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Boatmate trailer brakes...


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My trailer won´t go backwards. The breaks stoppes the trailer at once.

Anyone know what to do ? It is hard to back it down into the water this way :)

Thanks..

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Is this a new problem? Sounds like the electronic lockout is not working. Make sure the fifth (back up lights, blue one I think) wire has a good connection. You can flip over the flat five connection and turn on your headlights. If that works it is the truck side back up lights connection.

not an expert but i had a similar problem recently.

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Is this a new problem? Sounds like the electronic lockout is not working. Make sure the fifth (back up lights, blue one I think) wire has a good connection. You can flip over the flat five connection and turn on your headlights. If that works it is the truck side back up lights connection.

not an expert but i had a similar problem recently.

thanks I´ll check this as soon as possible.. :)

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Are the rest of the trailer lights working? If not, check the ground attached to the trailer just below (and aft of) the coupler.

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We have the same problem with our Expedition. You can flip over the 5 pin adapter and turn on your headlights or you can use the lockout key if you still have it. It's a small peice of metal that you place in a socket near the front of the trailer.

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We have the same problem with our Expedition. You can flip over the 5 pin adapter and turn on your headlights or you can use the lockout key if you still have it. It's a small peice of metal that you place in a socket near the front of the trailer.

Isnt there a way to manually allow for baking up? I seem to recal my sales guy showing me something on the tounge of the trailer on one of my boats.

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We have the same problem with our Expedition. You can flip over the 5 pin adapter and turn on your headlights or you can use the lockout key if you still have it. It's a small peice of metal that you place in a socket near the front of the trailer.

Isnt there a way to manually allow for baking up? I seem to recal my sales guy showing me something on the tounge of the trailer on one of my boats.

I'm pretty sure you are thinking the lockout key. It's a silver piece of metal that is bent. On the tounge there is a little cut out where the piston is for the brakes. The '05 trailer has it on the left. Slide that key in there and it prevents the slide from being pushed in and activating the brakes.

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Is this a new problem? Sounds like the electronic lockout is not working. Make sure the fifth (back up lights, blue one I think) wire has a good connection. You can flip over the flat five connection and turn on your headlights. If that works it is the truck side back up lights connection.

not an expert but i had a similar problem recently.

Yep, That is more than likely it. The Eagle trailers have a small hole drilled through the fram and the brake unit and you can just put your latch safety pin in the pole to accomplish the same thing as the lockout key just eisier. Maybe you could drill a small hole to accomplish the same thing?

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malibubts: It sounds as though you are able to turn your plugs at right angles to each other and plug the trailer blue wire lead into the truck brown wire lead and back your trailer with the running lamps on, but not able to do so when plugged correctly and truck is placed in reverse. I don't know about other makes, but Ford trucks sometimes come without a required relay installed in a relay block under the hood. The relay is included in a plastic bag usually found in the glove box. I've had 3 F150 Supercrews. Two came with the relay installed and one without. Fortunately I had read about this on one of these boards.

The hole drilled through the tongue of of the Eagle trailer seems like a good idea, but isn't required if everything is wired correctly. Plus, what happnes if you forget to to remove the latch safety pin? Not only is the safety pin not in the latch, but your brakes are locked out while towing...

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malibubts: It sounds as though you are able to turn your plugs at right angles to each other and plug the trailer blue wire lead into the truck brown wire lead and back your trailer with the running lamps on, but not able to do so when plugged correctly and truck is placed in reverse. I don't know about other makes, but Ford trucks sometimes come without a required relay installed in a relay block under the hood. The relay is included in a plastic bag usually found in the glove box. I've had 3 F150 Supercrews. Two came with the relay installed and one without. Fortunately I had read about this on one of these boards.

The hole drilled through the tongue of of the Eagle trailer seems like a good idea, but isn't required if everything is wired correctly. Plus, what happnes if you forget to to remove the latch safety pin? Not only is the safety pin not in the latch, but your brakes are locked out while towing...

Being from Boat Mate trailers - I guess he put a solid end to this thread.

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malibubts: It sounds as though you are able to turn your plugs at right angles to each other and plug the trailer blue wire lead into the truck brown wire lead and back your trailer with the running lamps on, but not able to do so when plugged correctly and truck is placed in reverse. I don't know about other makes, but Ford trucks sometimes come without a required relay installed in a relay block under the hood. The relay is included in a plastic bag usually found in the glove box. I've had 3 F150 Supercrews. Two came with the relay installed and one without. Fortunately I had read about this on one of these boards.

