Trailer break problem. I need help, I;='m Stumped

[slightlybent47]

Hey folks I need help on my trailer. It has breaks and they were working fine, then they seemed to just stop working. My breaks work just fine on my cargo trailer but not on my flat bed. I’ve tried everything I know to do but still can’t get them to work. I checked the voltage at the actuator and its getting voltage there but the breaks dont engage.
I have brand new actuators that I bought to replace the old ones but I feel like since I’m getting 12 volts to the old ones that I may not need to put the new ones on.
This trailer does not have break away battery on it so thats not the problem.
The lights work, the turn signals work and the break lights work, but not the breaks.
I’m stumped.

Can anyone give me any ideas?

[slightlybent47]

Well since I already bought the new brake assembly for both sides I went ahead and replaced both of them. Then I put a new 6 way plug on the trailer side because it looked rusty and I figured maybe it wasn’t grounding well.
I adjusted the breaks till the wheel stopped turning and then backed it off just a little bit so the wheel will turn.
Took it for a test drive and they do just barley work when you give it a full 12 volts on the trailer brake control.
But with 12 volts it should have locked up.
When the trailer was new it would lock up with just about 6 to 7 on the brake control.
My cargo trailer has a 7 way plug on the trailer side and I use a 7 to 6 way adapter and the breaks work just fine on that trailer.
And the flat bed worked just fine for years, then they just stopped working.

It has all new brake parts so it must be in the wiring somewhere.
Probably something simple, I just cant find what it is.
I need the breaks to work, last week I pulled 6080 lbs on the trailer so they need to work.
Probably going to have to pay someone to fix it.
I’ve done all I know to do.

[quad2xtreme]

Because you have another trailer to use as a test, you know the issue isn't in your vehicle or the brake controller. The first thing I would do is pull the wheels off the flatbed trailer and carefully inspect the cabling inch by inch looking for a bare spot. This is the issue 99% of the time.

[slightlybent47]

I pulled my cargo trailer the other day and it worked fine.

[CJM]

I say its a burnt/worn wire grounding itself off. Trace the wiring and look for any burnt/rubbed thru spots.

[slightlybent47]

And I did inspect the complete wiring from the front to the rear and I did a class A job wiring up the new brake assemblies. No issues found in the wiring from a visual point anyway.
All the lights on the flat bed are nice and bright so I don’t think a ground problem is the issue. Plus I used a jumper from the truck to the trailer to check for a better ground, nothing changed.

Putting a new plug in the trailer side and replacing the break hub assemblies did go from nothing to just barely a little breaks. But I stress barely.
It was wired with 12 gage heavy duty 6 conductor wire with a very thick jacket, much like something would wire a machine with. So its not the cheap auto parts flat wire a lot of trailers are wired with.

[slightlybent47]

Well after wasting a full day spending money and getting no where and just tired of going over the same things again and again, I started calling this morning for a place to look at it.
I found a place that said they could look at it rite away, so I headed down there even though it was a fairly long drive. Just after I left the house I remembered a trucking yard I worked out of for 12 years that was just 6 miles away that has a shop for all there trucks.
Having had many trucks worked on there for so long I decided to pop in and see some old friends and see if they would look at it.
Had a nice chat with Darwin, Glen and Gus all part owners and all family they told there best trailer guy to look at it. So he broke out some rather expensive testing gear and started probing.
We found out that I am getting the rite voltage to both break assemblies, both with the foot break and the hand break. Grounding was good and still almost zero breaks.

Did a little more visiting and thanked them for the help and offered to pay, and they wouldn’t have any of that. I thanked them again and said I’d pop in sometime soon just to visit.

Also I didn’t like the way the place I was headed to sounded on the phone and I went to the place where I bought my cargo trailer that had been there 17 years and there shop still looks like a brand new shop. So they keep a tidy house and have been there a long time. I had called them and the said they could get it done by Friday so off I went.

Just to double check I stopped at my house and unhooked the flat bed and hooked up the cargo trailer and gave it a test drive. Sure enough it worked perfectly like it always has.
Running 30 mph I hit the trailer hand break and she locked up with no problem.

Returned to the house and swapped them out and took the flat bed to the shop where there supposed to do a diagnostic and call with the results.

It’s in the hands of the pros now so hopefully they can sort it out.

I did ask then to test the old break assemblies and if the are working I said to put them on the front axel with some new break hubs so then id have breaks on both axels.

So now we wait!

[CJM]

Truly a confusing problem man. Hope it all works out for ya!

[slightlybent47]

Truly a confusing problem man. Hope it all works out for ya!

Thanks

After being hit with quite a few very expensive unexpected expenses I just lope this not another one.
I’m sure they can fix it but at what cost.
GRRRRRRRR!

[CJM]

I hear ya.

I just RnR my 450r rear axle and carrier the other day. Axle was all galled up as well as brake hub so I filed it down. Well too bad, it has way to much play now no matter what. Seemed right tho when I tried it at first. New axle and hub soon.