5 Most Common Car Trailer Wiring Issues in 2024

Before you hit the road, check thoroughly your car trailer. This is crucial so that you do not find yourself somewhere along the way – with a problem that you will not be able to solve. The most common issues are usually related to wiring. What are these problems and how to solve them?  Find some answers in the text below.

Car Trailer: Basic Rules Of Using

Many drivers take the situation quite lightly when installing a trailer in their car. Most do not know the numerous rules prescribed by law and thus can endanger their safety and the safety of other road users. The quality of a trailer depends on several very important details. The most significant factor is the trailer manufacturer – and afterward, it will be necessary to pay attention to the quality and manner of producing and making the trailer. More precisely, to whether the construction. Is it hot or cold galvanized? Trailer axle manufacturers can be important as well.

What To Look Out For When You Have A Trailer?

If your trailer axle is of good quality, then your trailer will be much longer. You should pay attention to the thickness and quality of the trailer, the thickness of the sheet metal or aluminum from which they are made – and it is very important to check the shape and strength of the trailer construction itself. Although many people use various types of trailers to transport a wide variety of loads – most drivers take this process for granted. Many drivers are not aware that most trailers up to 3,500 kilograms are mounted on a hook. However, not every trailer is made for every car. The rules on the weight of the car and the total permissible weight of the car trailer must be respected – so that there are no unwanted situations on the road.

Trailer Wiring

Now we come to the most common issues that drivers have with their car trailers – it’s the wiring. Connecting the wires between the car and the trailer is essentially a simple job. However, when a problem occurs – this wiring can create some very complex problems. Here are 5 common issues and tips on how to solve problems caused by poor wiring on your trailer.

1. Damaged wiring

Such things usually occur and are a pretty common problem – although many drivers don’t recognize it in time. However, any car electrician will tell you that wires will cause you the biggest problems you can have with a car trailer. According to ZW, even the slightest problem in cables or with the wiring can cause a short circuit, which is bad and sometimes even dangerous.

These wires are usually mechanically damaged with small stones that you hit on the road while driving. This is even more common if you are not going to the main road but drive somewhere off-road. Therefore, the best prevention is to protect wiring and secure them through OCD. You have to be certain that wires are protected with good conduits and that no wires are hanging somewhere on the side. It is also not recommended to use scotch locks for wire-joining. Scotch locks are simply not designed to apply such a type of trailer and it can happen that it causes you problems while driving and on the road.

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2. Corrosion

The car trailer plug is one of the essential parts. Unfortunately, it is often very susceptible to corrosion because it is exposed to the weather. This means that when the trailer is parked in place if it is not properly protected, it can suffer from the same problem. In this part, there is also a danger of accumulation of dirt and dust which can also affect the wires inside. Therefore, take this into account and clean the trailer hitch regularly.

After cleaning, check the connector at least a few times to see if it works and if everything is OK. Also, cleaning will ensure that your trailer does not lose its connection while you are on the highway and driving. It is of particular importance since the attachment is also providing power to the trailer brakes. Therefore, do not allow yourself to make a breakdown and additional expense due to negligence.

3. Insufficiently balanced brakes

Uneven slowing down usually happens when the length of the wire between the magnet associations adds some additional resistance. At that point, there is a distinction in the effectiveness of the brakes on each wheel, so you feel as though the trailer is turning when you step on the brakes. If a trailer is not inadequately wired – you may see that wheels on one side are warmed – while different wheels stay normal as new. It usually happens because the hot wheels do all the slowing down – and this will make exorbitant wear of those brakes.

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4. Earth

It’s a smart thing to check up on your earth wiring in the plugin of your trailer. These plugins are usually wired to fit the most common trailer models. When you fit the brake controller – you can expect the brake power wire will be improved, and yet the earth wiring will be still left standard. The earth wire cable is very significant and positive. We can imagine it as a circle where the positive cable conveys the power – and the earth wire connection finishes the circuit. In case you may have a poor earth wiring within the circuit, many strange things may occur. For example, activating indicator lights or different power circuits if you apply on the breaks.

Sometimes, these things happen due to bad earth wiring on the brake circuit. Therefore, the power gets earthed through different circuits of the trailer. Therefore you should try to improve the earth wire connection through the trailer attachment – and make better chassis earth where the cable can get a better metal on the metal connecting. At this point, you can seal the wiring connection with a special sealant splash.

5. Bad Connections

The better quality of the connections means a lot for electronics, particularly if you think of the wellbeing of you and members of your family. Then it is a must. For this reason, some manufacturers have created special controllers with a special circuit examination to identify and demonstrate any shortcomings your brakes may have. Therefore, you’ll be sure you would prefer not to get bad wiring or wrong establishment when introducing a brake

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