Help! Trailer Brakes Are Only Hooked Up On One Side of Axle

Updated 08/02/2022 | Published 07/31/2022

Question:

I just noticed my 2021 Montana electrical brakes are hooked up only on one side !! Should I be concerned about this and should a dealership hook up all for ASAP??

asked by: Kevin

Expert Reply:

Yes, you should be concerned about your trailer brakes being connected on just one side, but before you reach out to a dealership let's double check first.

Electric brakes, like the Dexter Axle # 23-180-181, use magnets so when the brakes are activated there is a slight "hum" noise. Sometimes wiring is ran along the axle from one side to the other so you may only see the brake circuit going down one side of your trailer but all of the brakes are still connected to the circuit. If you have someone manually apply the brakes with your controller override this should product the slight hum mentioned above. You can also try jacking the trailer frame up enough for the wheel to freely spin unless the brakes are being manually applied.

If you don't hear the hum and/or you're able to freely spin the wheel even with the brakes fully applied then that means those brakes aren't getting power and you need to get that fixed before your next trip.

Attached is a link to our trailer wiring help article that has some demonstrations as to how the brake wiring can be ran.

expert reply by: Jon G