Dexter Electric Over Hydraulic Brake Actuator on Gatormade Gooseneck Trailer Not Working

Updated 01/07/2019 | Published 01/05/2019

Question:

Hey guys, I drive a Ram 3500 pulling a 40 ft Gatormade gooseneck trailerhotshot with electronic hydraulic system for brakes,, so the problem is I cant get my brake actuator in the trailer to work, can u guys tell me if theres a fuse or were to start on this

asked by: EJ

Expert Reply:

I spoke with Gatormade and they informed me that you have a Dexter DX Series Electric Over Hydraulic Brake Actuator part # K71-651. If this actuator is not functioning properly then you will first need to inspect the wiring. This unit receives power from the 12 volt circuit on the trailer connector. I recommend using a multimeter and testing the black wire just before it enters the actuator. If you do not get 12 volts then you would first want to check the "Trailer Battery Charge" fuse on the vehicle. If the fuse is good then you have a short and will need to trace this circuit from the vehicle's fuse box to the trailer side trailer connector. If you do get 12 volts at the power wire just before actuator then I would check the ground wire next. According to the owner's manual for this actuator, the ground wire will need to be ran to the negative terminal on the vehicle's battery.

Once the power/ground is checked you will then need to be sure that the brake controller you have on the tow vehicle is compatible with electric over hydraulic brake actuators and is in the correct mode. If the unit you have is not compatible then I recommend using the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller part # 90195 with the Tekonsha Plug-In Wiring Adapter for Electric Brake Controllers part # 3024-P. The factory integrated brake controller on a 2010+ Ram should be compatible.

If none of the above yield any results then I recommend you take the trailer to a local trailer shop to have the unit inspected.

expert reply by: Conner L