Trailer brake hook up

[Georgiana]

This is my first official dumb question so please be nice.

I am trying to figure out the whole what do I need and how do I hook up brakes on my "new" 1978 Sunline trailer. I am pulling it with a 1999 Suburban.

We had a major adventure last night getting the wiring to work for the lights just so we could get it home.

[Ron & Alice]

Hang in there, Georgiana - the "guys" will be here soon, I am sure. They were busy with me over in the "tension bars" section. So now that they have me straightened out, they can move on to you, lololol.

Seriously, what a great group of people on here!! I can hardly wait to meet some of them.

Good luck with your brakes.
Alice

[Steve Collins]

Georgiana,

A couple of questions to get started. We really need the answers before we can give you more help.

First, does the Suburban have the factory trailer package with the trailer brake connector already installed in the vehicle? Check the truck's documentation. If there is one, it'll be tucked up under the dashboard near the steering wheel somewhere. Should be a fairly large 4 conductor connector of some kind.

Second, do you already have a trailer brake controller that you want to install? If not, the Prodigy or P3 are the best choices. Prodigy is going to be a little less expensive as the P3 is the latest and greatest version, but still very good.

If you determine that the truck has the connector for trailer brakes under the dash, buy your brake controller with the GM adapter. Makes installation a LOT easier.

Third, does the Suburban have the factory trailer wiring? If so, it'll have a 7 pin connector on the rear of the truck near the hitch. If not, you are going to have to install all the wiring to connect the trailer to the truck.

Speaking of hitches, what kind of hitch is on the Suburban?

It would also be very helpful to know what size trailer you have. Most of us edit our profile to include a signature that includes your trailer model or size so that we don't have to keep asking.

When you say you got the lights working, do you mean plugged into the truck?

The more baseline info you can give us up front, the more help we can give you.

[EMD_Driver]

Georgiana,

Along with all the info that Steve asked for, it would also be very helpful if we had some pictures to go by. Pictures of your receiver hitch, trailer connector and under the dash of your TV. Pictures have a way of explaining things, when you might be at a loss for words.


If you haven't heard already.... We LOVE pictures!