trailer plug reverse lights is blown. Check your fuses first, generally this is the source of your problem.

Ryan:

Backing up a trailer with surge brakes has always been a problem. There are three ways that this is typically handled, so you have to know what your system is in order to make sense of any of the above replies.

Method 1: "FREE BACKING BRAKES".
Free backing brakes are designed to only work going forward. If the wheels are rotating in reverse the wheel rotation makes the brakes so ineffective that they might as well not be on. If you had this type of brake system then you should never have had the problem.

"REVERSE LOCKOUT SOLENOID"
This system has a solenoid valve that disables the brakes when voltage is applied. This works great, is completely automatic, but it does require an additional connection to the trailer. The standard boat trailer light connector has four connections: Left Turn, Right Turn, tail light and ground. In order to use the reverse locking solenoid you need a 5 pin connector. The fifth pin is normally connected to the reverse lights of the tow vehicle.

MECHANICAL LOCKOUT:
The cheap solution is to have some sort of mechanical lockout to prevent the brake actuator on the trailer from applying the brakes. This could be a pin inserted into the tongue, a "D" shaped gizmo to insert into the slide area, or a lever that is moved on the coupler. Three major disadvantages of this setup: 1, you have to get out and operate the lockout, which is a real pain if you need to do some quick manuevering. 2) You could accidentially leave it in the disabled position. 3) You can lose the pin....

If you are not sure of the type of system you have, find some brand names on the coupler (not the trailer make, but the brand of coupler) and/or post a picture of the tongue.

Rod

or, just leave your trailer plugged in and back it up!

Mine does the same if I disconnect the wiring harness when launching. I have never had a problem NOT disconnecting the trailer lights before launching. Some say you can burn out a light from being too hot, I call bull, most trailer lights are sealed.

the boat came with an inline 4 prong harness, not the 7 prong round that gm comes stock with. I'm wondering if i change out the plug piece if that might help. I taped the little wedge piece in there for now. thanx for the info guys, i'll put it too use and let you know. ryan

that little wedge piece is for backing only and should be removed before towing....or else you wont have trailer brakes! aka = brake lockout

On my Supra the blue wire is the wire that controls the brakes in reverse. I converted it from the flatt pin conector to the factory round Gm plug. The only reason I did it was my dog got a hold of the flatt pin conector. Damn Boxers!!!!

Can't believe your dealer hasn't been more helpful or at least knowledgeable on this, but...

Look at the brake line coming out of the master cylinder (in the tongue). It needs to have a reverse lockout solenoid in the line, which looks about like an old 35 mm film canister with wires coming out and hydraulic fittings on both ends. If you don't have this, you need to add one, connect the ground wire, and bleed the brakes.

You also need a 5 pin flat connector, and a 7-round to 5-flat adapter. The 5th (blue) wire connects the reverse lights on the truck to the lockout solenoid hot.