Trailer brakes

[bilbao]

Got the boat out of storage today and as I was backing up the driveway the brakes locked up and would not allow me to go any further back. Only option was to pull forward, turn around and drive up the driveway. Driveway has slight incline but not excessive and didn't have trouble last fall when I bought the boat. Any suggestions would be helpful as I am worried I may need to back up some type of incline eventually.

[martinarcher]

Most boat trailers have a brake reverse disable lever on the tongue. Check your trailer for one. A boat trailer uses force applied to the tongue to apply the brakes and that is exactly what backing up does to the tongue - it applies the brakes. Throw your reverse brake disable and you'll be good to go.

[99response]

Your trailer should have a 5 pin connector, the blue (I think) wire is for the solenoid that locks out the brakes when the reverse lights on the tow vehicle come on. Either you have a bad connection, bad solenoid, or something is up with the truck.

You can also manually lock out the brakes with the adapter (or a small stone if you are desperate) that probably came with your trailer manuals.

-Chris

[martinarcher]

Dang! You guys and your fancy electrically actuated reverse lock outs! What happen to the good old days of maually locking them out.

[BlastRlxi]

If your trailer has the 5 pin connector but your car only has a 4 pin connector, you can plug the trailer plug into the car plug so that only the 5th pin on the trailer side that controls the trailer reverse lockout solenoid is plugged into the pin for the reverse lights on the vehicle side. It sort of forms a T with only one pin on each plug connected. Obviously, do not drive this way, but you can configure it this way to get up your driveway.

[99response]

Dang! You guys and your fancy electrically actuated reverse lock outs! What happen to the good old days of maually locking them out.

In the good old days the brakes were drums and you could back up all day without locking them out.

-Chris

[bilbao]

Maybe issue with truck I was using, as I am using a 5 pin plug and never had troubles before.

[bilbao]

If it does pop up again how would I bypass the locking device on the trailer. I have not got a trailer manual.

[Duckhunters2]

If it does pop up again how would I bypass the locking device on the trailer. I have not got a trailer manual.

This may be the dumbest response but is it plugged in when you backed it up? If not then try that. Every once in a while I will hook up a trailer that has brakes when I have to re-arange the yard and forget to plug it in.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Hard to believe a picture of this isn't available. Basically instead of plugging the 5 pin connector in like normal, you just want the blue wire connected to something that is hot. I believe the yellow wire is tail lights.

Or there is a small "key" that goes in the slot ont he far left of this pic.... keeps the brakes from engaging. Probably available from any auto parts store.

[zzbutler]

Brown is actually the "running lights", green is right, yellow is left, white is ground.

If your coupler looks like the picture above, i think a nickel is what some people use.

Mine had the exact same problem when I put it away for winter. I used a test light to verify that my trailer plug was hot on the backup light pin, and it was. If it still has the issue when I pull it out of storage next weekend, I will look for the solenoid valve underneath and give it a tap with a hammer.

Just like when you had to give your starter relay a smack every once in a while on your old pickup truck.

[bilbao]

Actually using a 5 pin round attatched to a 5 pin flat and yes it was hooked up. I was able to back approx 60 yards on flat ground, once I got to a slope it locked up.

[skier92]

If your coupler looks like the one shown in the pic two posts ago, it is a UFP (Unique Functional Products) model A-60. If so, go to their site (ufpnet.com) and download manual for same. If you hook put 12 volts to the blue wire as Bill_Air suggests, you should here the reverse solenoid click as you connect and disconnect power. Also, after each use, fully extend the actuator and push up on the release lever to fully un-set brakes. (or be sure to do so prior to next use)

[electricjohn]

If it worked last year, your reverse by-pass solenoid might have went bad.

[Green_Giant]

There was another post on here about this. If you have the actuator as pictured above, the solenoid itself may not have a good ground (as was my problem, since I did have juice when putting the rig into reverse) By running a separate ground wire from a good ground on the trailer to the solenoid itself (there is a threaded hole on the bottom perfect for a screw & ring termina) the problem was solved.

Here's the link:

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8405

[skier92]

Just to take the ground wire fix a step further, solder the crimp connection and use star washers between terminal ring and metal attached to. Otherwise, in a couple years, those connections will be your next problem due to corrosion.

[ibelieve]

When you do what AirJunky suggests, you count on the ground being made thru the trailer frame and the hitch on your vehicle. If the running lights are not on, they must be turned on for this to work.

/Steve

Hard to believe a picture of this isn't available. Basically instead of plugging the 5 pin connector in like normal, you just want the blue wire connected to something that is hot. I believe the yellow wire is tail lights.

Or there is a small "key" that goes in the slot ont he far left of this pic.... keeps the brakes from engaging. Probably available from any auto parts store.

[LS-One]

Dang! You guys and your fancy electrically actuated reverse lock outs! What happen to the good old days of maually locking them out.

Bigtime PITA.