Ill check and se if we have that somewhere. On both our '01 and '07 Expeditions we have had this problem. I'm willing to bet barefootpaul has a Ford, this seems to be a reoccuring problem with them.

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i have this problem on my 97 Chevy dually.

i had to have a new reverse wire added and new harness mounted under the bumper. It now works most of the time, but for some reason when you are headed downhill (bow of boat downhill not stern), and i try to backup (my launch ramp is a strange setup i know.)

anyways in that situation is always locks up.

I'm going to try it behind a friends 2007 Ford F-150 in the same situtation. If it doesn't work then i'm taking the Boatmate back to my Malibu dealer for fixing. If it does work i'm taking it back to the trailer shop that ran the new wiring....

for now i just use packaging tape and taped my lockout key in place.

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btw - note to Boatmate guy if he's reading this...

i agree if all the electronics on the truck and trailer are working this shouldn't be a problem.

I would however recommend a design improvement. When it gets locked up, have a way to release it.

I have seen guys that have scratched the hell out of the neck of their trailer banging the accuator back forward so they can fit the key in.

a release would be nice, so if you get in a situation where you can only backup (pulling into a parking space at a launch, parking at a restaurant, etc) and can't pull forward you don't have to pound the hell out of the accuator to try to get the key in, or unhook the trailer and spin it out of the way (sometimes not possible.)

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99response, you have a 2001 Malibu that only has 60 hours on it? how is that possible? has it been sitting idle for 7 years?

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I have drum brakes on my 'bu, so I just push through them, but I do occasionally pull a friends 8,000# cruiser with discs and a solenoid lockout. I have the reverse wire in my 7-way cut out from the factory wiring and attached to a switch. With this setup, I can lock out the brakes at a time of my choosing from the cab of the truck. It works best to lock them out while approaching the ramp, still going forward. if the actuator is pulled out when the solenoid locks, you don't have to push ANY brakes. Also, if you see yourself getting into a situation where backing may be difficult, you can activate the solenoid before it becomes trouble.

As an aside, the original reason for having my reverse circuit on a switch is that I use that circuit to power the lights on my salt spreader in the winter, but it works GREAT for towing a disc-brake trailer- I'd do it just for that benefit in the future, spreader or not!

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btw - note to Boatmate guy if he's reading this...

i agree if all the electronics on the truck and trailer are working this shouldn't be a problem.

I would however recommend a design improvement. When it gets locked up, have a way to release it.

I have seen guys that have scratched the hell out of the neck of their trailer banging the accuator back forward so they can fit the key in.

a release would be nice, so if you get in a situation where you can only backup (pulling into a parking space at a launch, parking at a restaurant, etc) and can't pull forward you don't have to pound the hell out of the accuator to try to get the key in, or unhook the trailer and spin it out of the way (sometimes not possible.)

Guess I'm missing something here, but the actuator isn't the problem here...it's your wiring to the trailer. Get it working right and its a non issue.

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99response, you have a 2001 Malibu that only has 60 hours on it? how is that possible? has it been sitting idle for 7 years?

Pretty much, bought it last September, and I've put 5 hours on it!

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Edwin, i'm guessing you have a brand new truck? ...if so, you wouldn't get it.

For the 50% or more of people that don't have brand new trucks or use OTHER VEHICLES sometimes the design flaw in Boatmate trailers is a real pain in the a**.

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Edwin, i'm guessing you have a brand new truck? ...if so, you wouldn't get it.

For the 50% or more of people that don't have brand new trucks or use OTHER VEHICLES sometimes the design flaw in Boatmate trailers is a real pain in the a**.

All you need is a correctly wired 5 pin connector on your truck and it's a non-issue...has nothing to do with the age of the truck.

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FYI they make a lockout that stays on by itself, goes across the acutator instead of sticking out like the regular ones.

I'm still with edwin though. Although honestly I just bought a 5 pin for my boatmate, I've just been doing the good old flip and turn on the headlights trick with no real issues.

-Chris

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This is my fourth season with my Boatmate trailer and I haven't had any problems with the brakes coming on in reverse. This includes backing up my driveway and into a side-entry garage. It's a PITA but the reverse lockout has never been an issue. My Sequoia uses a round 7 to flat 5 adapter that works well.

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uh, big surprise Blast, you also have a brandnew truck.

you see "it has nothing to do with the age of the truck" if you have a brand new truck and you didn't have to go through the pain of rewiring it.

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