Tow rigs and trailers

Started by StingRay66, August 19, 2016, 02:32:24 PM

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StingRay66

First off I think we need a new section with this title.

Well I learned a long hard (and expensive) lesson yesterday. I put all new brakes on my car hauler back in May and when I arrived at the camp ground for trail maint. I discovered smoke coming off my trailer axle hubs. apparently the brakes had been dragging for a while. I suspected there was some sort of ground issue causing the brakes to engage when the headlights came on so my quick fix for the trip home was to cut the taillight wire and for good measure the blue brake wire after all brakes and tail lights are not a requirement to get from point A to point B.
Now fast forward to last weekend I am getting ready for a run to MD to pick up a Grand Cherokee and go to my grand daughters birthday party so I need the trailer to bring the Jeep home and I thinks it might be nice to have trailer brakes in the Pa hills. So I decide to replace all the wiring instead of trying to find the problem. I put a all new taillight harness and a new wire from the plug to the brakes too, but as before the wiring R & R my brake controller is giving me a "short circuit" code when activated. Then I spend a couple hours checking and rechecking all my previous work ( no need to check the new brake assemblies right there new right ),with no success its late so I give up for the day. The next day at work I'm think about my conundrum and decide to go ahead and check the new brake assemblies....ahha I found the problem the wires are melted together at the magnets on the brake assemble I replace in May, so I runs over to Tractor Supply and gets me some more new stuff I throw $150 buck at the clerk as I run by and say see later. Well I'm not getting any short circuit code anymore , buuut there still not working like I think they should and now I hear that little humming noise coming from the brakes when the headlights are on same as before....its late I quit and go to bed. The next day at work I'm thinking again ( I do that sometimes when I'm at work) so I start Googleing and low and behold I find out that the Hopkins pigtail harness I bought ( it goes from the controller to the junction block under the dash) is not wired correctly so I do some more Googleing and find out how to repin the plug and fix this problem, by the way I bought a new $100 controller hoping that was the problem, nope.  Well the moral if there is one to this rambling story is that just because you bought it new from a reputable company it don't mean it's gonna work like it's supposed to.


PS
I spent about $300 to find out that there were 4 wires in the wrong place in a plug under the dash!!!!

Now off to Maryland for a birthday party.
Russ

No God ....................No Peace

Know God ................Know Peace

Ken

Call them up and give them hell.
Ken

2014 Copper Head Jeep JK Willys Wheeler with 3 inch lift, Front E-locker, Rear Limited Slip.
Warn Wench and Bumpers. 315 tires.