My hitch has that pin connector that I plug the one from the camper into. The brake lights come on for the camper. I don’t understand breaking power on controller. I don’t know these terms. I did see some wires under the camper near the tires. I was thinking maybe I should take my camper to an RV place and have someone check the brakes and repack the bearings.
What are wheel hubs?
There are wires near the tires. On the toung there is that 4-pin that I plug into my truck. I thought that was only for the lights on the back of the camper....does that pin make the brakes work?
What is a brake controller?
It controls a trailers brakes. Some vehicles, mainly trucks or large SUVs come with them factory installed. If a vehicle doesn't have one factory installed, you can buy one and add it
I will be towing it with a silverado 2x4 which should tow around 5000 lbs. The camper appears to have been stripped by the original owners.Okay Franchesca, your camper came with brakes on it, they were standard equipment on your model. Someone has put on a 4-pin connector because it should have come with a round five, six, or seven pin connector like this:
Your rig weighs well over 2000 lbs loaded which, depending on the size of your towing vehicle is not a lot but brakes on a trailer are really a good thing. In Massachusetts you would not have to have working brakes on your trailer but it is a good thing. In order for the electric brakes to work, they must draw power from the towing vehicle or from the trailer's battery in the form of emergency break-away brakes. For them to work, you also need a piece of equipment on your dash called a brake controller. The brake controller is adjustable so that you can make the trailer brakes brake harder or softer depending on conditions and the weight of the trailer - it is a wheel on it that you rotated to increase or decrease the trailer brake's power. It is wired into the trailer through the connector and it works by increasing or decreasing the electrical power to the trailer's brakes. It looks something like this:
You should have one, along with a proper connector to your trailer - any trailer shop can hook you up and also tell you if your brakes are properly functioning. They should tell you that first as I suppose a prior owner could have disconnected the brakes at the wheels. BTW, what towing vehicle are you using for your trailer? It is the largest Skamper model and weights 2236 lbs empty and maxes out at 2750, if you don't overload it.
Your TV is plenty for your trailer. You really should consider getting the PUP's brakes working, however. It would not hurt to find a trailer shop (does not have to be an RV store) that you think you can trust and have them give it the once over - they could pack your wheel bearings for you at the same time and give you an idea of what you need (and how much it will cost) to get your brakes working. If your pickup is newer, it may have (probably has) a quick connect for a brake controller and a proper 7-pin trailer connection - my wife's 2006 Colorado has a quick connect for a trailer even though it is a smaller pickup.
If you trailer has a 4-way connector, IT DOES NOT have Brakes. If it has a 7-way connector it may or may not have brakes. Checking wires may not be definitive as my trailer was wired for brakes but did not have any, until I added them. Pulling one of the wheels is the most conclusive method to be sure.
