Trailer Brake Lock-Out Key Question/Issue...

[King]

We received some potentially incorrect advice and I'm hoping the JB team can clear things up. When we took delivery of our 2022 AR 250 she was sitting atop a galvanized dual axal trailer from ShoreLand'r. Here's a screenshot of the trailer info from the ShoreLand'r website...



We're using the round plug system with the higher contact count, not the older flat plug style. Well, the delivery Captain as they called him, who did the hour or so walk around of the boat at delivery said that when using the round plug system, we should keep the trailer brake key in at all times. He went on to say that the round plug design allows for electric activation of the brakes. That's the first time I've ever heard that in reference to these trailers. He also said that our AR250 would go 60mph. I've poured through the parts list for our trailer and haven't found a thing that would suggest that there's a brake activation servo taking its cue from the brake lights or reverse lights...




Please, someone tell me that I'm not loosing it and that I should in fact have that key out unless backing down the ramp to launch or load. Our tow vehicle does have a trailer brake controller but I don't think is sees anything or actually has control of anything on this trailer.

 

[CarolinaJet]

If the new trailer still uses surge brakes, that is wrong advice because it would prevent the actuator from working in normal driving. Your trailer should have a manual that will explain proper usage. My “delivery captain” gave similarly wrong information. Try to forget what they told you and read those manuals!

 

[HangOutdoors]

I keep my pin out all the time and I use the round plug. Never an issue and I back up without the key in as well. No electrical activation either. They are surge brakes. UNLESS they changed something last year. The guy was not correct. Also 60 mph is wrong as well. Not sure he is a good fit for that job..... So to recap. Don't use the lockout key unless you need to. Try it out yourself. Back up with it plugged in and then without it plugged in, then use key without it plugged in. That way you see how it works.

 

[drewkaree]

I'll also add, I'm willing to bet that you couldn't keep the lockout key "in at all times" without tape, adhesive or magnets

Either you were being hit with so much info that you misunderstood him, or he didn't follow up and ask if you were following what he was saying - if he thought that was accurate info, that would be something he should emphasize, as it relates to safely towing your boat. Whatever the case, he clearly dropped the ball on that item when explaining it.

 

[Thermobrett]

I had an old style 4 flat on my van to 7 round adapter when I purchased my boat. Backing up I needed the key in the trailer as the 4 flat wouldn't disengage the brakes. Now I have a new truck with the factory 7 round, no need for the key.

 

[King]

I'll also add, I'm willing to bet that you couldn't keep the lockout key "in at all times" without tape, adhesive or magnets

Either you were being hit with so much info that you misunderstood him, or he didn't follow up and ask if you were following what he was saying - if he thought that was accurate info, that would be something he should emphasize, as it relates to safely towing your boat. Whatever the case, he clearly dropped the ball on that item when explaining it.

There was a double pass of electrical tape wrapped around the front of the trailer holding it in. He said to leave it there. That was another aspect that made me question things... if it were meant to be kept in place most/all of the time, there'd have been something a bit more solid than electrical tape.

 

[King]

If the new trailer still uses surge brakes, that is wrong advice because it would prevent the actuator from working in normal driving. Your trailer should have a manual that will explain proper usage. My “delivery captain” gave similarly wrong information. Try to forget what they told you and read those manuals!

We received a ton of paperwork and what not at closing/delivery but, I don't recall a trailer manual. I'm going to have to go back through all of that and see. Even with a trailer manual not being the most glamorous thing to receive, knowing that there's one available, I do want to have one.

 

[Dave burke]

I think you’re getting bad info from this guy and he’s either incompetent or disinterested or both. As others have said, focus on the manuals. Mine came with a manual for the trailer and a separate one for the hitch connector. I was also able to download them from what I recall.

I broke the emergency brake cable and the info in the manual was very helpful with the replacement process.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The guy who gave you those directions is a liability to you and the company he works for.

Your trailer has surge brakes, when you apply the brakes on the tow vehicle at speed, the force applied to the trailer hitch by the boat trailer trying to push the Tundra is used to push the front part of the hitch in which is connected to a hydraulic master cylinder which applies pressure to the trailer brakes. Part #3 in the exploded view you provided. You will feel a bit of a thud as you pull away from a stop, that is the actuator extending back out to the stop.

If the lock out pin / plate is left in, the trailer brakes will not activate. Do not leave this pin / plate taped in place, it has a leash and is supposed to hang there until you need it.

