Trailer brake wiring question

[AZsix]

On the trailer brakes there is the blue wire and the white wire which is the ground. Does that have to be connected to the ground in the wiring or can it be grounded to the chasis of the pup itself?

[wavery]

On the trailer brakes there is the blue wire and the white wire which is the ground. Does that have to be connected to the ground in the wiring or can it be grounded to the chasis of the pup itself?

You can run the ground wire from the brake magnet to the frame. However, the safest thing to do (if you're running wires anyway) would be to run a separate ground wire back to the battery.

One of the most common electrical problems on trailer wiring is bad grounding. If the main ground lug on the frame gets corroded (which is fairly common) you may lose your brakes. If you have a dedicated ground for the brakes, you will lessen this risk.

I also recommend soldering connections and using "Heat shrink" over connections to keep moisture out. If you go to a Marine Supply store, you can get solder-less connectors with built in sealer and heat-shrink. They are quick & easy to use and are almost as good as soldered connections.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/200-Heat-Shrink-Butt-Connectors-Terminals-3M-Perma_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63703QQihZ017QQitemZ270208558171QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[AZsix]

Wayne,

Thank you very much. I have the wire so I may as well run it up to the ground on the battery. It gives me something to do tomorrow morning.

[wavery]

Wayne,

Thank you very much. I have the wire so I may as well run it up to the ground on the battery. It gives me something to do tomorrow morning.

Gee.......what will you be doing tomorrow afternoon??  :confused:

[AZsix]

Gee.......what will you be doing tomorrow afternoon??  :confused:

Considering that I used to be a Pats season ticket holder back in the 80's you know I'll be glued to the tv.

[AZsix]

Well got both wires hooked up and still nothing. I have a neighbor to check with and if he can't help me it may be off to somewhere to get it looked at. The people we bought it from had a lot of work done do it including a new axle and springs. Everything may not have been hooked up properly after the work was done.