Had my first long haul tow with the new to me 6.4 last weekend...prior to that I had my loaded 28' race car hauler (~9600lbs) hooked up for a few in town trips over to the dyno shop, etc. and didn't think the TBC was up to par with the setup in my 2003 6.0 w/Tekonsha Prodigy controller.

I had a few settings on that controller, sensitivity, bias (preset voltage that's applied immediately) and strength.

On the 6.4 integrated brake controller there is only one setting, the bias, up to 10.

I finally resolved to leave it on 10. It doesn't seem to have the strength to stop me if needed in a "panic" situation.

Another thing that confuses me is that there seems to be a readout on the dash display, it never changes and only appears when I have the trailer connected (I get that part) but WHY, when it seems to be a display of what's being applied, does it always show 0?? (If I recall it's a zero, may be wrong here)

I consulted the owner's manual and it only referred to the controller itself, and setting up the "bias" (as I call it) setting.
I don't recall that it refers to the dashboard display, whatsoever...and this is irritating me to no end...WHAT is the dash readout for then??

Am I missing something? Is there something I can adjust via the dashboard display? Is it supposed to be displaying what's being delivered to the trailer?

TOW/HAUL MODE, I used it for about 20mi. of the long trip and found it to be annoying, it would downshift erratically and stay in gears for a bit longer than I thought was needed. I often use cruise control while towing but this was a short hilly section and I decided to turn TOW/HAUL MODE off.

Does the trailer brake controller work any differently in TOW/HAUL MODE?? I didn't think to mess with it, was thankful that I did not have any situations where I had to "panic stop" on that 400mi. round trip.

Everything seems to be working OK, just not to my satisfaction. I can hook up to my 2003 6.0 with a Tekonsha Prodigy aftermarket brake controller and the trailer stops great.

Any suggestions are welcome, I'm thinking I'm missing an adjustment or maybe TOW/HAUL MODE is supposed to be used for the integrated TBC to function properly?

Otherwise, I am enjoying the truck quite a bit, nice power with the H&S Mini-Maxx and some "exhaust mods".

 

First the easy stuff. The display in the message center is there but does not apply to this model. So ignore it and read the TBC display.

Now my TBC works great. Has the power necessary to panic stop. I have had too with my 5er on and car hauler too. I have always thought it was fine and well integrated. It is part of the braking system as a whole when hooked up. In other words the truck has ABS and so does the trailer when hooked up. If you want more in a panic then use the slide.

I alway use tow haul when towing anything of significance. Yes it holds the gears longer but I do not find any erractic shifting, rather the opposite. Since it holds the gears longer there is no hunting. I use it use it even on the hills. If a really long grade then I may help it a bit on the flats to increase my speed so that I am not going too slow at the crest.

 

Interesting...and how annoying that Ford couldn't think to either leave it out of the on dash display of the models it doesn't apply to, or at a minimum, mention it in the owner's manual?? I read it, at least three times...no mention that I found. :screwy:

Thanks for the reply, I think I read something similar from you in another TBC post, as I did my searching, found lots of people with the same complaint I have but not many details as to power output and such. It's funny that with a Prodigy brake controller you can see the volts applied, add a bias and control max output via a dial. With Ford's TBD you get bars, one can only assume all the bars = 12-13 volts.

While I'm getting set for a 20+ hour round trip haul to Atlanta and back here in a few days, I did remove all the trailer hubs today to check (at least once annually) to ensure the grease seals hadn't blown and if there was grease on any of the brake components...all looked great, reassembled, pumped a few strokes of hi-temp red grease into each hub and adjusted the drum brake shoes as they've worn a bit. So we'll see how that works out, I'll know within the first 5mi.

I have been reaching for the slide actuator...quite a bit. That's my concern...it's almost a habit just to reach for it every time I need to do any sort of braking over what I could use in 100yards.

It's possible adjusting the drums will help, even better in six months when I replace all the backing plates with new assemblies as I'm below 50% worn.

Regarding TOW/HAUL MODE, once the vehicle would shift to OD gear (at 55mph I think is the threshold while in T/H Mode) the truck is reluctant to downshift for a short/steep incline, but when it does it seems to have awkward timing.

Oh well, I'll learn a bit on this trip as it's a good 9hrs of 85 South after 2hrs on 58w to get out of the beach. Thanks again for your reply, if anyone else has something to add, I'm all ears.

 

Tow with the cruise control on and the truck will downshift much faster than you can make it manually. Plus, you'll get better fuel mileage with it on. Come on south and have a good time!

 

A little trick...have someone step on the brakes and go around to each wheel on the trailer and listen for the buzz..No buzz no brakes. So that will require two people.

 

The Prodigy is a non-proportional inertia activated system versus the integrated proportional system in the truck. The two operate in completely different ways up to providing current to the trailer brakes. The proportional output is evident when you are stopped and press your brake pedal. You'll see the output increase as you press harder even at a stand still. The Prodigy uses inertia so it looks for voltage on the brake light lead and senses the amount of force from the truck physically slowing. In my opinion the Prodigy is the very best as far as this kind of system is concerned. That being said, I've been towing for decades and much prefer the true proportional system integrated with the tow vehicle. Much more control, IMO.

If you don't feel the trailer is braking hard enough even at the highest gain setting, I would check the trailer brakes themselves. The brakes should be just on the verge of locking up with the slider fully engaged at 25MPH with no pedal input. Tandem axles are toughest for this test because you might get one wheel locking up more readily than the others. The connection itself could be marginal creating resistance and thus reducing current flow to the trailer brakes. If you see any corrosion in the connector, clean it as best you can and apply the appropriate electrical contact grease.

I have an '08 and tow a 21K gooseneck that is running about 19K with all the horses loaded and the system works great. I wish I could provide more ideas on how to diagnose/fix yours but hopefully the info helps in some way.

BTW - I would still tow in Tow/Haul to help keep the transmission cooler and reduce wear on drivetrain components.

 

The integrated TBC is proportional ?!? Ugh - no wonder the OP hates it after his Prodigy.

I had to swap out my TBC in an emergency and went from inertial to proportional - it requires a very different braking style to inertial, which for me was from not even noticing the trailer was there to a constant mild panic that I might get caught out unawares and not be able to stop in time.

Oh, and I just loved unloading the race car and then locking the trailer brakes on my way across the paddock !

Good job I kept the Prodigy before I traded the old F350 in, I guess I'm going to be wiring that into the new truck before the season start.

Useful information about the OE TBC, thank you.

Charles