Trailer question

[fatboyroy]

I went for a cruise and little fishing yesterday. While reversing to the ramp I hear a loud thud (i reverse fast lol) and sudden stop. I thought I hit the dock or another car. oh no im going to be in the chit show moment. I checked and I am about 5 ft to the nearest object, so I figured it gotta be the trailer. Went back to the truck and put hazard light on and of course no power in the trailer. I checked connection and it was snug and no corrosion. Put it back and the light was on again and launched boat with no problem. To me it seems like a one off moment, but if anyone experienced this that leads to issues let me know, I rather order parts now than wait for it to completely break.

 

[Mike Clark]

If your trailer is equipped with surge brakes, most likely, the tongue was pushed in and the brakes engaged. Done it myself a few times. If you backing slowly on level ground, they "usually do not engage"

There is a small D shaped piece of metal that is usually hanging by the trtailer tongue that is used to place in bolt travel slot to keep them from engaging if you need to "back up a hill" for instance.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Sounds like you had a momentary loss of contact with the back up light ckt in your 7 way plug… I used to get a lot of those faults on the dash, mainly for the left blinker??? I‘d get out and pull the plug and put it back in and it was fine. I cleaned the plug and socket, then sprayed some silicone spray in there.. still have the problem occasionally but not like it was.

 

[fatboyroy]

If your trailer is equipped with surge brakes, most likely, the tongue was pushed in and the brakes engaged. Done it myself a few times. If you backing slowly on level ground, they "usually do not engage"

There is a small D shaped piece of metal that is usually hanging by the trtailer tongue that is used to place in bolt travel slot to keep them from engaging if you need to "back up a hill" for instance.

Thanks but if the power is on I don't need the D shape metal insert (that was my backup if it didnt work)

 

[fatboyroy]

Sounds like you had a momentary loss of contact with the back up light ckt in your 7 way plug… I used to get a lot of those faults on the dash, mainly for the left blinker??? I‘d get out and pull the plug and put it back in and it was fine. I cleaned the plug and socket, then sprayed some silicone spray in there.. still have the problem occasionally but not like it was.

Yea I checked and its not corroded. I also check the line from truck to brake and its all fine, at least those I can see anyway. I will monitor closely and check before leaving my house. Thanks

 

[Dixemon]

Sometimes the socket doesn't look corroded, but cleaning it out with a brush and some isopropyl alcohol will solve issues.

 

[biffdotorg]

Thanks but if the power is on I don't need the D shape metal insert (that was my backup if it didnt work)

The one to be sure that is working, is the reverse lockout solenoid. That is powered by the reverse lights. So you could have full turn signals, running lights etc on your trailer. But if the reverse lockout pin loses connection it would not power the lockout solenoid and your surge brakes may engage.

So many people don't realize when this happens, as they are usually backing down a ramp, so the tongue may never compress. They would only notice this if they backed up hill, up into a garage, or over a concrete lip going into a garage putting pressure on the surge brake tongue.

 

[adrianp89]

I've been thinking about one of these to clean the plug:

https://www.amazon.com/Road-King-Truck-Parts-Electrical/dp/B07PVLDR72/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2GVWISLN2S2VI&keywords=7+plug+brush&qid=1677170621&sprefix=7+plug+brus%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-2#customerReviews

 

[drewkaree]

I wonder as well, if the actuator might need to be adjusted, like maybe it's on the edge of perfection, but with the right conditions, it may cause problems.

I know the manual goes through how to check / test to make sure it's operating correctly, and how to adjust it if it gets out of spec, but I don't know if this happens with age, or if it's really for initial setup.

Off base?

 

[fatboyroy]

Launched w no issues today