[AT] OT Electric trailer brakes

[Lew Best]

Think I finally got mine straightened out; I'll find out tomorrow when I
take it to the inspection place.  Worked fine last trip until I got about
half way there then quit again.  had eliminated controller problems as the
brakes on my other trailer worked fine (needed to move it yesterday).
Anyway, yesterday evening I started pulling all the connections apart again
& soldered & liquid taped them; finished this evening; all 4 brakes seem to
work hooked to a battery (per dealer testing method recommendation) so we'll
see what happens tomorrow.  Found several "kinda iffy" connections but
nothing that looked really bad.  Cleaned them all good before soldering.    

Lew Best near Waco, TX
Please note new email addy 
lew at lewslittlefarm.com


-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Dick Day
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 9:02 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] OT Electric trailer brakes

Weird that this thread appears now...

I just had the local trailer company install a 6-pin connector on my Nav and

it seemed to work fine... during the day when I tested it.

We went down to Missouri Sunday and brought back a '49 M180 Huber (the 
seller said it was an M120). Once it got dark (still about 70 miles from 
home), I noticed that the brake controller had turned orange, like the 
brakes were being applied. Also, the right turn signal stopped working 
(stayed on solid).  I finally figured out that if I unplugged the trailer, 
the turn signal worked.  Then I realized that we only had problems when the 
headlights were on!

The good news is that the brakes got hot enough to smell but they never 
caught fire.  I eventually had to disconnect the brake controller and travel

70 miles with no trailer brakes.

The trailer place will have to fix that mess tomorrow :)

Dick


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ronald L. Cook" <rlcook at longlines.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:59 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] OT Electric trailer brakes


Lew,
I don't know how your pulling vehicle is wired up, but my problem on
one vehicle was the vehicle ground.  Corroded.  The lights worked
apparently because the ground through the ball was sufficient for that,
but the brakes were a two-wire system as you relate.  The ground went
from the outlet to the frame and was corroded at the attachment to the
vehicle frame.  The first clue that something was haywire was the brakes
operating with the four-way flashers that I applied to signal backing.
Another vehicle runs both wires up to the engine compartment somewhere
and gave no problem with the same trailer.  Someone probably did a
better job of wiring.  I had the problem vehicle wired up at the trailer
sales place where I bought the trailer.  What a mess!!!  I am not going
to mention the language spoken by the work force at that place.  I will
never do any business with them again, though.  The hitch and all wiring
was a package with the trailer, or I would have done it myself.  I had
to do it all over anyways, so I did not gain anything except a lightened
billfold.

Ron Cook
Salix, IA

Lew Best wrote:
> I've seen lotsa grounding problems for sure but don't think that's the 
> case
> here.  The plug uses 2 terminals for hot & ground; 2 wires going to the
> brake coils & each coil has 2 wires.  No grounding thru the frame. Seems 
> to
> be correct voltage to the coils but I'll put an ammeter on each one & in 
> the
> main line checking for 3 amps per coil; 12 amps overall.
>
> Lew
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