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Trailer brakes lock up in reverse

gophergradgophergrad Member Posts: 115
in Trailer & Towing
2017 CS-S
2019 Ram 1500 w/ factory tow package

Finally started learning to back the trailer up. Or at least trying to.... If I back more than a couple of feet, the trailer brakes lock up. I assume that's not normal. Do I talk to my RV dealer or my truck dealer?

Thanks
2017 CS-S Max (Silver & Yellow), TV 2019 Ram 1500
Camping under the Big Sky
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    Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,497
    Sounds like you need to adjust your TaB brakes - see your TaB dealer if you can’t do it yourself.  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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    DalehelmanDalehelman Member Posts: 2,410
    edited June 2021
    On a 2017 the brakes should be electric. Sounds like you’re brake wire maybe crossed with your backup lights. I had a Jeep GC that the factory crossed the tail lights with the brake lights. When the head lights came on so did the brakes. A little surprising the first time.
    Try unplugging the light cord and see what happens.
    1. Hash  T@B Fun
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    gophergradgophergrad Member Posts: 115
    @Dalehelman I work in software. Hardware is a mystery :-) Can you break that down like Barney for me?

    And yes the trailer brakes are electric. The Ram has a built in controller.
    2017 CS-S Max (Silver & Yellow), TV 2019 Ram 1500
    Camping under the Big Sky
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    tabiphiletabiphile Member Posts: 426
    You may troubleshoot this by unplugging the 7 pin and checking if the brakes still lock up. If they do, there is a wiring problem on either the trailer or the TV. Your best bet (if that is the case) is to have a shop make the fix since it's very unlikely that you have the correct pin extractor to remove and move an incorrectly positioned pin in the connector. Odds that the T@B is wired wrong are very low. Odds that it is on the TV side are higher.
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    TabulatingTabulating Member Posts: 84
    It could be that you have a sensor on your truck that applies the brakes to keep you from backing into stuff.

    We have to deactivate our our system when backing the trailer. If we don't it beeps for it bit and then it jams on the brakes.
    2018 T@b 400  towed by a 2012 JKU
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    gophergradgophergrad Member Posts: 115
    @Tabulating that's a really good thing to check! The truck definitely makes a huge beeping ruckus when I'm trying to back the trailer! 
    2017 CS-S Max (Silver & Yellow), TV 2019 Ram 1500
    Camping under the Big Sky
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    JPRolandJPRoland Member Posts: 115
    I was pulling out of a space the other day and I thought I was stuck. It took a while to drag the T@B out of the gravel site. I thought it must be due to all of the recent rain. It pulled really hard for a mile to the gas station and when I stopped the brakes were smoking and smelled like burnt brakes. I quickly phoned the dealership and the service manager talked me through it. I have to say that I have learned about my T@B mostly through this forum. My dealer didn't tell me much at the time of the sale. There has always been this mystery wire that I connect to the tow vehicle along with the chains and electric. The dealer told me it was a, "Safety Wire." I thought if all broke loose this little safety wire was going to keep us tethered and was somehow going to save the trailer. I had no idea it attached to a little breakaway box so that if disconnected, the brakes are applied to slow the trailer. All that happened was that the wire had been pulled out from it's box under the trailer tongue which tells it to engage the brakes. I just reconnected the wire by pushing it into the connector until it clicked and all is good. Ya learn somethin' new each trip.
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    tabiphiletabiphile Member Posts: 426
    JPRoland said:
    It pulled really hard for a mile to the gas station and when I stopped the brakes were smoking and smelled like burnt brakes. 
    Your brakes might be fine or they might be glazed and damaged. A mile of super high heat also could have puddled the bearing grease and wrecked the drums. It would probably be prudent to pull the wheels and do an inspection. The good news is your TV is up to the job.
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    manyman297manyman297 Member Posts: 1,185
    Our dealer walkthrough was horrible. If we hadn’t already owned a previous trailer we’d be in the dark on all of this stuff. They never mentioned the safety cable let alone how to hitch the T@B. I’m new to Atwood style hitches so the first time unhitching it just wouldn’t come unhitched. Finally watched a video where they talk about relieving tension by slightly moving the TV forward after a reverse event. Worked amazingly well.
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
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    gophergradgophergrad Member Posts: 115
    edited June 2021
    Turns out @Tabulating wins a beverage :-)

    It was the truck, not the trailer.

    My wife's fancy truck is smarter than I am. If you ignore the beeping "you are backing too close to something" long enough, the truck slams on the brakes for you!
    2017 CS-S Max (Silver & Yellow), TV 2019 Ram 1500
    Camping under the Big Sky
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