Trailer locking up brakes.

[jayman30]

Hi,

I have a 2009 20' Top Hat Gooseneck Trailer that recently started locking up all four tires anytime I apply my trucks brakes -- even if I just barely tap the trucks brake pedal or have my brake switch turned down to zero it still locks them up instantly. It will keep the trailer brakes locked up until the truck's brakes are released even if I've come to a complete stop.

If I operate the manual override on the switch the brakes do not apply at all and after a few seconds the truck's info center will say "Trailer Disconnected". Seems to be when the brake lights turn on, the brakes lock up, otherwise they don't work. I haven't had time to go over all the wiring yet.

Can anyone offer some help or suggestions on where to check first?

Thanks!

 

[JimRB]

Did it do the same thing when you put in a new brake controller?

 

[jayman30]

Did it do the same thing when you put in a new brake controller?

I was short on time but was able to hook up to my dad's bumper pull trailer to test out the controller and truck side of the wiring, the controller and brakes worked fine. The gooseneck acts like the 12v for the brake lights is somehow going to the brakes. :-/

I should have time to work on it tomorrow afternoon and hopefully track down the problem.

 

[wcampbell47]

Check the connector on the truck side for bent pins and that the connector is fully inserted into the housing.
Pull the plug apart and check for loose wires or wires that are touching.
I was having issues with an older brake controller and not able to determine the root cause. A new one was installed and all the issues went away. So apparently they do go bad.
In my case the truck had been miswired before I got it. I found some burnt wires and replaced the in bed connector and bumper connector with new ones.

 

[Diamondpilot]

On brake controllers the color of the wire means nothing. This stumps a lot of people installing them by assuming red is positive and black is ground. This is not always the case.

Check your wires.

Chris