Brakes locking up on Boat trailer

[Sutty]

My brakes are locking up when I back my boat up. This is my first trailer with brakes and I assume its somthing simple like operator error.. It is a 06 shorelander roller trailer with the 5 pin connector. It may be electrical in nature. My truck is wired with the smaller plug 3 male pins one female so I bought a converter that makes it have 4 male 1 female.

[stick]

Stupid question, but is it surge brakes or electric brakes? If surge, sometimes there is a pin to disable the hydraulic cylinder when creating the backpressure on the tongue.

[PierBridge]

Ford Truck????

[PierBridge]

Anyway I'm guessing you need a relay installed to get the power to the 7 pin connector for the "5th" wire that tells the trailer the truck is in reverse.

[leechlake]

I had the same problem with a Suburban and it was the fuse that had blown on the vehicle, I kept replacing fuses.

[Fishook]

Pier is correct. You need the 7 pin to sense the backup lights which will disengage the tongue brake. As mentioned, you should also be able to insert a pin in the tongue which prevents the compression process from engaging the trailer brakes when backing up (usually up an incline). The pin can easily come out so the best approach is a 7-pin wiring harness/system.

[LMITOUT]

From the post he says he only has a 4-wire plug on the truck....not a round 7 wire RV type. If this is the case I believe that you'll have to tap into the reverse lights to get the 5th wire. There are wiring kits to do this somewhat painless.

Using the 4 to 5 wire converter plug does nothing as you still don't have the blue reverse wire to begin with.

[Hookmaster]

My trailer with surge breaks only has a 4-pin connector. I have to manually move the pin to the backup position when I backup.

[Sutty]

Thanks for the reply's sounds like I need to do some re-wiring. And no I don't have a ford I'll need to have a dual setup my atv trailer has the 4 pin.

[marine_man]

How are you planning on doing it? If you hook up to the reverse light and use the flat 5 connector you will be fine with your 4 wheeler - it just won't plug into the reverse light, that's all.

marine_man

[Sutty]

Didn't have a plan yet was going to do some research first. My boat is in SD right now so I can't look at it. I put a second console in and my boat cover is getting modified to allow the second windshield.

[boatfixer]

I don't think we have established whether or not you have surge brakes.(More than likely you do) If so, you do not have an issue with wiring. You need to mechanically "lock out" the master cylinder on the trailer.

[marine_man]

Is shoreland'r sending 5 pin wire connector's on everything then, otherwise he probably has the overide for reverse... Even if he has mechanical surge brakes don't some still have the 5th pin to overide it?

marine_man

[Payday]

It is my understanding that the 5th pin is the reverse override. Otherwise there is a small bone/key that is placed in the slot on the tongue to prevent the actuator from engaging the brakes.

[boatfixer]

That is correct, the 5 pin has the override, or you have to lock it out mechanically. I did not realize that at first. There, I learned a new thing today.

[Sutty]

I dug through all of my paperwork this weekend and could not find any manuals on the trailer. Shorelandr's web site was a little helpfull. I looked for the model on the website that was on my bill of sale to no avail so maybe they don't match up.... I did however find in the FAQ section on breaks locking up that I need to hook up the blue wire to my reverse lights to override the breaks. I know I have the blue wire loose. I thought it was a ground. It also mentions a slot on the toungue for a key to be inserted to overide the breaks but I don't remember seeing one.

[Sutty]

Problem solved:

I brought my boat home saturday. (Got a little fishing in friday night and sat morning) After all the mothersday stuff was taken care of I had a chance to look at it again last night. The loose blue wire that I had was actually a wire on the adaper I had bought to service the extra pin (doh!), so I just needed to find the reverse light wiring on the truck. I used a voltmeter to trace it and spliced it in. I need to waterproof my splice better but the boat made it back into my driveway!