Quote:
Originally Posted by ChillEDog
Got it. Buy brake controller. Thank you.
So next question - do the brakes not work by virtue of being plugged into TV hitch receptacle ? I assumed once plugged in, you were good to go. per Bill's post it sounds like the answer is "no".
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The tow vehicle needs to have the brake controller wired such that the foot brake switch tells the controller that the tow vehicle is engaging the brakes. The other thing the controller is wired into is the +12 volts from the battery such that it can proportionally apply current to the trailer brake magnets depending on the amount of stopping you need done at a particular time or condition.
The controller also needs a real good vehicle ground (negative) to work well.
Lastly, the blue output wire from the brake controller goes to the trailer, through the 7 pin round connector, to feed both trailer brakes the proportional current drive to activate the brake magnets.
To address your question, if all connections are good and the controller is adjusted to the manufacturer's directions, yes, you should be good to go.
Make note that brake controllers generally do not change the voltage applied to the brakes. If you noticed above, I used the term "current" to indicate that the job of the controller is to apply 12 volts with a varying amount of current, generally from almost zero to 6 or 7 amps. So if you attempt to test the controller by only taking a voltage test, you may not get the full answer if the controller is working or not.