1) The truck and trailer I have did not have the same connection size so I was told to get a converter. I purchased one and when I tried to pull my trailer it locked the brakes on the trailer and burned them up. Someone told me that there are 2 types of converters and that I had apparently purchased the wrong one. Does that sound right?
2) Meanwhile, I had new brakes put on the trailer and had the bearing packed and had the truck brake system wired the same as the trailer. The electric brake system in the truck has the lights and adjustment for the tension but on the right side there is a knob that says levels. What does that mean?
3)Also, when driving in the mountains (Tennessee) do I use the overdrive or just shift down to second gear?
Posted 2006-10-15 9:27 PM (#475 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 2621
Originally written by arlene21 on 2006-10-15 8:00 PM
1) The truck and trailer I have did not have the same connection size so I was told to get a converter. I purchased one and when I tried to pull my trailer it locked the brakes on the trailer and burned them up. Someone told me that there are 2 types of converters and that I had apparently purchased the wrong one. Does that sound right?
2) Meanwhile, I had new brakes put on the trailer and had the bearing packed and had the truck brake system wired the same as the trailer. The electric brake system in the truck has the lights and adjustment for the tension but on the right side there is a knob that says levels. What does that mean?
3)Also, when driving in the mountains (Tennessee) do I use the overdrive or just shift down to second gear?
Thanks.
There are (at least) 2 wiring conventions, the ones that usually get horse trailer folk into problems are the crossover between back-up lights and electric brakes. Many recent model year trucks have 7 pin "RV" connectors with the center pin used for back-up lights, however many horse trailers use that pin for electric brakes. On the root page of this site, above the forums, there is a pointer to wiring that should tell all you need to know.
The common problem is "converting" from 7 pin truck to 6 pin trailer, the black plastic converter usually has something molded into it to indicate which way it is wired, some of them can be taken apart and changed.
"Level" is a label indicating that the knob is to be used for "Levelling" the controller. It doesn't really mean that, the term is an artifact of a time when brake controllers had a pendulum or similar device to detect decelleration - "Levelling" of the controller was necessary to compensate for that fact that the tow vehicle was not in fact level, but the controller needed to be..... Hmmm, "zeroed" might have been a better term.
In any case, you should have an owner's manual for the brake controller. If you read that you will come across a set-up section that addresses the use of the "Level" knob. A very popular brand is Tekonsha, you can download a copy of the manual from their web site if you need it.
If your transmission is "hunting" or getting unusually warm it is a good idea to avoid the highest gear(s). This is typically done by shifting to 2nd in the older type of 3 speed automatic, O/D lockout, or a tow/haul mode. O/D lockout and Tow/Haul together are possible on some automatics. Tow/Haul mode is implemented differently by different manufacturers, without knowing the make and year it is not possible to give specific advice.
Coming DOWN is more important than going UP, use the lower gears on the way down to hold your speed in check and minimise brake heating (fade).
Posted 2006-10-15 10:40 PM (#476 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 23
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Was your brake controller recently installed? If so, have the installer recheck everything. I fell victim to that a few months ago when I connected the truck to the trailer and locked up my trailer brakes for a couple of miles before realizing it. Come to find out, the installer 1) miswired the converter and 2) left a nut loose so that it helped give my controller false reads.
Posted 2006-10-16 7:59 AM (#477 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 40
Location: Ottawa, ON
On the root page of this site, above the forums, there is a pointer to wiring that should tell all you need to know.
Reg,
While the information linked at the bottom of the page is useful, it is neither clear, nor complete. The only reference to the possible variations on the centre pin is made on the 6 pin connector data. Nothing for the 7 pin, nothing about the differences in the pinouts on different tow vehicles.
You have referred a number of people to this information, including myself, and in some cases it does not contain the needed facts. I appreciate the information and advice available on this site and the helpful people who frequent it. However, this is a bit of a sore point with me, and I'd like to suggest that either you should add a disclaimer when you refer people to this info. or perhaps the data itself could be reviewed for accuracy and clarity.
Posted 2006-10-16 10:12 AM (#478 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 180
Location: Kentucky
Thanks for the help. My truck is a Ford 01 Diesel 350 Powerstroke. The converter was from a 7 to a 6 so the wrong converter must have been the problem. It is resolved now since my mechanic wired me directly to the truck using the schematic on my trailer.
The brake control was already on the truck when I bought it so I will try to look on-line and see if I can find the leveler information.
My truck has an overdrive button on it and it is an automatic so for this last trip I used the 2nd gear and the overdrive going down the curvey hills. I never put it in 4 X4 going up or down.
Posted 2006-10-16 10:47 AM (#479 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 2621
Originally written by 10Ha.Wood on 2006-10-16 7:59 AM
On the root page of this site, above the forums, there is a pointer to wiring that should tell all you need to know.
Reg,
While the information linked at the bottom of the page is useful, it is neither clear, nor complete. The only reference to the possible variations on the centre pin is made on the 6 pin connector data. Nothing for the 7 pin, nothing about the differences in the pinouts on different tow vehicles.
You have referred a number of people to this information, including myself, and in some cases it does not contain the needed facts. I appreciate the information and advice available on this site and the helpful people who frequent it. However, this is a bit of a sore point with me, and I'd like to suggest that either you should add a disclaimer when you refer people to this info. or perhaps the data itself could be reviewed for accuracy and clarity.
Chris
Well, YES.
To ME (first person, singular) it is implicit that just about anything relevant to 6-pin connections is likely to also be applicable to 7 to 6 pin converters.
In THIS forum I am NOT a researcher, I do NOT check the completeness of everything I provide pointers to.
Buyer beware,
Free advice being worth every penny you pay for it,
etc.
Posted 2006-10-16 2:37 PM (#480 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 228
Location: North Dakota
Originally written by arlene21 on 2006-10-16 10:12 AM
My truck has an overdrive button on it and it is an automatic so for this last trip I used the 2nd gear and the overdrive going down the curvey hills. I never put it in 4 X4 going up or down.
To me it sounds like you do not understand how your pickup’s transmission works. When overdrive is selected with the button and the gear shifter is in “D” (or possibly “OD) your transmission is allowed to shift into 4th gear, otherwise called “overdrive.” So, if your gear shifter is in “2”, selecting overdrive with the button does nothing. Your transmission will only go as high as 2nd gear. If you want to keep the transmission in 3rd gear, otherwise called “drive”, put the gear shifter in “D” (or possibly “OD”) and do not select overdrive with the button.
Also, having it in 4x4 does not matter. The transmission doesn’t care whether or not you are using 4x4.
Second gear is generally good for going down hills. Third gear is generally good for pulling flat. Overdrive (fourth gear) may not be good for anything while pulling, depending on the size of your load, wind, axle ratio, and many other things.
Posted 2006-10-16 4:31 PM (#481 - in reply to #474) Subject: RE: Truck and trailer brake questions
Posts: 211
Location: Kansas City
I've experienced two trailers that were wired for inside aux lights (dome or door) sep from the marker/clearance lights. I've seen these miswired plugs make the brakes "hot" all the time and turn the trailer dome lights on when the brakes were applied. Don't know if that applied here. However, I belive that in many cases factory vehicle wiring does not match factory trailer wiring (RV vs horse trailer, etc) and in almost all cases, when owners "fix" the wiring problem such as re-wiring the truck to match a trailer, it never matches anything. The wiring link that Reg points to is not all-inclusive, but it does provide the information necessary to make people realize that standard wiring is not a truly defined idea.
Truck and trailer brake questions