If I understand you correctly your Tundra has a seven pin plug and the trailer plug is seven pin Plug. When you put your Tundra into reverse one of the seven pins is tied into your back up lights, this back up light wire when energized is used by the trailer braking system to activate a solenoid that opens a bypass valve on your trailer brakes, it does this so that when you are backing up the trailer brakes do not get applied, even though the actuator gets pushed in. This is the only electrical activation in / on your trailer braking system. Look up the master cylinder diagram for the trailer, you should see the master cylinder as well as the bypass.

The integrated brake controller on your Tundra does nothing with this type of braking system.

The lock out pin / plate is for tow vehicles that only have the four pin connection which does not have a back up light circuit, and thus will not activate the bypass when backing up, and when backing up an incline the trailer brakes will apply.

The trailer brakes will not activate if you are backing down the ramp as the trailer is pulling away from the truck.

You should have received a manual for your trailer which is as extensive as need be for your trailer, if you did not get this manual jam up your dealer and get one. Kudos to you for navigating the less than easy online parts diagram !

I apologize if this was a bit basic but this is is a basic braking system and is crucial in safely towing your boat. I will tell you that the system works quite well, I had to apply full brakes to avoid hitting a mule deer doe that stepped out in front of my truck that was doing 70 mph, it was exciting to say the least but the trailer brakes did what they were supposed to.

 

[drewkaree]

There was a double pass of electrical tape wrapped around the front of the trailer holding it in. He said to leave it there. That was another aspect that made me question things... if it were meant to be kept in place most/all of the time, there'd have been something a bit more solid than electrical tape.

Your question is solid - electrical tape is NOT anything approaching a permanent solution, and they'd have designed it so it wouldn't be needed.

That bit of info about the electrical tape has me questioning what OTHER garbage they told you.

 

[adrianp89]

The guy who gave you those directions is a liability to you and the company he works for.

Your trailer has surge brakes, when you apply the brakes on the tow vehicle at speed, the force applied to the trailer hitch by the boat trailer trying to push the Tundra is used to push the front part of the hitch in which is connected to a hydraulic master cylinder which applies pressure to the trailer brakes. Part #3 in the exploded view you provided. You will feel a bit of a thud as you pull away from a stop, that is the actuator extending back out to the stop.

If the lock out pin / plate is left in, the trailer brakes will not activate. Do not leave this pin / plate taped in place, it has a leash and is supposed to hang there until you need it.

If I understand you correctly your Tundra has a seven pin plug and the trailer plug is seven pin Plug. When you put your Tundra into reverse one of the seven pins is tied into your back up lights, this back up light wire when energized is used by the trailer braking system to activate a solenoid that opens a bypass valve on your trailer brakes, it does this so that when you are backing up the trailer brakes do not get applied, even though the actuator gets pushed in. This is the only electrical activation in / on your trailer braking system. Look up the master cylinder diagram for the trailer, you should see the master cylinder as well as the bypass.

The integrated brake controller on your Tundra does nothing with this type of braking system.

The lock out pin / plate is for tow vehicles that only have the four pin connection which does not have a back up light circuit, and thus will not activate the bypass when backing up, and when backing up an incline the trailer brakes will apply.

The trailer brakes will not activate if you are backing down the ramp as the trailer is pulling away from the truck.

You should have received a manual for your trailer which is as extensive as need be for your trailer, if you did not get this manual jam up your dealer and get one. Kudos to you for navigating the less than easy online parts diagram !

I apologize if this was a bit basic but this is is a basic braking system and is crucial in safely towing your boat. I will tell you that the system works quite well, I had to apply full brakes to avoid hitting a mule deer doe that stepped out in front of my truck that was doing 70 mph, it was exciting to say the least but the trailer brakes did what they were supposed to.

Off-topic but your signature is like scrolling through the bottom of thesis paper.

 

[CarolinaJet]

The guy who gave you those directions is a liability to you and the company he works for.

Your trailer has surge brakes, when you apply the brakes on the tow vehicle at speed, the force applied to the trailer hitch by the boat trailer trying to push the Tundra is used to push the front part of the hitch in which is connected to a hydraulic master cylinder which applies pressure to the trailer brakes. Part #3 in the exploded view you provided. You will feel a bit of a thud as you pull away from a stop, that is the actuator extending back out to the stop.

