Guys,



Anybody ever do this? Couple the two bolts together? Might be a bit overkill, a concept I have little grasp of, but seems like a good idea. Any reason not to, other than that it’s a PITA to get it all threaded together without crossthreading?

Thanks. Brad.

Guys,

So…. The system works perfectly. The brakes work great. I think I’ve settled on a gain level that works well in most conditions that we tow in. The only issue I have is that it will occasionally briefly go offline, then come back to life. When we towed to Cumberland, it happened a couple times, until it eventually stopped coming back, and we towed it back to the house without brakes. I had lost the 12v "Trailer Battery" feed altogether. I cobbed together a fix to get us home with brakes. It worked perfectly during our trip home. Once back home, I managed to figure out which fuse was for the 12v feed, replaced it and rewired the junction box back to prescribed configuration. We’ve now towed it several times, and, while we haven’t taken out another fuse, it has gone offline several times for a short time, then come back and worked as normal. The fact that it took out a fuse tells me there’s a loose connection or maybe a broken/breaking wire somewhere. I’ve addressed the connecter socket as the tech at HydraStar has suggested, tweaking the contact blades so that they make better contact with the contacts in the plug, but it still exhibits the same behavior. But I’ve noticed it only does it while we are traveling downhill, but it never does it while the bypass wiring I installed is connected. The issue HAS to be somewhere between the fuse panel and the junction box, but ONLY while heading downhill.

Any guesses?

Thanks. Brad.

I had some issues with mine, I redid the wiring and installed a junction box on the trailer with each wire connected to a buss bar. Since then no issues. It is also easy to install additional lights, and test.

1Zoom,

Pretty much have that. I had to buy mine separately, but the kit comes with a junction box with threaded stud posts for making the seven connections from the pigtail to the actuator and lights.

I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to something with either the brake control module(s) or the wiring in the truck. So far, it has only yet to blink out while the truck and trailer are straight with each other, so I don't think it has anything to do with the connection between the 7-way plug and the socket in the truck.

The fact that it took out the "Trailer Batter" fuse in the panel leads me to believe it is a loose connection or a broken wire somewhere between the fuse panel and the connector socket on the truck. I'm tempted to wire my fused bypass wire to the back side of the socket and see how it goes.

The fact that it only blinks out while the truck and trailer are nose down and the brakes applied leads the tech at HydraStar to believe there may be something going on with the module(s) in the truck, since the truck does monitor inertia, in regard to braking, as well as roll and pitch of the truck. I'm going to call a dealership and see if I can find someone who will tell me yea or nay on that possibility.

Just thought I'd pick the brains that are here, that may have encountered similar behavior, before cutting any wires.

Thanks. Brad.

Put a battery on the trailer, wire power directly?

Dan,

It’s got a battery, but it’s isolated for the breakaway switch. It has a charging circuit, but it only powers the actuator through the breakaway switch if the key is pulled, and bypasses the signal from the pedal.

As I stated earlier, I had rigged a fused bypass wire from the battery to the hitch, with a disconnect, and rigged a wire from the junction box on the trailer to a disconnect at the hitch (visible in the second to last pic in post #59, red wire zip tied to the pigtail). I went ahead and connected that bypass wire I had ran from the battery of the truck to the 7-way socket. The 12v feed now comes from the battery, instead of the “trailer battery” circuit on the fuse panel. Unless it’s the socket itself, or the pigtail plug, this should eliminate any issues. If the issue persists at this point, it almost has to be that connection. We’ll see.

Thanks. Brad.

The fact that it fails when going downhill, makes me think it is a brake controller failure . Is It oem or add on?

Padraig

Padraig,

It’s a HydraStar EOM conversion. I’ve spoken with the tech at HydraStar, and there’s nothing in the design of the actuator that would react to tilt at all. There aren't even any sensors that would detect a fluid level issue to prevent air in the lines. I asked specifically, thinking it might be tilting and triggering some sort of self-protect sensor, prepared to buy and extended reservoir. Nope.

Thanks. Brad.

I think we are talkin about two different things. I am questioning the brake controller in the vehicle.

Padraig

Padraig,

Ah. Yes. Probably.... OEM integrated brake controller. The truck recognizes the EOH system immediately upon powerup, so compatibility isn't an issue, as per the tech at HydraStar.

Overall, the system performs perfectly. I really think there's a physical breakdown in the wiring between the fuse panel and the 7-way socket at the bumper. It would explain the intermittent blink-outs and the loss of the pertinent fuse. I have bypassed the truck's OEM 12v "trailer battery" wiring, which is where consensus agrees the problem lies, and provided a bespoke fused 12v wire, straight from the battery, to that pin in the 7-way socket. If the problem persists, it HAS to be in the socket at the bumper. So far, wiggle tests have ruled this out.

Thanks. Brad.