Terrible factory splices in brake wiring

myredracer wrote:

Ductape wrote:
Can't do better than a low resistance soldered connection. I've done the same on brand new trailers.

And I have to question their use of #18 wire. I'd like to upgrade that but wouldn't be an easy job as it's hidden behind the underbelly.

Consider your self now "schooled".

You think that is bad, my first TT had a total of FOUR cheap crimp splices in the brake wires before that ever hit the axles.. Seams as though the factory must have put all of the odd factory floor cutoffs on that trailer to save a whole dollar.

I used to advocate all the time on this forum that one NEEDS to abandon the OEM brake wires due to shoddy connection from factory AND the use of UNDERSIZED OR BARELY SIZED CORRECTLY WIRE.

People laughed at the mere idea that one could have 18 ga or 14 ga wire but that IS what the OEMs use. They use what they have on hand and what every is the lowest cost they can get away with.

Folks on this forum have laughed at me even more when I recommended UPSIZING the brake wire, considerably.. Junk the wire, run a min of two pairs of 10 ga or one pair of 8 ga wire back to the axles, from there you could drop a wire ga if you like since those runs are short.

The axle manufacturers recommendation is min of 14 ga but depending on the length of your trailer the wire resistance can easily kill up to 25% of your braking power!

Reducing the resistance a lot will vastly improve your braking enough that you can turn down your controller.

While you are at it, abandon the wiring that is going THROUGH THE AXLES! Wire tie to the outside of the tubes or attach to the underside of the trailer then drop at the ends of the axles. That is another point of intermittent brake issues when the wire chafes or breaks inside the tube..

If you are going to work on your brakes, do it right the first time, then you won't have to do it again down the road..