95ram

I barrowed my father in laws skid trailer the other day and when I hooked up to it I'd drive about 2ft and the brakes would lock up. I dont think it's my pickup or brake controler because when I called him he said it has done it to two other people.
So here's my question what is the wiring diagram for a 6 wire trailer. I have to use a reducer from the pickup to the trailer. The trailer plug has five connections around the outside and one in the middle. Lets say the little piece that sticks is 12 o'clock and the little screw is at 6 o'clock. What would the wire sequence be clock wise and which one in the middle.

Wire colors red, black, green, yellow, brown, and the white one isn't currentlhy hooked up.

Any help would be great.

Bonshawman

White is generally GROUND, and is, to my recollection, the center pin on the truck plug. Brown is usually running lights. Green and yellow are brake/directional (green is usually right as you face rear of trailer, yellow left). So a four wire set up would be:
White: ground
Green: right brake/signal
Yellow: left brake/signal
Brown: running lights

Every trailer I have had with electric brakes has a BLUE wire. So I am not sure what someone has used the RED and the BLACK in your description for. Perhaps you can trace the wire forward from the brakes for color ?

Also, in a truck plug, there is often a wire for charging a trailer battery (for an RV setup, but if your truck has a "tow package" it might have this, as my 3500 does with a dedicated fuse....).

A quick way to test on the truck end (end then you would know what is required on the trailer plug, as usually you can only insert one way), is a 12 volt test light - I have had to do this numerous times with new (to me) trucks, as people seem to wire them in all sorts of ways. But if the problem is repeated with other drivers/trucks, could be the brake circuit of the truck, or something going to ground (they are magnetic I think). Tracing and testing may be your only way to resolve the problem.

trlman

check your adapter there are 2 diff. wiring possibilitys yours is wrong for that trailer.easy fix switch the wire in the center with the one in the s position on your 6way then remember to switch it back before leaving upon returning the trailer

GreyTD

here is some diagrams to help you. http://www.etrailer.com/faq/wiring.aspx on these diagrams you are looking at the back of the plug.

95ram

Thanks guys. I'll have to look at it tomorrow.

dodgezilla04

is the break away cable too tight? maybe hanging up on a safety chain?

torquefan

Good info here. The six pin connector has two different ways of being wired. One way uses the center pin for elec. brakes, the other way uses the center pin for 12v power. All other pins are the same in both cases. Your 7 to 6 pin adapter generally has a way to change these two pins if you take it apart.

Dodgezilla raises a good point too. Check that the breakaway switch isn't causing this problem too. Unplug your trailer wiring connector and pull the trailer. Make sure the problem goes away when the trailer isn't plugged into the truck.

01RAMer

I just pulled a 30' tagalong the other day that had the 6 pin plug and sure enough, the brake wire and the battery were switched. I have an adapter from 7 to 6 which I could take apart and I switched the center of the 6 with the battery pin and all worked fine. I took the trailer plug apart and instead of finding brakes to the center pin, there were no wires hooked to the center, so I was pumping straight battery to the brakes. Lock up city! I kinda of figured it out right away because I had hooked up to it the night before and when I went to start the truck in the morning, the batteries were dead. Pumping power to the brakes all night does a number on the battery charge.

belgianmagic

Keep in mind that DODGE , for whatever reason , from the factory, has those two wires reversed from EVERY OTHER TRUCK BUILDER...

if you buy new...you will have to reverse these two

SOhappy

Can you elaborate? I swap trailers with my parent's (dmax) and non-Dodge friends all the time and don't have any lighting or brake problems. I also pulled my old trailer with my chevy gasser and suburban before (getting smart) buying my CTD. I had no wiring issues in the transition.

MikeyB

I would like to know too. We have two trailers with electric brakes and we haven't done a thing to my Dodge, nor my Dad's old Ford Superduty and now his new MC dually.
Only issue that I know of (and it's not much of one) is the interior lights in the car hauler works on the Dodge without having the parking lights on, but on the Ford the parking lights must be on.

MikeyB

torquefan

Actually, it's only the 6 pin connector that has that condition. Dodge trucks all come with the 7 pin connector which has only one standard wiring pattern. Even all the trailer manufacturers seem to agree on how to wire the 7 pin connector, which is unusual.

BearKiller

If it is a standard six-pin trailer connector, the wiring directions will be stamped beside each terminal.

The guts of the plug must be exposed to read this.

On EVERY six-prong I have ever used/seen, the GROUND is the fattest pin in the outer circle.

The "S" terminal means SUPPLY, meaning trailer-brake supply.

The center terminal is ALWAYS marked AUX, meaning auxilliary, for whatever extra accessories the owner might choose to install (Mine is for big rear-facing flood-lights and spotlights.).

Some gourd-heads connect the trailer brakes to the center AUX terminal; but, this is incorrect.

There is also a TM terminal for trailer markers (lights).

Then a LT and RT for turn-signals/brake-lights.

Contrary to popular practice, any battery charging wiring should be seperate from the trailer-plug, having a HUGE plug of it's own; as, the little terminals in a standard plug are of insufficient size to properly maintain a battery.

There is NO standard recognized color code plan for trailer wiring.

I have seen whole brand-new trailers wired completely with one color of wire.

Always trace the wires and see where they go, before assuming that, just because they are a certain color, that they perform a specific function.

Also, I have seen more than a few name-brand pricey trailers that used skotch-loks at every wiring connection.

The first time they are used, half the lights won't work.

But, to address your brake-locking problem, you may very well have to install a brake reducing resistor in the trailer-brake wire.

I have had a few trailers that would nearly jerk the ball off; install this resistor, and no more problem.

Also, there is an electronic gizmo, that installs in the brake-control wire, that eliminates the brakes from getting a false reading from the turn signals.

Some trucks will "feed back" from the turn signals, into the trailer brake trigger wire, that is spliced into the cold side of the brake-light switch, and lock the brakes, with each flash of the signal.

Electric brakes are a joke, at best, and a constant source of amusement, providing you enjoy constant tinkering.

annabelle

http://www.marksrv.com/wiring.htm Same problem.

BearKiller

Here is the page for the six-prong:

http://www.marksrv.com/6way.htm

Note what they say as to the brake/ground/and auxilliary terminals.