I bought a enclosed trailer with a bent axle so I got a new axle and put it on today. Swapped the brakes (like new and don't think they were used) and hubs over to the new axle. When I towed it the brakes don't work. There is a small battery mounted on the front that I assume is a break away system.

How do I check it out? Does it matter what wires are connected from each side to the 2 feed wires? My Prodigy doesn't show a short, but did last week when I towed a horse trailer so how do I check to make sure I have voltage going to the trailer?

The trailer has odd ball size torque screws, where do I find a screw driver to fit them? I took a screw all over town and could not find one that fit, I think it was a size between a 15 and a 20.

Thanks.

 

The break-away battery has nothing to do with your brakes working. If you pull the pin it sends a full 12 volts to the brakes and locks them up. If the pin is installed it doesn't do anything.

To check the wiring do a continuity check from the plug to the brake wire where it goes into the backing plate. It doesn't matter which wire is hot or ground as long as each brake has one of each. If you have continuity apply 12 volts direct to the hot wires while making sure the other wires are grounded. If the brakes don't work the magnets are bad, which is highly unlikely. Very often the wires that run through the axle fail, you may have to rewire the new axle.

Are the screws square by chance?

 

Tracing back to find where you aren't getting power is a good idea.

Also, many times the wiring used for trailer brakes has two layers of plastic insulation, the inner one being kind of translucent. A person could easily think they stripped the wire and miss that second layer if you didn't know it was there...

 

Good advice. I've seen that happen before on trailer brakes.

 

Check the ground, often the plug grounds to the frame and then the brakes ground to the frame. Over time thingsget corroded and you lose your ground. I prefer to run a ground wire to every light and brake rather than relying on the frame. I've also seen trailers with no ground wire in the trailer plug but instead rely on the ball hitch to form a ground.

 

I found the brake problem, ground wire was corroded at a splice so they work fine.

Now anyone have a clue about the torque driver? It is a star just like a torque but odd size.

Also there is a light with switch inside of trailer that doesn't work, no power to switch and it does not come off of the running light circuit. Any ideas what powers that? Had truck running with lights on when I checked.

Thanks for the help.

 

For that torx bit, how many "stars" are on it? My father-in-law had a little 4x8 utility trailer, with some weird torx screws for the grounds. I think it was either a 5 or 7 point torx. I think I found the right bit in a "master security" set at harbor freight, 100 piece set for something around $12.

 

A lot of trailers use a #2 square bit on the Torx-looking screw head. Try it and see. You'll be surprised!!!

 

What ^HE^ said. #2 square bit will fit most of what the manufacturers use.

 

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...6&postcount=11

http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm...pging/1/page/1

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/23458294.cfm

 

You guys nailed it, #2 square fits! I would have lost money on that bet.

Last problem, what feeds the circuit for the inside light? I can see the wires inside the trailer and there is a seperate one that goes from light switch to the loom and out to the pigtail.

 

You can wire it any way you want. Some wire it to the break away battery so it can be used when the trailer is unhooked, some tie it to the always hot lead that charges the break away, so it can be used anytime the pigtail is plugged in and some wire it to the clearence lights so it can only be used if the clearence lights are on.