Trailer e brakes?

[Richard Berkey]

I'm an idiot. When you are trailering w/ electric brakes, does the connection to the towing vehicle charge the battery on the trailer? Or do I need to keep charging the trailer battery between uses?

[Torquin]

Having brakes on the trailer does not guarantee charging occurs. You must have separate wiring for charging. If you bought a trailer new from a manufacturer, and your truck is wired right, you should have charging.
Your truck will need to have a 6 or 7 pin connector on it, which has a 12+v feed in it. That is the charging circuit. 5 or fewer pins will not have 12v+ on it.
I said a new trailer because I have purchased two used trailers where the wiring was all good except the 12v+ circuit was screwed up, probably because the former owner didn't understand the concept, so my break-away battery was not being charged. On one the battery also powered the dump pump, and they did not have a break-away battery chagrer on it so when they'd use the hydraulic pump it would draw heavy off the truck's charging circuit, blowing fuses. I installed a charger in-line and now no fuses get blown and the dump trailer's battery stays charged.

So, to check this, attach a voltmeter to your break-away battery and note the voltage. Start your vehicle and see if the voltage at the break-away battery goes up. If it does, you are charging the break-away battery.

Chris

[bottom scratcher]

Here's the wiring for a trailer with electric brakes including troubleshooting.


ELECTRIC * HYDRAULIC * DISC TRAILER BRAKING SYSTEMS (http://www.championtrailers.com/brkart.html#elec_brake_wiring_dia)

[Richard Berkey]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help :thumbup: