Though I've had my F350 for two months I havn't got to hook up the 5er yet. I'm used to my BrakeSmart on my 04 and just plug in the harness and the brake controller does the rest. Though you could adjust the gain on the BrakeSmart I never touched the controls. Whatever the default was always felt fine to me.

Now, on to the brake controller in my 2011. Does it set itself as well. I read in the manual about what you are supposed to do. In a safe place and low speed hit the brakes and see if the brakes lock, then adjust accordingly. You gotta be kidding, there must be a better way.

I would like to hear from you 5th wheel guys, what are you about setting the brake controller. I was hoping the Ford brake controller was close to as good as the BrakeSmart. I was spoiled using it.

I just got my flatbed and Super 5th hitch on yesterday. Three months for the truck to be delivered and two months for the bed. This has been a slow and frustrating 5 months. But, I'm finally close to getting to tow. Just have the underbed boxes, auxillary fuel pump/filter, rv plugs, auxillary tank and a few other odds and ends left to go.

Anyhow, let me know what to expect using the brake controller.....

 

well, I don't have 2011 experience, with only a 2008... but the Integrated brake controller is the same. Unfortunately, there is no electronic signal available to the controller to know the resulting affect on the brakes/wheels/tires where the signal was applied.

so there cannot be any automated way for the controller to be set. So you have to go do the same thing as always.. load it up, and test stop to see what works best for you. with my 7000lb car hauler, I have gain set to 7, and it works like I want it to,
and I have had the pleasure of an emergency stop to test it out. Thank goodness for tow/haul and the IBC!

cool thing on the 11's tho is you can have predefined settings for different 'trailers' and just switch between them.. on my old, lowly 08, I have to keep this in my head!.

Sam

 

I use the brake controller for my 5th Wheel and unfortunately, it has to be setup the way the manual describes. Once it is set, I don't have to reset it again.

The only minor concern I have with the integrated controller is that I can't get the trailer wheels to lock up during the initial adjustment, so I have the gain set to 10 and leave it there. The trailer brakes definitely work, but it would be nice if they worked a little more.

 

as posted above, all brake controllers must be set up manually. The integrated one is no different. The good news is that it rarely needs to be adjusted once configured for each trailer.

GreatDanes - are you sure you have the brakes set to the proper type? an incorrect setting there would certainly affect the brake effectiveness at a given gain. Aside from that, it might just be that your trailer's brakes need adjustment. For instance, on my fiver, I set the gain to 8.5 and they will lock up on a 10 mph test-stop using just the trailer brakes. My smaller vending trailer will lock up at a 7 gain. I pulled a car hauler the other day (not mine, not in good repair) and it wouldn't lock up even with the gain set to 10. It still stopped, and the brakes were definitely working... just not as well as I'd like. HTH

 

You will be pleasantly surprised by the new integrated TBC.
It will be superior to any "inertia" controller and works like your BrakeSmart controller.

The Ford TBC is integrated and hydraulically activated. That at least means true proportioning brake activation. And Ford’s trailer sway control. I would guess for those that are equipped with "hill hold" (not available on the DRW for some reason) the controller will work in conjunction with that feature too.

You will have to adjust the gain to your particular trailer though

I have only pulled my motorcycle trailer so far but the controller is much nicer then the prodigy I used before.

That sounds like a trailer issue, not a TBC problem. There are many trailers out there that are incapable of locking up the tires under full braking. Who knows – maybe a design flaw/feature to keep non truck drivers from swinging their trailers around in front of themselves

This is a nice feature, what it is not capable of (and I wish it was) is remembering what kind of brakes specific to the trailer setting.
I have two trailers with brakes, one is typical electric trailer brakes and the other (5th wheel) has electric over hydraulic disc brakes.

I have to change the brake type each time I change saved trailers.

 

On my BrakeSmart you get a reading of the brake pressure at the master cylinder everytime you touch the brake. Obviously the harder you press the brake pedal the higher the brake pressure reading. This is what I have looked at for 7 years on my 04. So, I know nothing about gain. Where should I start, I don't have a .... clue? When you connect the trailer the controller goes thru test mode, senses axle number and sets everything. It gives a beep when done and off you drive. Wow, was I spoiled. You guys are going to have to educate me on this Ford controller !!!

 

Bummer.. thats sounds like a defect cause they had to add different brake types in late in the plan.

Sam

 

I wouldn't call it a defect just a programmer's "oh - we didn't think about that"

 

I have double checked that the appropriate brake type is selected for my trailer (electric and NOT electric over hydraulic) so I am sure that is not the issue. The brakes will lock at 5-10mph, but to set the controller, you are supposed to travel about 20mph and at that speed they will not lock up even with the gain set at 10. That is why I leave it set at 10.

I am pulling the wheels this weekend to have a look and to confirm proper adjustment. This is a new trailer, so I have only towed it from the dealership to the storage yard. I am still in the process of fine tuning everything. I hope it is the adjustment, but my last trailer was similar and the brakes were properly adjusted.

Anyway, I will update once I have gone through everything and let y'all know if anything changes.

Sorry for the hijack Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

I pulled my Cyclone toy hauler for the first time yesterday and boy am I a happy camper. I ended up with the gain at 6-7 and it does a real nice job of modulating brakes based off of pedal pressure. Very happy with the function of the Ford controller, and the Tow Haul is spot on for shifts. Mine weighs about 10500 as it sits right now.

 

Maybe I should start a new thread but, I am having trailer disconnect problems. All the lights work but the brakes don't. If I hook the trailer up to a different truck all is fine including the brakes. Please,, give me advice

 

dude you are making this way too complicated. just hook up the trailer set the controller to 5, squeeze the 2 thingys if it locks back off, if it doesn't keep bumping the gain .5 per push of the gain button. I think I had my trailer set in less than a minute. one can easily adjust this when another trailer is pulled. every trailer brakes differently in fact the trailer I have now needs less gain than it originally did, at first it was 6.5 now its 4.5 I think its because the brake shoes have worn in. this can also be tailored if the trailer is loaded or not.

if sounds to me like the brakesmart while has a lot of features lacks some of the simplicity and ability to tailor the trailer brakes to wear of the shoes and weight of the trailer.

 

So, should I start at 5 hit the brakes and see if the wheels lock. Then go from there? Is there a default setting that the brake controller uses when the harness is first plugged in? No brakes when first plugged in until set, like I said I have no idea how this thing works. My 5er is about 11,000 lbs.

 

Jim, the manual has the set up procedure, it is fairly simple.

If you just want to guess - set it at 5, do 20-25 mph and squeeze the two levers together. If it locks up back off on the gain. If it doesn't lock up or doesn't feel like much trailer braking bump the gain up.

 

Thanks Porthole. I guess I'll start at 5 and see what happens. I've never tried to lock the brakes on my 5er before. That should be an interesting experience. Have to make sure everything stowed away before I try that. So you have no brakes on the trailer at all when you first hook up?