Can Trailer Brake Assemblies Ground at the Frame and the Connector

Question

Question:

I have seen 2 diagrams pertaining to trailer brake wiring… one diagram that shows 1 wire from the magnet getting grounded at the trailer, and the other diagram getting grounded back at the plug. I’m having to re-wire my brakes due to broken wires and the trailer is currently wired with all 4 brakes getting grounded at the plug… I didn’t know if I could just ground at the frame near the wheel or if I needed to go back to the plug like it is. Thanks

asked by: Brandon D

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Expert Reply:

You can definitely ground your trailer brake assemblies to your trailer frame. This will be just as effective and also will be a much easier install.

expert reply by: Jameson C

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Answer 1

If your existing hubs use a L44649 bearing with an ID of 1.063, we have a solution for you. You'll want to measure the ID of your existing bearings to confirm. A digital caliper like #PTW80157 is an easy way to get an accurate measurement of your…

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Answer 2

Hey Zach, congrats on the new trailer! You can either look at the info sticker near the tongue of the trailer to find the weight ratings of each axle or, if you can't find that, there is a sticker in the middle of each axle showing what the…

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Answer 3

Hey Chris, thanks for getting in touch. The plug in your picture is known as a 7-way round pin connector. If you are wanting to keep the wiring on the trailer as-is, and you just want to swap out the plug for a standard 7-blade, it will definitely be…

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Answer 4

Are you looking for a wiring harness for the vehicle or the trailer? You normally wouldn't put a 4-way and a 7-way on the trailer as you'd pick one or the other based on if the trailer has brakes. Since yours is going to have brakes you'd…

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Answer 5

If you are referring to two white wires from the brake magnet that are coming from the rear of each electric brake assembly, then it would not matter which wire is connected to ground and which wire is used for the brake feed. The magnet that…

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Answer 6

It sounds like you are speaking of the wires for the brake magnets. If this is correct, you will need to connect one of the wires to the brake controller output wire on your trailer connector and the other wire will need to be grounded to a clean…

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Answer 7

Yes, 14 gauge wire seems too small. I would go with 10 or 12 gauge. For 10 gauge you can use #10-1-1 and for 12 gauge use #12-1-1. These wires are sold in increments of 1 foot. So if you needed 20 feet of wire you would enter 20 in the quantity box.…

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Answer 8

If your trailer has 7 wires running all the way back to the brakes, then yes, you can tap into the existing wiring. Each of your new brakes will have two wires for the brake magnet. One wire is for 12 volt power to the brake magnets and the other…

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Answer 9

There really isn't a particular maximum trailer weight that is used to determine when brakes need to be added to both axles of a tandem axle setup. While I do still recommend checking your local laws, I am also not aware of any general laws that…

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Answer 10

Electric brakes have 2 wires located at the back. One is for power and the other is for ground (it doesn't matter which is used for which function). The ground wires should be connected to the trailer frame. The only other place that would carry…

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Answer 11

Hey Jeff, thanks for reaching out! From the information you gave me, I'm pretty sure you have 3.5K axles on your trailer so you'll need the following: - etrailer Electric Trailer Brakes - Self-Adjusting #AKEBRK-35-SA (1 set per axle) -…

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Answer 12

Hi Jamie, You would need to find a hub and drum with matching bearings and grease seals to fit the spindle on the trailer axle and a the correct capacity brake assemblies compared to the capacity of the axle. The more wheel studs there ae the higher…

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Can Trailer Brake Assemblies Ground at the Frame and the Connector

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