Backing up with surge brakes

2018 Tundra. I have a boat trailer with a round 7 pin connector with regular surge brakes. When you back up the trailer brakes engage unless your truck sends a signal that you are in reverse to the solenoid on the trailer which then prevents the brakes from engaging. My truck does not appear to be sending that signal. Is the Tundra supposed to? Is there something i need to do to make it send that signal? Yes i have just been using the little lockout key on the trailer but that is annoying and id rather get the truck to just send the signal.

Thanks

 

Mine works, maybe a fuse or bad connection??

 

Wiggle the 7 pin really good a few times. Sometimes the connection is not good. Make sure the trailers plug connection is good and clean, some wd40 can flush it out.

But yes, Tundras do have that in the 7 pin and it is probably a dirty connection if the trailer works ok on a different truck.

I have to admit, I went on several trips with my old pop up camper thinking the brakes on the trailer were toast and non functional. Then one day one of the tail lights did not work so I cleaned all the connections and plugs really good and all the lights and brakes worked fine. Never had a problem since.

 

The center pin is reverse power. There’s a separate fuse for tow back-up under the hood IIRC.

 

Some hitches have a switch you can turn to disengage the brakes to back up. It’s not uncommon for it to get hung up in my experience. If it’s truly a surge brake, with the master cylinder on the hitch, it’s not powered off the vehicle trailer plug, it’s enabled when you slow down and suppose to release when you stop decelerating. Often backing up with a slight incline can create issues, ergo the switch on the hitch on the ones I’ve had.

 

When I had a boat with disc surge brakes, the solenoid on the trailer went bad within a few months. Replaced it and never had another problem.

Trailers are made from the cheapest of parts. Don’t take this the wrong way, but get used to it. The builders are simply cheap bastards.

 

I just bought a new boat with surge breaks. My truck when hooked up won’t get any power to the trailer lights. I hooked the truck up to another trailer and all the lights work. I then hooked up a different truck to the boat trailer and all the lights work. Can’t figure out why it wouldn’t work with the tundra. Any thoughts?

 

Turn on your hazards and then go back to check for voltage at the trailer pins before going any further.