Brake controller question

[hfd376]

How big of a wire is used to run from the brake controller to the trailer? I have an unused piece of wire marked "CHMSL" coming out of the wire loom at the rear of the truck. It looks to be coming from the brake switch, given the same color code. Rather than run a new wire, I thought I could use this wire. The tailer is a 16 foot, tandem axel with brakes on 1 axel. It looks to be a 16-18 gauge wire which may be too small.

Doug

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Usually a factory trailer brake wire will be a fourteen to twelve gauge and be blue or a combination of colors with blue in the combination.

If you have a plug in for attaching a brake controller with your vehicle then I'd have someone hit the brake pedal and watch your wire with a meter or even a test light. If it's the factory wire then I'd go with it. They sometimes know what they're doing. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[gobbler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have an unused piece of wire marked "CHMSL" coming out of the wire loom at the rear of the truck. )</font>

"CHMSL" = Center High Mounted Stop Light

That's the stop light on the back of your cab. That wire is used if you were to put a shell on your truck that had a CHMSL.

Jim

 

[Anonymous Poster]

You don't say what vehicle you have but most late model ones have wiring already installed. You just need an adapter for it.

 

[hfd376]

Sorry, left out some important details. I Shouldn't type before rushing off to work! Towing with a '00 Dodge 4wd with 360 engine. The truck does not have a factory trailer hook up.

The wire that I'm talking about runs from the loom at the tail lights up to the brake pedal switch. My plans are to cut the wire about 4" from the switch, splice the switch end to the prodigy controller for brake sense, and feed the brake control down the cut wire to the trailer plug.

Basically trying to avoid running a new wire from back to front. I'd like to get an idea if the wire will handle the current the single axel brakes will draw.

Doug

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Generally speaking electric brakes draw about 3 amps per wheel. A single axle should draw in the neighborhood of 6 amps. If the wire you plan to use is 16 awg or larger you should be fine. I would consider running a larger wire if there is ever the possibility of towing a multiple axle trailer.

You may want to check the amp draw of the brakes before deciding if the wire is large enough.

You should also install an inline fuse no bigger than 10 amps to protect from shorts.