Adding trailer brakes to my Pickup

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MikeA57

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My wife and I are picking up a 2009 Jayco 1206 popup camper Thursday afternoon. It has brakes on it and I need to get a trailer brake kit installed on my 2006 GMC Sierra pickup. Can anybody offer information or advice on what this should cost? The dealer wants between $100-$150 to put them on, but that seems to be a lot of money. If I already had the brake kit installed I would have a controler box mounted at the bottom of the dash somewhere, right? I've never dealt with trailer brakes so this is new territory for me.

Thanks,

Mike
 
do it yourself. if you have any questions pm me ive installed dozens, and should be able to dig up some instructions with pictures

look under your dash above the hood release. there should be some hiddin wires taped up (red black blue brown (not used) and LT blue. if there isnt any, your truck will require a wiring harness that simply plugs in the same area above and left of your brake pedal. you'll see it when you look. i beleave your truck should already have the harness wired in though.

when you buy a brake controller it will have the wiring diagram in the instructions. its all prettymuch color coded but it is a negative ground meaning your red from the truck will connect to the black on the controller

after you have this hooked up, if it doesnt work (every modle is different) pull the panel off of the fuse box under the hood. on each side (front and back) there will be 1 red wire with an eye taped up to the loom tubing on the wires outside the fuse box. (they try and hide them) you'll have to find a bolt to fit the studs on each side of the fuse box, and it may require plugging a jfuse into the fusepanel (it will be labeled if it needs it)

if your controller works after you simply hook it up you wont have to mess with any wires on the fuse box or installing a fuse

simple as that :mrgreen:
 
I paid $120.00 for the parts and to have the dealer install a proportional brake controller in my '03 Silverado. I could've done it but the parts were $90.00 anyhow and I just didn't feel like screwing with it. Plus I have a warranty on it this way.
 
I called a local trailer place yesterday that came recommended and they quoted me a price of $136.00. The proportional brake module runs $90 so that sounds pretty reasonable. I don't mind doing it and I even found a video that describes it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvJhxP8RPNE

I'd like to do it myself but I've got so many balls in the air right now, I just don't know about adding one more thing to do myself. If I have somebody do it that does it all the time I don't have to spend all the time trying to figure out why it doesn't work if I do something wrong.

BTW, my truck is a 2007, one of the new style, and not a 2006 as I mentioned above. I screwed up.

Thanks,

Mike
 
all you gotta do is connect 4 wires dont be skeerd :wink:

if you are uncomfortable though i hope you have the chevy dealer install it. lord knows my fellow mechanics need the work
 
How big is that pop up?I thought the whole idea of a pop up was to avoid all the trouble of a big trailer,like brakes,sway control,and being pushed around by wind. :-k
 
At the local RV show I attended last Feb, I asked about that. I was told that any trailer over 2000 pounds needed trailer brakes and most pop-up companies put them on all of their pop-ups becuase many different models use the same size frame.
 
Popeye said:
At the local RV show I attended last Feb, I asked about that. I was told that any trailer over 2000 pounds needed trailer brakes and most pop-up companies put them on all of their pop-ups becuase many different models use the same size frame.

In my research, that's what I've found. If you're traveling through flat land you probably don't need them but if you are going up in the mountains (and back down #-o ) you need them. This trailer weighs in at 2450 lbs with no personal gear in it so I could see wanting some help going down those steep mountain grades. The box on it is 12'. It isn't a high wall trailer though which would make it heavier still.
 
The newere trucks are prety much plug and play up to 6 connector on the regluar 1/2 & 3/4. HD 3/4 tons and 1 tons are pretty much plug and play for 7 pin connectors.

Your track already has the wires under the dash to hook up the brake controller. Plus it already ahs teh wires in teh back to hook up the connector, they should be above the sapr tire on teh drivers side, might be above the rear fender back there. crawl under and look. Real simple to connect. Your owners manual will show the color codes of the truck and what they go to. Teh trailer owners manual will show the color codes of the trailer and what they go to. Generally the colors are universal on the trailer end.

Another source is U-Haul. They carry everything you need and they do it for a living. Tehn again so should the RV place. They should have everythgin you need and might consider it part of the cost for you purchasing the trailer from them. Ask them if they will throw it in for free? Worst they could say is no. Happy Trailering.
 

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