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?
What is this hitch thing for?
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Emergency brake incase of a disconnect???
If there is a loop in the wire it should slip over the ball or connect to the vehicle somehow.
If there is a loop in the wire it should slip over the ball or connect to the vehicle somehow.
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It doesn't. The e-brake cable goes to this odd looking box. I went and looked at this trailer, and I'm picking it up saturday. The guy wasn't home when I was there, so I didn't get a chance to ask him.
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That's a surge brake box. As you slow down the weight of the trailer creeps up on the towing vehicle applying hydraulic pressure to the brakes. The cable is there to activate the hydraulic brakes in case of a break away. You can see the oil fill plug in the top and the heavy duty spring behind it that releases the brakes.
This system is used almost exclusively on boat trailers since dumping electric brakes into the water can cause issues.
The real bitch with these is trying to back your trailer up an incline. Wants to keep applying the trailer brakes.
This system is used almost exclusively on boat trailers since dumping electric brakes into the water can cause issues.
The real bitch with these is trying to back your trailer up an incline. Wants to keep applying the trailer brakes.
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But it also has electric brakes. 
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I just had to call him, because this is confusing me.
You're 100% right, it has a hydraulic front axle braking system. The rears are electric. He converted the rear to electric in case the hydraulic setup failed.
:sonicjay:
You're 100% right, it has a hydraulic front axle braking system. The rears are electric. He converted the rear to electric in case the hydraulic setup failed.
:sonicjay:
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there should be a lever or pin that you can engage when backing up so that this does not happen. mine did.
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i have never seen that but ok.
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Many of the newer surge set-ups that I have seen have a wire in them that goes to your reverse lights, This will disengage the brakes when you are in reverse so you can move.
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So that's why boat trailers have a 5 pin flat set up..
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Never seen a 5 pin flat connector. Just 4 pin. It would be new to me.
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all of the boat trailers ive seen have 5 flat.
http://www.drawtite.com/dt20016.html
Just what i suspected. back up light circuit
why the heck would i want an electric setup on a trailer that i am going to submerge... especially since most of them tell you to disconnect the lights when you are going to launch...
Also, i have yet to have a boat trailer that did not have a locking pin to prevent the compression... although many of my older ones they have been on the bottom of the hitch
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I have a five pin on my boat. it works off the reverse lights somehow.
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x3
ever had to back a 26' salmon boat up am incline with surge brakes? it doesnt go well
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Ever had to read a whole thread about this where people have already state most newer boats have a switch wired to the reverse lights to cut out the surge brakes when backing.. Yea that goes so well. :thumb: ( yours is probably old and dont have that. i just felt like being a dick):sonicjay:
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or you could disconnect the surge brakes. (mine has a quick release coupler)
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