Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Trailer/Brakes Question and/or Help
Chris Brown.
Have had my boat for about a month. I drive a F-150 (07 Model). I bought a 7-to-5 plug for the trailer (think this is right, round peg that goes to 4 prongs and a female). The guy before me hasnt had any problems, but last two times I have taken it out, when I bring it home, smell the strong smell of brake and I have noticed it pulls hard on occasions. Is this a coincidence this started happening when I bought the trailer plug? I dont know. Does the two year warranty cover the trailer as well? Should I change adaptors from a 4-to-5 and see if this helps or just take it in to see whats up, since I really am not very mechanically inclined. Anybody had experiences with this? Thanks all. -Lee
The trailer is under the 2 year warranty. The trailer plug is not causing this unless the brakes are not releasing when you back up. You can cross plug brown pin to the blue pin and turn on your parking lights to check your reverse lock out solenoid. The solenoids do fail also, though eliminate the truck wiring possibility first.
Now that you mention it, I dont smell the brakes when I get to my destination (no backing up), only when I put the boat up. Maybe the brakes arent releasing. What will the trailer do when I plug the brown pin into the blue pin and turn on the parking light? Or should I say, what are they suppose to do? Thanks and forgive my inexperience. Lee
Is your Back up light coming on? My 08 rig has the same plug youre disscribing. A friend of mine that occasionally pulls mine with his Ford truck also had problems. At first he couldnt figure out why his was the only truck that couldnt back my boat up.The brakes would lock up! No one else was having this problem but they had General Motors vehicles. He eventually found out from trial and error his truck needed something called a relay. I apologise for Im not mechanically inclined either. ( hopfully someone will come on here and explain this to both of us) He unplugged a little black looking box from one place and plugged it back into another and presto we had juice. The backup lights came on and no more brake problems. After this he put the origional relay back where it belonged and went to the auto store and bought the extra part and installed it. Hope this might help. Glynn
I have a 2001 Ford Expedition and I had heard about this relay deal about 3 years ago and bought one. I will have to look at the manual to tell which one it is, but it is missing from the factory. Before the relaly I had to get out and turn the flat plug backwards in the round 7-5 adapter to make the brakes release. look in your maual and look for a reverse light relay or something like that, it is in the junction block under the hood and like I said is missing from the factory, costs maybe 5- 8 bucks from Ford and is worth its weight as it will help to release the brakes. I will look next time I go out to the truck and see if I can find it. Chris
Yes, turn on your parking lights, and that will get the job done. Unless that solenoid is out. There are relays that fail on both newer/newest Dodge and later model Ford vehicles. GM vehicles have not shown the issue to us. BCB
Dont think I am explaining myself clear enough. I pull out of the storage unit, get to the lake after traveling 20 minutes or so, put the boat in, no smell of burnt brake material. I back up (backs up no problem) put the boat in, no problem. Load it back on the trailer (no problem) drive it 20 minutes to storage unit and then when I put the boat up is when I smell burnt break material. It is though something is happening when I back the trailer up, perhaps there is slight pressure on the brakes after I put the truck in reverse and the brakes dont somehow release. I may get a different plug and try it a 4-to-5 and not the 7-to5. I dont really know, but it cant hurt. Thanks for all of your input. I know it sounds strange and doesnt really make any sense to me. -Lee
You are describing it just fine. As long as the trailer is going down hill, it will not engage the brake. But once you start going uphill, the brakes will kick in and keep you from moving back. I have a Chevy, and I have to flip the 5 flat connecter (like BCB has said), with lights on, before I can back my neighbors boat up the driveway to his garage. I now have a 4 flat/5 flat combo to 7 round adapter. Which hopefully means I dont have to worry about it any more. It sounds like you need to relay switch that Fords are lacking.
Lreddman, I just replied to your PM, here is the meesage, In my owners manual it is on page 195, the Power Distribution box under the hood. Fuse/relay #203 on my 2001 Expedition is the relay that was missing. It calls it a “half relay” Part # F57B-14B192-AA is what I bought from Ford parts and it works fine. Had the same probelms, no issue going down hill but on level ground or up hill It would not release the brakes at all for me, flipped connection over on the flat plug and all would work fine but no reverse lights. Found out about the relay, bought it, installed it, hooked and can go in circles in reverse if need be with no problems and have all the lights work as well. No need to get out and flip the connection either. Try this and let me know. Thanks, Chris
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