# Trailer brakes lockup - HELP!



## Playing Hooky (Jun 14, 2006)

Hello 2 Coolers-
Here's a new one for me. We had Playing Hooky out this weekend, launched at Sievers Cut for a fishing merit badgfe weekend for 14 boy scouts. The weekend went fine until I loaded 'Hooky back onto the trailer. 
When I needed to back up the surge brakes engaged and would not release. Needless to say it was somewhat troublesome to not be able to back up the boat/trailer with locked up surge brakes.
Has anyone had this happen before and am I overlooking some easy solution?
Thanks in advance,
Matt


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## Hooked (Oct 15, 2004)

I had this happen once and turned out the 'emergency lever' on top of the trailer tongue, with the cable attached, had somehow been banged and engaged. Got that back in place and cleared the problem.


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## MLCinNCTX (May 30, 2007)

Playing Hooky said:


> Hello 2 Coolers-
> When I needed to back up the surge brakes engaged and would not release. Needless to say it was somewhat troublesome to not be able to back up the boat/trailer with locked up surge brakes.
> Matt


You need to determine what design the trailer uses to over-ride the surge brake when backing. Some are as Hooked described in his post, some have a blocking pin, and some use a switch connected to the back up lights. I doubt yours has the old pin device, because you would have had to use it before now.

Call your dealer and ask them how the brake is controlled in reverse.


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## barbless (Jul 27, 2004)

good chance you have an electrical lockout with the backup light circuit supplying the power. I have the same setup and sometimes the corrosion in the plug fails to transfer the juice to the lockout mechanism. I just plug and unplug a few times and get a good contact and it'll then work. You probably also have a way to jamb a wrench or screw driver into the surge mechanism so that it doesn't contract when backing up. This works if all else fails.


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## Playing Hooky (Jun 14, 2006)

I appreciate all the advice. It was a real pain in the ___ to try to back the trailer up in a gravel lot: the suburban started fish-tailing and dirt flying all over. I will take my tool box and look for a disengage pin, then drive straight to the shop without backing up.
Thanks 2Coolers!


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Mine does this also. I use a small piece of wood in the underneath the tongue. There is play in the surge tongue's. I think we may need to bleed the trailer brakes.


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## Argo (May 21, 2004)

are you useing a 5 wire harness or a 4 wire? when you get trailer brakes you have to move to a 5 wire harness, there is an extra white wire that hooks to your back up lights and disengages the brakes when you put the truck in reverse.


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## paragod (Aug 25, 2006)

Isnt it blue ?


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Argo, I don't think I have an extra wire. And no wires run to the calipers or brake system. The trailer brakes I'm talking about are the surge brakes in the tongue. When you step on the brakes the weight of the boat pushes against the tongue activating the brakes. So when you back up and trying to push that weight it engages the brakes on the trailer.


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## Argo (May 21, 2004)

yeah, surge brakes should have something that disengages them, usually it is an electrical actuator that runs off of your reverse lights, at least that is how all the trailers I have seen over the last 7-8 years work......they will also have a pin or a lever that you can use to disengage the breaks/lock out the surge/sliding tongue......have the trailer checked out by the place that you got it from, they might have not hooked it up for some reason.........mine was a white wire on all three of my trailers but it could be brand specific


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## KID CREOLE (Oct 28, 2005)

http://www.championtrailers.com/REVERSING_SOLENOID_VALVES.HTM

Here you go, I use the dump valve!


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