Trailer Brakes locking up in reverse

[MalibuTime]

Hey bump. Been a while since I have been on the Crew busy dirt biking but thought I'd share this for future reference/search so looked for a trailer reverse thread with lots of posts.   I was having the brakes lock up in reverse and went through various trouble shooting steps and replaced the 5 pin to 7 pin adapter since it seemed a little dodgy and the problem was intermittent. Tested in the driveway all good to go! Well that was a false positive. The actual issue was that at least one of the pads came off of the backing plate (pads easily have 90% thickness left on them, but they are original from 2008) and so rotating forward they were not binding, but they wore into a slight wedge so reversing they would jam and lock up. Obviously putting the key in the slot for manual reverse lockout wasn't working which is a big clue.  If you have disk trailer brakes and your brakes are locking up in reverse just one more thing to check.

- Cheers  MT

[NHolladay]

On 3/7/2010 at 11:21 PM, WakingMeHappy said:

Near the front trailer tongue you should see a cut-out slot with a pin that slides back and forth when moving the trailer. As your backing the trailer the pin slides back engaging the trailer brakes. You should have a clip (of sorts) to put in the slot gap to prevent the brakes from engaging when backing. Usually its hanging by a small chain or wire. If its missing you should be able to pick one up at most any boat shop. If I remember I’ll take a pic at attach it tomorrow.

And congrats on the new boat and welcome to the crew.

Drop a quarter in the slot you should be good to back up.  Every surge break trailer does this, and yes it has a solenoid that should turn on and prevent that.  Likely a bad valve or wire

[DUKENO1]

On 8/2/2013 at 11:10 AM, exlonghorn said:

Just wanted to share an experience with my trailer. Here's a photo of the trailer rear...notice the white lamps on either side. I was told by our local Malibu dealer (Central Texas Water Sports) that these were not reverse lights, but rather some kind of docking lights. Turns out they ARE reverse lamps, running off a 5-pin flat plug. My truck (Ford F-150) had a 7-pin and 4-pin connectors on the hitch, so I added a 7-pin to 5-pin adapter. However, the adapter didn't work at first because my truck was missing the all-important trailer tow backup lamp relay. If you never got your reverse lights to work on your Malibu trailer, or if you're having the "can't reverse" problem, this may be the explanation...especially if you have a Ford.

 

 

 

 

http://www.flickr.co...N08/9423489630/

 

 

 

 

 

This is a photo of the engine compartment box where the relay way missing. Amazing that the truck was bought with the full towing package, but this relay was left out. Frustrating, but an easy fix. Tracking down the problem was the hard part.

 

Same here...mine was in the glove box

crap i hate when i respond to an old a$$ post lol

 

 

 

 

http://www.flickr.co...N08/9423613074/

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by DUKENO1
old a$$ post

[greg2222]

Need little advice with brand new trailer and F250 - when trying back up reverse light goes on on the trailer but brakes still locked.

[Driz]

I'm bout ready to unhitch my trailstar trailer as I'm backing into the lake and watch this trailer go to the bottom of the lake.  These brakes have a mind of their own and lockup in reverse whenever they feel like it.  They're fine one minute and the next I can't back up at all.  This is getting so frustrating.  What is the remedy for these brakes locking up in reverse

[wedge88]

1 hour ago, Driz said:

I'm bout ready to unhitch my trailstar trailer as I'm backing into the lake and watch this trailer go to the bottom of the lake.  These brakes have a mind of their own and lockup in reverse whenever they feel like it.  They're fine one minute and the next I can't back up at all.  This is getting so frustrating.  What is the remedy for these brakes locking up in reverse

Check voltage on reverse pin of your 7 pin on the truck. (Usually center pin) and see what voltage you have.  This pin illuminates the lights but also triggers the reverse solenoid.  The lights are LED so very little power is required but the solenoid needs 12V to trigger.  When I've had the issue, my voltage was low on the pin.  Typically, just cleaning the terminals makes a difference.