I took my Travel Trailer to the dealer for service to take care of a few things and towed it with the new 2010 for the first time. All I have to say is the Ford in dash brake controller Works seamlessly. None of the jerkiness of some aftermarket one's. It gave smooth progressive stops that increased in braking as the pedal is pressed. Good job Ford.

 

Good deal! Glad to hear it worked out well for you. I can't wait to try mine.

 

When I get my new 2011 Lariat 6.2L (the waiting is killing me BTW), I can't wait to see if the in-dash brake controller will be better than my Tekonsha P3 that I'm currently using in my 2008 FX4...anyone have any comparisons info?

 

Trust me, it's better.

I haven't used the unit in the F150, but I've had the IBC in my '08 F250 and my '11 F350.

These operate off of a pressure sensor on the master cylinder instead of the inertia sensor your P3 uses. Your P3 has to infer your intentions by measuring deceleration caused by your truck's brakes. It then brakes the trailer with what it thinks is the right amount of pressure.

I used a Prodigy before, and have enough experience with a friend's P3 to say that it's a very impressive brake controller. But it simply can't compare to the factory IBC because the IBC knows what you're trying to do rather than guess from an inertia sensor.

Once you try the factory IBC you will NOT go back!

 

Tom, thanks so much for the information. I'm really glad to get a clear explanation regarding the in dash controller. I did not know that it measured master cylinder pressure.

The P3 worked well most of the time although sometimes it did lock the trailer brakes for no good reason when braking at red lights. That always surprised me.

I can't wait to try out the in dash...when I get the new truck.

 

Compared to the P2 I had in my '07 F150, I'd have to agree with the Crazy one. The factory IBC is much smoother and just feels better overall.

 

I have experience with both and though the P-3 that I'm using now in my 06 F150 is the best aftermarket controller I've ever used, the IBC that my 05 SD had was superior. And the IBC sends the ABS signals to the trailer brakes. The P-3 does not. But I've never had lockup problems with the P-3.

 

you could not have said it any better! this is a text book description!
and i to love the TBC in the ford over the others out there in other trucks. thay seem to be an after thought!

 

I've had factory TBCs in my 05 F350 and my 09 F150 and they are far better than any discrete TBC I've used in the past.

 

I am new here and this is my first post.

About the Ford brake controller.

I was an RV transporter for one of the northern Indiana transport companies. I delivered just about any kind of travel trailer you can think of all over the US and to western Canada. Iused a Ford F350 dually equipped with a ford trailer brake controller.

The Ford brake controller is legendary among the RV transport drivers. To the extent that junk yards are searched for them if they are not already in the trucks. Most transport drivers use only Ford or Dodge, Chevies and GMCs are not considered "hardy" enough. There were manyt attempts by the Dodge drivers to convert the Ford controller to the Dodge trucks.

The Ford brak controller and the tow/hgaul mode on the tranny more than pay for themselves. Going up the grade on I-70 west of Denver and over the top (11,000 feet)while pulling a forty foot Raptor toy hauler (REALLY heavy) was a snap because of the brake controller and the tow/haul mode.

Using the 6.0L diesel engine? not so much.

I was using a Prodigy (Tekoshan) P2 controller on my Jeep Wrangler pulling a 3500 lb JayCo 17 foot hybred travel trailer. Brake controller was okay, but no where nearly as simple to use the Ford hauler.

I have given up using the Jeep and traded it in for a new 2010 F150($5500 in rebates) and had to force the dealer to find one with the max tow package because I wanted the Ford brake controller.

It is a really great well worth the cost addition and if the trailer you are pulling has electric brakes, you really need this for safety.

Bud

 

Welcome to FTE!! Great first post Bud!

 

Bud,

many thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to trying mine this spring.

 

I have a new 2011 F-350 with the in-dash trailer brake controller. How can I tell if the trailer brakes are engaging? Does a dash board indicator come on? I was pulling over the weekend and could not tell they were on and my engine brake came on often as I was descending, even after I applied the brakes.

 

use the owners Manuel and set your trailer brake. but to see if Thay work squeez the tabs on the TBC and it should almost lock up the trailer when your doing 20 mph!

 

When I press the TBC tabs the brakes definitely come on but shouldn't the TBC gain indicator come on when I press the brakes while towing? I cannot find anywhere in the manual that states that this message will appear while braking but I have friends who say they get a message when breaking.