I just bought a used car trailer and it has a battery for emergency brake activation. How can I tell if there is a battery charger associated with this to know if I should hook up the 40A fuse under the hood?

Also, my running lights just randomly shut off. I guess I have to chase a short down there too.
ac

If you have a 6 or 7 pin plug on it, battery charging is possible.

plug it in, plug it in.
two of my trucks came with the fuse installed factory, and one did'ny have it. but they all had tow pack. plug it in and it will work like it should. plus if your trailer has a dome light it wont work w/o that fuse installed.

if its a tekonsha this link shows a tekonsha breakaway kit with a charger, looks to see if it look like yours http://www.redtrailers.com/ShowItem.asp?id=1028

fuse is sometimes located at pigtail end connection on rear bumber.

I guess Ill just plug it in. Any way to check if the breakaway works...without breaking away?
ac

I guess Ill just plug it in. Any way to check if the breakaway works...without breaking away?
ac
Yank the cord by hand and see if the trailer brakes lock.

How do you reset them after that?

How do you reset them after that?

Put the break-away pin back in.

I just bought a used car trailer and it has a battery for emergency brake activation. How can I tell if there is a battery charger associated with this to know if I should hook up the 40A fuse under the hood?

Also, my running lights just randomly shut off. I guess I have to chase a short down there too.
ac

I seriously doubt the trailer has a charger on it. Travel trailers do, so when you are plugged into 110 AC the batteries are charged. Most other trailers rely on the tow vehicle charging system to charge the trailer battery.

the battery or " + " pin in the seven pin connector is located at the 1 o'clock position. for a basic test, use a tester to see if it is hot. for an advanced test, use a meter to test for voltage and verify the voltage increases with engine rpm to max charging output from the alternator. this should charge any battery you have on board, providing it is connected properly.

If you pull the break away pin and try pulling the trailer, you should feel resistance and maybe even lock the tires if the trailer is empty. If there is little resistance, try adjusting the brakes on the trailer. If, after proper adjustment, the brakes still feel like they arent stopping right. try adjusting your brake controller to apply the brakes quicker or stronger depending on where you feel it is lacking.

if all of your lights go out at the same time, check the trailer ground. If they go out individually, check that light power and ground.

You probably already knew this though.


JJ

Turned out to be a chafed wire on the rear central running light. Quick new piece of wire and I am back in business.

I plugged the fuse in the B+ spot. I now have voltage on the 1 o clock pin. My question was if the trailer has a battery...will it auto charge with this activated? I also noticed that the pin is always active...this means I pretty much have to pull the trailer plug when the truck is not running, right?
ac

The pin is always hot to provide constant 12v power to whatever you plug into it. If your trailer has a battery, this will charge that battery until it is fully charged. Your alternator is regulated to only charge to a certain point. just like the alternator will charge your under hood battery(ies) to full capactiy and then stop charging, the same goes for any battery attached to that pin. The internal(or external depending on vehicle)regulator will keep from overcharging(if working correctly).

You do not need to pull the plug when the truck is not running. If your trailer is sitting in a static or stationary position, lights off and the break away pin is still in its connector, there should be no current draw from your system. The only time your trailer will pull current from the system is if that break away pin is pulled.

When the break away pin is pulled, the break away system tries to apply the emergency brakes. this will drain your system and kill your batteries( ALL OF THEM!!! ) if you do leave it connected and pull the break away pin.

If you have a winch on your trailer, you would need to disconnect the plug as the winch will draw more current than the fuse will allow and it will blow the fuse and/or burn up your alternator/regulator.

I found this out the hard way and I can answer most questions regarding trailer charging issues. I have an H&H Speedloader EX which is a tilting trailer with a hyrdraulic ram to tilt and a winch.

JJ

OK, I guess I can go back outside and plug it back in! The proper way for the trailer battery to be wired is just with a positive lead for charging?
ac

Let's not confuse a BREAKAWAY battery with a full size battery. It sounds like you just have a small breakaway battery. This needs a charger if you want to charge it off the truck. Basically the truck powers the charger and the charger trickle charges the breakaway battery. If you hook directly from your truck hot wire to the breakaway battery it will burn it up. If you don't see a charger in the box with the battery, then you can't charge off the truck.

Let's not confuse a BREAKAWAY battery with a full size battery. It sounds like you just have a small breakaway battery. This needs a charger if you want to charge it off the truck. Basically the truck powers the charger and the charger trickle charges the breakaway battery. If you hook directly from your truck hot wire to the breakaway battery it will burn it up. If you don't see a charger in the box with the battery, then you can't charge off the truck.

OK, guess I need to inspect what I have sitting out there before continuing in any direction. This is all greek to me!
ac