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View Full Version : Anyone using a trailer brake controller?



ian ashton
03-03-2013, 07:28 PM
Thinking about installing one in my Jeep; in my life I've towed all sorts of trailers thousands of miles and have never used one, but it seems like a good idea to have.

Suggestions?

mmandley
03-03-2013, 08:51 PM
Thinking about installing one in my Jeep; in my life I've towed all sorts of trailers thousands of miles and have never used one, but it seems like a good idea to have.

Suggestions?

A trailer brake? What are you towing with Electric Brakes? Your boat is hydraulic and works off inertia when the vehicle slows down.

If your referring to an Exhaust Brake because you now have a diesel. That's a whole other game.

I am not savy on exhaust brakes for your engine or if they even make them. I personally dont see the point as you will only being towing your boat most of the time.

Exhaust brakes are really intended to be used for when you haul a trailer with electric brakes and when you go down hill you don't want to ride the brakes, so the exhaust brake makes back pressure on your engine limiting its revs. Same as down shifting but when pulling trailers you can cruise down hill faster with an exhaust brake maintaining a safe speed and not over rev the engine or over heat the brakes on the trailer.

ian ashton
03-03-2013, 08:56 PM
I didn't know that our trailers didn't need a brake controller, that's cool! I guess it makes sense, since the boat never seems to push, and the lockout is needed if you dot have a 5 prong plug. Genius!

beat taco
03-04-2013, 12:47 AM
Any of you guys running a switch to turn your trailer brakes off? I need to run one this year. My current method of plugging the brake pin into my headlight pin is less then ideal. I can turn my brakes off but I don't have trailer lights.

bergermaister
03-04-2013, 01:05 AM
Uh...... You talking boat trailer still? Why do you need to turn off the trailer brakes?

Only thing I can think of is for backing up and if that is the case it should be triggered from your reverse lights. Unless I'm missing something.

beat taco
03-04-2013, 02:20 AM
Truck is a flat four, trailer is a flat five. So to back up that's what I do. When I'm at three rivers (lake billy) I have to leave it plugged in that way so I can turn the brakes off coming down a very steep road to the boat ramp. I just flip on my headlights when I want the brakes off. If I put in a switch so I don't have to disable my trailer lights there's other places I would turn off the brakes to prevent over heating.

bergermaister
03-04-2013, 02:25 AM
Get a new plug dude and wire it to the reverse lights. $$ well spent and you never have to think about it again. As for easing off the brakes on a big hill - I know the hill you're talking about. Could always just unplug it and shift down for the ride to the bottom. I've done that hill a few times without issues - just drive faster!


Ian - I also have an electric trailer brake in my truck that I rarely use anymore after selling the travel trailer. It did come in handy when renting a bobcat and the trailer brake was required on the tow vehicle. Other than that, you may not benefit much, but most newer vehicles are plug and play with a controller so install is a snap.

Hoopskier
03-04-2013, 03:32 AM
Any of you guys running a switch to turn your trailer brakes off? I need to run one this year. My current method of plugging the brake pin into my headlight pin is less then ideal. I can turn my brakes off but I don't have trailer lights.

I think you need this part. http://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopkins/47515.html I used to run this part on for a while on a vehicle that only had 4 pin OEM. Easy to install.

jstenger
03-04-2013, 11:01 AM
Ian,

Check your Moomba bag with all the documentation. My 2010 came with a generic 5 flat harness made to wire to the tow vehicle. I used it on my 2007 Jeep JK. Very easy to wire on the left side brake light. Both the left side and right side turn signal wires come into the left side.

mmandley
03-04-2013, 11:25 AM
Get a new plug dude and wire it to the reverse lights. $$ well spent and you never have to think about it again. As for easing off the brakes on a big hill - I know the hill you're talking about. Could always just unplug it and shift down for the ride to the bottom. I've done that hill a few times without issues - just drive faster!


Unplugging the trailer isn't going to stop the brakes from over heating going down steep hills. The brakes on the trailer don't care if they have electric power or not. They are inertia brakes, the electrical connection on the reverse light is only for backing up. This is because when the truck pushes the trailer back the tongue slides towards the boat, this is activating the inertia brakes.

At LBC we stay at 3 Rivers also, and the hill is brutal on your trailer brakes. We have a metal L plug that goes into the side of the tongue to physically make it impossible for the trailer brakes to come on. The truck gets pushed a lot harder down the hill but that means you just have to mind your speed more and your truck brakes get a bigger workout.

Jake if you want to upgrade to the 5pin flat i think i got one with the new boat, if so we can meet up for an exchange bro.

rdlangston13
03-04-2013, 12:17 PM
I am really curious now as how big this hill actually is!

beat taco
03-04-2013, 12:31 PM
I am really curious now as how big this hill actually is!

Worst one I tow and we have no shortage of volcanos around here. People often come down smoking and dunk their red hot trailers straight into the water! Very hard on equipment!

I've been running around Cove my entire life and only recently gained access to this area. It is a gated private community with miles of paved roads and this final stretch to the boat ramp is exactly what MM said, BRUTAL.

The first time I ever came down there I was in second gear and overheated my truck and trailer brakes. Now at the viewpoint I pull it down into first gear and turn off the trailer brakes. Truck brakes now get warm but not hot. My truck has 4:10 gears too, second gear usually gets me down steep hills with very little braking.

