Trailer Brakes, Never Dealt with these *Pics*

Humans went 40K years without TP.
Now it is 1st priority when panic mode hits . . .

Gary S wrote: Shouldn't you guys be going out and hording TP......

As of yesterday, I understand the HD in Rhinelander is the only place within a 200 mile radius that still has TP! Yesterday at work, we added it up - 40K of the sales were TP, water (limit at 4), sanitizers and cleaning supplies.

That is a Titan Hydraulic actuator for sure, a Surge Brake. Not Electric.
As mentioned some do add a reverse lockout that is electric but it is not standard with that hitch. Full electric brakes are not used on boats since boat trailers are submerged with every launch and electric brakes don't like to be submerged in water.
I have the same Titan installed on my car trailer, I put it on about 10 years ago. It works very well.
I will attach pictures so you can see how I set up my reverse lockout. I drilled a hole that blocks the slide from applying the brakes. An electric lockout would have been nice but this is what I did and it works.
When I bleed my brakes or test these brakes I use a Pipe Vise, typical wood working pipe vice. For this my pipe is about 2 foot long. It allows me to apply the brakes by tightening the vice. I can do this in my garage and it allows me to do the job with no help.   First make sure your brake master cylinder is full of brake fluid.   Tighten the vice and force the slide, where your ball hitch attaches to slide back towards the tires on the trailer.   Jack up one wheel and test it for brakes.   You can apply more or less brake using the pipe vice, I put the vice on an egg crate to support the weight and lower the trailer tongue down till it just keeps the vice from falling off. Otherwise the vice will fall off every time you loosen the pressure.
If you have an electric lockout good for you.   That would be a nice addition.
Once you determine your brakes are working, raise both trailer tires off the ground so you can spin them at the same time.   Now slowly apply your brakes with a little pressure using the pipe vice at the actuator.   Walk back and test each wheel so you know when each starts to work.
Most likely one tire will lock up before the other.   Apply a little more brake pressure and test again. Find out when the 2nd tire locks up or if it does lock up.
Both brakes are supposed to apply equal pressure at the same time. If one is locking up early there is a problem with the brake that is not locking up.   These are disc brakes so they are not adjustable.   You may be able to work it several times and get them to adjust properly or bleed the lines to make sure there is no air in the system on the weak brake side. Air will keep the brakes from working properly.
In my photos you can see where I drilled the Titan for my reverse lock out bolt. There are 3 factory bolts for mounting, these are all in a line, the 4th bolt is the lockout.
I had to have 100% lockout to back a trailer in my driveway. I have to make a 90* turn pushing a little uphill while my truck is on gravel and the trailer is on concrete. If my brake applies the truck just slides sideways on the gravel.   Good Luck with yours.
Edit: The guys are correct about your wires, they will be damaged and fail soon. You can cut a piece of fuel line hose, slice it down the middle so you can slip the wires into it and put a zip tie on to keep your split closed. Slip the hose through your hole in the trailer and your wires will be protected.   Something needs to be there.

Faceplant wrote: A little bit off the main subject but you really want to cross the chains for safety.

Correct., The safety chains come to play if the trailer does get disconnected. The reason for crossing the chains is to allow the trailer even side to side movement. If the chains are not crossed, then the trailer will be pulled unevenly on one or the other side. Plus, all the load may be on one chain only.

Faceplant wrote: A little bit off the main subject but you really want to cross the chains for safety.

And your brake safety chain should be connected to the truck not the safety chain

etailer.com sells it and has videos on its installation and how it works. They do not have a manual to download which surprises me.

Just google "titan hydraulic brake actuator etailer"

An easy test would be to do a hard stop & then check temperature of rotors. Tough guys use their hands, I myself would use an IR thermometer.

Dreaming wrote: this looks like a standard hydraulic brake set up to me. grommet in the hole to keep the wire from chaffing, or maybe fill the hole with silicone?

plus 1

Maybe I am missing something here, but this looks like a standard hydraulic brake set up to me.   when the trailer pushes against the truck, (braking or backing) the tongue moves to actuate the hydraulic actuator.   Disk brakes may just feel very smooth in comparison to what you are used to seeing. I am not sure how to test this, but a local trailer shop should be able to help you determine if the brakes are working or not.   As a side note,   I think the wires exiting the trailer through the hole in the steel looks like a place that will chafe over time. I would probably put a rubber grommet in the hole to keep the wire from chaffing, or maybe fill the hole with silicone?   

Do you have a trailer brake controller in the Tacoma? If not, you need one. The wiring should already be there for it.