Hi!

I've just purchased a 2-axle car-hauling trailer from the brother of a friend. He registered it in VA when he lived there and decided to keep the permenant VA tags on it when he moved up here to MD.

I'm moving up to PA in a week, so he's "lending" it to me until the move and "then" I'll buy it from him as a PA resident.

Anyway, the electric brakes on this thing have never worked since he bought it, and he's been using it to tow pickups, vans, etc. on multi-100-mile trips fairly regularly without a problem. (He says.)

I don't intend to haul automobiles, in fact I intend to put a floor and maybe some short stake sides on it and use it for a utility trailer. Neither of our rigs is wired with more than the standard 4-pin harness plug, and I really don't want to fool with the trailer brakes.

My friend tells me to just remove the brake control parts (battery, break-away switch, small junction block) from the trailer, run a basic lights harness on it, and go. He tells me that, if those parts are there, they have to function. If not, they don't.

Is he full of crap? Am I going to have to rewire and possibly re-build the electric brakes to get this thing registered? Will they pass it as a non-braked trailer with the drums, etc. on each axle just going along for the ride?

So far I've towed it about 50 miles -- it towed very well, empty -- and completed the re-wiring job. What's the next step? Just move and try to register it -- see what happens?

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

id just see what happens try to rewire it as a 4 pin and see if they register it.if your not going to be hauling around "vehicles" i wouldnt worry about the brakes...but they are really nice to have when hauling large trailers! good luck let us know what happens

 

Yeah, unless I hear a definate word otherwise, that's the plan.

Ironically (because of your screen name) the only vehicle it will probably tow is the Samurai I'm planning on acquiring this spring! :-)

 

Frequently states will have brake requirements based on the weight of the trailer. In Minnesota for instance, a trailer of GVW less than 3,000 pounds doesn't need brakes. Over that though, and every axle has to have brakes.

 

Sam -

Is there a data plate on the trailer? PA requires brakes on trailers with a GVWR of 3000# and up.

Steve

 

i would say it is over 3000# because it has 2 axles so the fed rules are at least 1 axle has to have working brakes with a gvwr over 3500 lb.thats the min.but the states can req it have them on both axles if they want

 

A gross weight rating over 3500 lbs in Pa requires brakes.
Pa registration specifies the registered gross weight and the unloaded weight.
You can't play games with this because the trailer has to be inspected and the inspector has no athority to make exceptions. Only registration can change this.
A trailer like your indicateing usually have a gross of at least 7000 and weighs around 2000 to +/-.
Better to get a smaller trailer within the law and be able to haul at least 1000 lbs or to the limit of 3500 GVW..

 

Just buy a brake controller and a 7 way plug and your brakes will work. The brakes are fine, you just got to get the vehicle to see the brakes first.

 

Checked the towing laws chart in my 2006 Trailer Life Directory.
FWIW it says PA requires brakes on trailers over 3000lbs or if gross wt. of trailer exceeds empty weight of tow vehicle. Also reqiuired if weight of trailer exceeds 40% of tow vehicle weight.
(example: if Expy weighs about 5100lbs. x 40% equals brakes required on trailers above 2040lbs). Trailer brakes are a good thing, I agree with YJ Ken you might try a controller and a 7 pin plug setup to see if brakes work.

 

If you do disable the brake system and manage to slip that trailer by the DMV inspectors for registration, you've saved some $$$ but very possibly opened yourself up to heartache somewhere down the road; if you have or cause an accident that would've been prevented by trailer brakes, then you'll understand why the trailer came with a brake system.......JMHO.

Steve

 

fix the brakes. The controllers are not that expensive or complicated to hook up. If the trailer brakes need repair, they are also not that expensive and the parts are readily available. There are a couple of online trailer places that have troubleshooting information and sell the parts. here's one:
http://www.championtrailers.com/
You'll notice that have a technical section that should give you some help. If that doesn't get you straightend out, give them a call. Another company I like real well is:
http://www.crofttrailer.com/
You don't have to spend $100 for a prodigy brake controller, you can get an Activator II or whatever the current model is for around $50 someplace.

You really do want these brakes working properly. One of these days somebody is going to pull out in front of you and you're going to want all the brakes you can get and then some. I towed over 500 miles yesterday and had 2 instances where I really had to get on the brakes - one was when a semi was passing another on 2 lane US35 in West Virginia and he didn't have room. It was looking like a head-on for us with the passing semi. I was all over those brakes and ready to run over the hill to the right. You can't count on other drivers to always do the right thing. Slick roads can also allow a trailer to puch the back of your vehicle where you don't want it to go. Just fix the brakes!

 

As said before, PA requires brakes on all trailers, registered for 3001-up. Brakes are required at EVERY axle (I believe this may also be a new federal law). PA has annual inspections on trailers 3001-up also. Your NOT going to slip it by the inspectors if you remove the brakes, they know what they are doing. If you register it a 3k, and then don't need any of this you'll be ok until you get into an accident and injure of kill someone, and then they'll weight it, you'll be over your 3k limit and in a giagantic heap of trouble. Do it right, or sell the trailer to someone who is willing to tow it safely. If you refuse to tow safely and abide by the laws, then don't tow.

 

O.k.! Thanks very much for the info!

As I said, the equipment that came with the trailer was junk, but I have no problem replacing it with some good stuff.

I'll look into some of the suppliers mentioned and get it patched up before I take it in for registration.

FWIW, I haven't seen a data plate of any kind on this trailer, though there are some rivits on the rear cross-member where one *might* have been.

Thanks all!

 

Oh, by the way, what is generally involved in setting up a 7-pin wiring harness to replace the 4-pin one my trucks came with? Is it a plug-n-play swap?

Is that what I need? The trailer originally had a smaller (6-pin?) round plug. The electric brakes have only two wires running back to them.

Thanks!

 

You can find a 4 way to 7 way adapter. Then run two wires from up front. One from the brake controller (Blue) and one 12V hot wire (Red) preferrably through a 20A self-resetting circuit breaker. Then hook up a ground wire.

Or it could be as simple as this: http://www.etrailer.com/p-18242.htm. Follow your 4 way up and see if it goes to a connector. Then it is just a matter of pulling the 4 way off and connecting the 7 way. Then you will have to check if the fuses are in place. I just bought this kit and it came with the required fuses and relays to get it running.