Brakes: Trailer Question

[SnakeH2]

My new boat is set to arrive Wednesday and I want to make sure I?m set up properly. I?ve been searching, but I?m not sure I have the answer.

The trailer is dual axel with disk brakes on one of them. It will be around 6,000lbs. The trailer has a 5plug flat. Will a standard 7 to 5 converter do the trick? I tried to get one from the dealership and they didn?t have one, nor could they order one. I got one from PepBoys and everything seems like it will work, but I noticed on the diagram on the back of the truck, that there is no contact for the electric brake port. Will these brakes activate with the brake lights?

Sorry for the stupid question, but I?m a rookie with trailers?.w/brakes.

Snake

[vlxjim]

If I were you I would get a mating 7 pin round plug. Cut the straight 5 off and strip and screw the wires to the right pins. As for the brakes you should have surge brakes . How surge brakes work is when you push on your brakes the trailer will push up on the hitch ball and that will push the tongue of the trailer that has a master cylinder in it. That will then send hydraulic pressure to the calipers hence slowing you trailer. The trick is to make sure that the reverse lights are hooked up so that when you back up you trailer the brakes are lock out from braking. If not backing up is real hard.

[DrG]

The previous reply sums up everything quite well. Electric trailer brakes require a separate brake module and if you think about it for a second, you will realize why a boat trailer wouldn't have electric brakes anyway. I think there is a key on the cover for the 7 wire plug socket that tells you what each connector does. You will not need the 12V+ terminal. One is probably a dead terminal so you could wire in a brake module if needed. The backup light terminal is to activate the surge brake bypass solenoid. My trailer didn't come with that but when I changed the old drum brakes to disc, the new master cylinder came equipped with one. It sure beats the old manual lockout method.

So what kind of boat did you get? I pull a 98 Tige 21i. With a well balanced trailer, you will hardly know it's back there, until you check your mileage.
David

[SnakeH2]

Thanks guys. This was my first lesson on surge brakes. It all makes sense now.

It's Rinker 246BR R2. Now I have to learn to wakeboard!

[vlxjim]

Ya the bypass solenoid is standard on all disk brakes. With drum brakes they slip more at low speed so you don't need the bypass as much. One more trick when backing up a hill or over a bump is to let your rig roll forward a little as you put it in reverse. That allows the tongue to be pulled out so that when the bypass kicks in you aren't locking the brakes closed. This helps a lot if your backing up a driveway.

I pull a Malibu VLX 21" 4800 lbs with a tandem trailer with large vented disk brakes.

[Tony102385]

I just picked up a rinker 296 this season and this weekend will be the first time pulling it because we have a slip on the river but want to take it on some lakes this week. I will let you know how the h2 does.