Now I'm thinking might as well do it right and wire it to a switch and the reverse lights. I wonder if I need a relay to stop my switch power source from sending signal to my reverse lights on the truck? Does that make any sense?

beat taco
03-04-2013, 12:36 PM
Forgot to add pic of said viewpoint.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/muvyzasu.jpg

rdlangston13
03-04-2013, 12:53 PM
I don't think it would matter if your truck reverse lights were on while going down the hill...

ian ashton
03-04-2013, 01:46 PM
My Jeep has the reverse light wired, I was more thinking that I ha trailer brakes that weren't being used since I didn't have a controller; I didn't realize it was all automatic :)

tarheelskier
03-04-2013, 02:32 PM
Ian, try this...unplug the lights (so the reverse sensor is not active) and try to back the trailer up a small hill. You will quickly realize your brakes are working!

bergermaister
03-04-2013, 03:09 PM
Yes sirs - you are correct. I got off track a bit there and lost my train of thought... (gee, that never happens)

You could take that 5th wire for the reverse light and hook it to a separate switch as opposed to your headlights... Then you could control the brakes on/off at will. Wouldn't be too tough.

Here's a few more shots of the canyon going into LBC. This is the kind of place where you can be out on the water 3ft from shore and it's 100+ft deep. Cliff country.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/LBC1.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/LBC2.jpg

moombadaze
03-04-2013, 03:19 PM
is that mt Raineer in the 2nd photo

boy do I miss that part of the country

bergermaister
03-04-2013, 03:23 PM
I wanna say that's Mt Jefferson. Rainier is further north outside of Seattle.

beat taco
03-04-2013, 03:36 PM
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/2e9udy9a.jpg

Cliffs?

So maybe I was over thinking it. Can't wait till Memorial Day to go back. Even though the water will be 60*!

KG's Supra24
03-04-2013, 03:37 PM
Looks like a pretty awesome spot.

tarheelskier
03-04-2013, 06:26 PM
Where we ride doesn't have too many waterfalls! But we do have warmer water :grin:

viking
03-04-2013, 06:48 PM
Electric brakes are nice and having a in-cab controller works great when you are pulling a trailer equipped with them. Most Campers have them and my RZR trailer has them so I use my DrawTite Activator quite a bit. It's timed so it applies more and more break pressure the longer you hold the pedal.
Most controllers can plug directly into the OEM harnesses now-a-days!

mmandley
03-05-2013, 12:04 PM
I get what your saying about the reverse lockout now LOL. I wasn't putting your thought and the mechanics of the trailer together hahaha.

We will need to try and meet up at LBC this year man.

We generally just lockout the trailer brakes the entire time we are at LBC. I drop the truck in 2nd and tap the brakes when needed.

First year, it sucked, i didn't have a lockout on the trailer and the brakes were so hot we had to wait 45 minutes at the prep area for the brakes to cool.

Yea i cant even watch when people run down that hill and drop into that water with hot brakes, the sizzling you hear is like eggs in a fry pan LOL

KG LBC is awesome water, but its cold..all year..May in the 50s, June in 60s, and later July early August it will hit 70s finally, but by Sept its low 70s and 60s again and by Labor Day its mid 60s again. The nice thing is that area is high desert so air temps are 90s so that cool water is ohh so refreshing LOL.

bergermaister
09-11-2013, 01:45 PM
Last month coming down a few big 3-4mi hills I had a lot of smoke rolling off the brakes - mine are front axle only, and mostly just the driver side was smoking. Enough that I pulled off and doused them with a water bottle. Didn't have a huge grease mess but I'm sure it didn't do the seals or bearings any good. Happened 3 separate times about mid hill on this trip on the way to and the way home. Little scary because behind a 31' motorhome I didn't notice it until it was pretty bad.

So after unplugging lights to run down the remainder of the big hills they seemed fine. Really has me wondering if the surge brakes truly are both inertia and electronically controlled? Not just in reverse for the lockout but fwd as well - they won't engage unless the brake lights activate?

Same thing on another boat in our convoy with an Extreme trailer. His plug actually fell out going over Mt Hood and going down the backside it appeared the boat was pushing his Escalade and they had smoke rolling off the front wheels of the Escalade...

rdlangston13
09-11-2013, 03:20 PM
Mine will activate without the brake lights on. Try reversing up a hill...


Sent from my iPhone

bergermaister
09-11-2013, 04:12 PM
Right - same with me backing up when unplugged they'll lock up. Hmmm....Guess there's no magic behind it.

Can't explain why they did fine unplugged down the hills vs. plugged in.

newty
09-12-2013, 01:42 PM
Surge brakes are only activated when the vehicle slows and the slave cylinder is depressed from the weight of the trailer pressing against the tongue of the trailer. The reverse lock out just isolates the fluid from entering the brake line. That's why you can't back up when the plug is left out. The wireing for the trailer have nothing to do with the brakes them self. (Other than the reverse light lockout)

bergermaister
09-12-2013, 01:59 PM
So what yer sayin is I'm smokin crack?

jstenger
09-12-2013, 03:06 PM
Pretty much. LOL

Sent from my Droid Charge using Tapatalk 2

newty
09-12-2013, 04:18 PM
So what yer sayin is I'm smokin crack?

Smoking something. BTW, it's puff puff pass, not puff puff puff.

viking
09-12-2013, 05:58 PM
Smoking something. BTW, it's puff puff pass, not puff puff puff.

Funny stuff right there ^^