If the lock out pin / plate is left in, the trailer brakes will not activate. Do not leave this pin / plate taped in place, it has a leash and is supposed to hang there until you need it.

If I understand you correctly your Tundra has a seven pin plug and the trailer plug is seven pin Plug. When you put your Tundra into reverse one of the seven pins is tied into your back up lights, this back up light wire when energized is used by the trailer braking system to activate a solenoid that opens a bypass valve on your trailer brakes, it does this so that when you are backing up the trailer brakes do not get applied, even though the actuator gets pushed in. This is the only electrical activation in / on your trailer braking system. Look up the master cylinder diagram for the trailer, you should see the master cylinder as well as the bypass.

The integrated brake controller on your Tundra does nothing with this type of braking system.

The lock out pin / plate is for tow vehicles that only have the four pin connection which does not have a back up light circuit, and thus will not activate the bypass when backing up, and when backing up an incline the trailer brakes will apply.

The trailer brakes will not activate if you are backing down the ramp as the trailer is pulling away from the truck.

You should have received a manual for your trailer which is as extensive as need be for your trailer, if you did not get this manual jam up your dealer and get one. Kudos to you for navigating the less than easy online parts diagram !

I apologize if this was a bit basic but this is is a basic braking system and is crucial in safely towing your boat. I will tell you that the system works quite well, I had to apply full brakes to avoid hitting a mule deer doe that stepped out in front of my truck that was doing 70 mph, it was exciting to say the least but the trailer brakes did what they were supposed to.

This is the complete and definitive answer.

 

[biffdotorg]

I had an old style 4 flat on my van to 7 round adapter when I purchased my boat. Backing up I needed the key in the trailer as the 4 flat wouldn't disengage the brakes. Now I have a new truck with the factory 7 round, no need for the key.

Trailers with surge brakes that do not have a round plug, have a 5 pin plug. The fifth pin is what locks out the brakes when backing up. So yes, a flat four would not do it. A flat five or round 7 is what is required for automatic lock out. Glad you figured that out.

 

[adrianp89]

Anyone have a good way to clean the plug? Mine shows some corrosion and the reverse signal does not work.

 

[biffdotorg]

Anyone have a good way to clean the plug? Mine shows some corrosion and the reverse signal does not work.

I have used things like Brake Cleen, WD40 or PB Blaster with loads of high pressure air. A wire brush helps. Once working, give them a good shot of Dielectric Grease

 

[Thermobrett]

I did notice the brakes my my trailer stopped working about the 6th time in saltwater, even though I religiously wash everything off with salt away after each use. The tongue does move forward and back but no thump when rolling from a red light. Guessing the calipers are frozen.

 

[Julian]

We received some potentially incorrect advice and I'm hoping the JB team can clear things up. When we took delivery of our 2022 AR 250 she was sitting atop a galvanized dual axal trailer from ShoreLand'r. Here's a screenshot of the trailer info from the ShoreLand'r website...

View attachment 186875

We're using the round plug system with the higher contact count, not the older flat plug style. Well, the delivery Captain as they called him, who did the hour or so walk around of the boat at delivery said that when using the round plug system, we should keep the trailer brake key in at all times. He went on to say that the round plug design allows for electric activation of the brakes. That's the first time I've ever heard that in reference to these trailers. He also said that our AR250 would go 60mph. I've poured through the parts list for our trailer and haven't found a thing that would suggest that there's a brake activation servo taking its cue from the brake lights or reverse lights...


View attachment 186876

Please, someone tell me that I'm not loosing it and that I should in fact have that key out unless backing down the ramp to launch or load. Our tow vehicle does have a trailer brake controller but I don't think is sees anything or actually has control of anything on this trailer.

As others have said, the guy who told you this needs to be talked to. He is giving out DANGEROUS information and needs to be corrected!

 

[King]

As others have said, the guy who told you this needs to be talked to. He is giving out DANGEROUS information and needs to be corrected!

Going in for my 10 hour service this week. I'll bring it to their attention. He's not an employee of the dealership. He's someone they bring in on a contractual, only when needed, basis.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Off-topic but your signature is like scrolling through the bottom of thesis paper.

Better?

 

[tdonoughue]

Media Center | ShoreLand'r©

www.shorelandr.com

(the link to the current Shoreland'r manual; note the brake info on p. 8)
My trailer came with a separate manual for the brake actuator...