Brake Wiring

Just got a new (to us at least!) 2518, pluged in the brake controler and got a "NC". Looked under the trailer and saw about 6" of two green wires coming from the brakes....

So, the previous owner cut the brake wires. My question is where should be brake wires be run? I am also assuming that one wire is the brake and the other a ground?

Or do I tow it (very slowly!!!!) to a dealer and have them fix the brakes? Only problem with that option is the closest TM dealer is too far to tow it without brakes. There is a good Trailer shop and two other RV dealers close by however.

[fcatwo]

Any dealer/shop can fix the brakes. Might be a good time to have the wheel bearings serviced as well.

[Brightsu]

If you have a Camping World they can do it, we purchased a new Prodigy thinking ours was bad, guess what, it wasn't the Prodigy the plug socket needed grease for it had corroded, $50.00 later and a new Prodigy we have connected displayed now . Just thought I would put in my 2 cents worth or should I say my $50.00 worth.

Pam

Thanks for the replies, I will take it to the local trailer shop. Since the previous owner obviously cut the wires there may be something more wrong with the brakes - that should be checked and adjusted!!!

Now if I'd only looked under the trailer before paying to have the Prodigy installed!

one possible reason I can think of that the previous owner may have intentionally cut the brakes is if the break away switch was activated and he had no way to turn it off (i.e. lost the laynard and the piece that plugs into the frame).

The breakaway switch is normally mounted on the street side tongue frame and connects to the Tow Vehicle with a twisted steel laynard. If the trailer were for some reason to "pop" off of the hitch as the trailer begins to slow down (rapidly in most cases) the Tow vehicle drives on and the Lanyard pulls the plug from the breakaway device. This causes the electric brakes to be applied as long as the battery has a charge. Removing the main battery fuse would be my perfered way of getting around this problem vice cutting the brake wires but I have not looked as a wiring diagram. It is possible that even without the battery the TV might provide power to the breaks via the Bargman plug.

Bottom line, check your breakaway switch. If that is missing repairing your brake wires could generate another problem for you.

Bill

[Bill]

Bill -

Like you, I puzzled over why any owner would go to the trouble of crawling under the TM and cutting the brake wires. Breakaway switch? Well, I don't have a better idea, so you are ahead of me. But let's be crystal clear on a couple things.

1. Having a working breakaway switch on your trailer is important - as in LIFE AND DEATH IMPORTANT! Don't even think about leaving your driveway or campsite without one. Not under any circumstances!

2.

the Lanyard pulls the plug from the breakaway device. This causes the electric brakes to be applied as long as the battery has a charge. Removing the main battery fuse would be my perfered way of getting around this problem vice cutting the brake wires

If the breakaway switch has applied the trailer brakes, NEITHER of these is an acceptable way of "getting around the problem". If you accidentally pull the pin on your breakaway switch, all you have to do is stick the pin back in again. After all, it is attached to your tow vehicle by the lanyard, so you haven't lost it - it is still hanging there at the end of the lanyard. It is just like the light switch in your bedroom - when you turn it on, it is not permanently on - you can still turn it back off again.

3.

It is possible that even without the battery the TV might provide power to the breaks (spell?) via the Bargman plug.

Under normal circumstances, the tow vehicle provides ALL of the power to the trailer brakes via the Bargman plug. And if the breakway switch is activated when there is no TM battery (or the TM battery is dead), the tow vehicle will still operate the trailer brakes normally, meaning it will provide normal braking power via the Bargman plug.
. However, if the trailer becomes physically disconnected from the tow vehicle (i.e., the hitch pops off and the trailer "breaks away" from the tow vehicle), then the Bargman plug gets pulled out of its socket immediately. And then the only remaining source of power to the trailer brakes is the trailer battery, via the breakaway switch. And if you have disconnected the trailer battery or pulled its fuse, then the trailer will roll merrily down the highway, smashing cars and killing parents, kids, and dogs, until it finally comes to rest upside down in a ditch. Not a good outcome.

Sorry to be so strong in my reply, but this is not a trivial matter. If the original owner cut the brake wires to circumvent the breakaway switch, then he should be shot. Pure and simple.

By the way, if the lanyard and the pin are actually missing, a new breakaway switch is cheap ($10) and easy to install.

Bill

[fcatwo]

Bill covered the more likely problem but I remember now that I noticed early on that our brake wires were secured with only one zip tie in the middle of the axle where they cross from one brake to the other and the wires were hanging down several inches on each side of the tie. Two extra ties on each side solved the problem but the wires could have easily been severed by driving over brush or something similar. It's possible the previous owners didn't know the wires were broken.

[Bill]

Frank -

Your observation is a good one. RockyMtnRay noticed that his brake wires had been abraded (cut?) by the flexing of the suspension. Let me see if I can uncover the thread, and if I do I'll add a link here.

Bill

Here's the link to RockyMtnRay's tale: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ht=brake+wires

Thanks Bill for stressing the safety aspect. Rereading my post it was not as clear as it could have been. I did not mean to suggest operating the trailer with the breakaway switch bypassed. My comment should have been from the point of view that "IF" somehow the breakaway plug was pulled and missing that pulling the battery fuse while you ordered or drove to a dealer to get a replacement part would keep the battery from being drained (if that was the concern). If the person intentionally cut the wires (and there have been some valid comments on it being possibly accidental) cutting the wires would mean they wanted to tow the trailer and needed to get the brakes to release. I whole heartedly agree that is not only dangerous but borders on negligent.

Bill