Tie Down Actuator and solenoid problems
 

I am now on my second actuator and third solenoid! I can NOT figure out why these solenoids are going bad. Just smoked the brakes or pads I think this weekend. I have to back up a small incline out of my driveway. I have called everyone I can think of. The model 125 from Tie Down I am told has a built in bleed off? Tie Down tells me put the pin in the hole before the actuator and do not put anything in where the lock is above where it connects to the hitch ball(why should I have to do that at all?). I am whooped! I have a 2011 F250 PS 6.7. I have tested the connection harness pigtail from 7pin to flat 5 pin blue wire and all is fine when putting in reverse, have tested the blue wire for power right before the solenoid, have tested with an ohm meter, all this and NO CLICK on the solenoid when going into reverse. All the trailer lights and everything work great! I pulled this trailer back from the shop, into the garage, and out once! This weekend the plunger at each brake pushed the pads into the rotors some but not enough to stop the trailer and they got quite hot-so it seems. I really do not see anything wrong electrical and thinking this very small incline is pushing the boat and trailer down towards the truck and the solenoid can not engage or disengage under this pressure and thus burns up trying to do so and the plunger stays at that position at each brake? Again, I am being told this model and solenoid has a bleed off that is supposed to relieve that pressure? Truly at a loss!

Tie Down
 

AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE TIE DOWN IS JUNK...TIE DOWN IS JUNK....TIE DOWN IS JUNK....TIE DOWN IS JUNK. If your trailer has TIE DOWN it will be all in the trash in 3 years...no warrenty...no customer service...no replacement parts....TIE DOWN IS JUNK

If it does have the bleed off feature, there will be a sep brake line that goes from the solenoid back to the actuator, either to the fill cap or into the side of the fluid reservoir, by means of a NPT fitting.

A standard BU solenoid is nothing more than a line lock and does not have this extra brake line/hose. It doesn't relieve any pressure.

Possibly you have the standard one, and when you go into reverse, the brakes were still a little pressurized, thus why there is some pressure still at the trailer wheels, but not fully.

Double check to make sure you do have the pressure relieving solenoid.


Puttting the pin in the hole to lock the actuator defeats the purpose of have the solenoid

fixx
 

you say blue wire?? that one is for electric trailer brakes so its going to be hot when you apply the brakes..you need to locate the lt green wire which should be reverse light wire or at leaste thats what i think the common reverse wire is..also make sure your acuator is set up for disc brakes,if its set up for drum brakes the end of the master cylinder has a pin hole in it and will keep the brake pads engauged..the hols has to be 1/8'' for fluid to go back in the master fast enough or the calipers will hang up...

If this trailer was converted from drum make sure the calipers have rubber hoses going to them...tir down dont supply you with the rubber brake hoses and when you install them i have seen where people screw the steel lint rite to the caliper and the caliper dont move like its soppose to and it burns out the brake pads..

you have to make sure your foot is OFF the brake pedal before you put it in reverse , if not it will have brake presure and the selenoid will hold it . also like the above post said make sure you have the reverse light wire.

Well,

Thanks for all the info, going back to the shop Monday.

There is a major malfunction here with this system and it is not my new truck. I am at a loss though as to how many times regardless. All I am doing is backing out the driveway and down the road we go. The blue wire I was referring to was at the solenoid. The Tie Down model 125 says it has the return tube for the bleed off. Again, I am at a loss, I do not do this for a living and mine seems to be the only one doing this per my dealer. Really? Just frustrating. Interesting about letting my foot off the brake and then put in reverse, guess the truck would slide forward some, would seem rough to put into reverse in that manner also with all that pressure against the truck.

You don't have to do that with the bleed off model.

You can't shift without pressure on the brake pedal, that is a safety feature built into all vehicles with automatic trans nowadays- it's the Audi Syndrome.

Wannabe

i can shift my truck from nutrol to reverse and forward with out using the brake , I just cannot take it out of park without the brake pedal bein pressed

Just my personal opinion but I think the issue of putting the truck in reverse while the brake pedal is not depressed is not really the problem nor a viable solution. I am sure that everyone that has a trailer is not instructed to do so either. It's all good, appreciate the feedback. I am sticking with my theory of the truck and trailer being at that decline being the issue. I will have the new actuator and such on tomorrow and in the future will put in the pin for a moment to overcome this decline issue or put in a lock out valve if needed. Thank You.