Question RE: Trailer brakes
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Junior User
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Central New York
Question RE: Trailer brakes
Hi Team,
I need to borrow a friends stock trailer to haul my steers to their final destination every so often. When I hook up and plug in, all the lights work as they should, but the brakes don't seem to grab at all. I have turned up the Gain to 10 on the factory controller and still cant drag a wheel empty. I instinctively blame the trailer, fairly new & well maintained, but when my friend hooks it up he can drag the wheels all day. My truck is a 2014 F250 XL and was able to skid the wheels of a dump trailer I used to have. Can anyone advise a diagnostic for this issue?
Thanks, Patrick
I need to borrow a friends stock trailer to haul my steers to their final destination every so often. When I hook up and plug in, all the lights work as they should, but the brakes don't seem to grab at all. I have turned up the Gain to 10 on the factory controller and still cant drag a wheel empty. I instinctively blame the trailer, fairly new & well maintained, but when my friend hooks it up he can drag the wheels all day. My truck is a 2014 F250 XL and was able to skid the wheels of a dump trailer I used to have. Can anyone advise a diagnostic for this issue?
Thanks, Patrick
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Junior User
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Central New York
I'm having a hard time telling if they're grabbing, my gut says no, but they might be grabbing a little. The truck stops fine and does not feel like its getting pushed, but it's not that heavy a trailer. I weighed in at about 12160 LB loaded today. truck is reg cab xl srw. 4x4
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Junior User
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From: Central New York
Nope not happening...
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Bristol, TN.
Poor connection at your seven pin to the trailer, or poor connection to your seven pin from your controller. Need amp reading on seven pin lead to trailer would be the most direct way to tell what is going on. Can do that stationary operating controller manually. 
Steve
Steve
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Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Frederick, MD
This sounds to me like a poor connection as well.
You can listen at each wheel to see if there is a buzz.
Also with the TBC you will not lock up the brakes since it get ABS due to the integration.
Old style controllers didn't do that.
You can listen at each wheel to see if there is a buzz.
Also with the TBC you will not lock up the brakes since it get ABS due to the integration.
Old style controllers didn't do that.
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Junior User
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From: Central New York
Thanks for the reply, I know the old dump trailer would slow the truck right down when the controller was squeezed, I think it would slide the wheel though, I guess I might be wrong about that.
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Junior User
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From: Central New York
Thanks, that's the direction I needed! I'll get out my multi-meter and see what I can figure out.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Bristol, TN.
Using lock-up as a determinate is a tricky thing. With not much searching you will find in print manufacturers noting you might be able to slide the wheels on an empty trailer, but not a loaded one. When trying to troubleshoot braking strength, the only really useful measure in number of amps feeding the brakes as measured at the trailer lead.
You can hear em, but you will still see that with weak connections to some degree. Measuring amps nails the problem cold. If you have 10-12 amps at the trailer and it isn't stopping, you have to work on the brakes, period. You know that because the power is there.
If you don't have the amps, you are wasting your time until you figure out why you don't. The brake controller folks teach troubleshooting brakes with amps.
Steve
You can hear em, but you will still see that with weak connections to some degree. Measuring amps nails the problem cold. If you have 10-12 amps at the trailer and it isn't stopping, you have to work on the brakes, period. You know that because the power is there.
If you don't have the amps, you are wasting your time until you figure out why you don't. The brake controller folks teach troubleshooting brakes with amps.
Steve
Super Moderator
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37,379
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From: Frederick, MD
Using lock-up as a determinate is a tricky thing. With not much searching you will find in print manufacturers noting you might be able to slide the wheels on an empty trailer, but not a loaded one. When trying to troubleshoot braking strength, the only really useful measure in number of amps feeding the brakes as measured at the trailer lead.
You can hear em, but you will still see that with weak connections to some degree. Measuring amps nails the problem cold. If you have 10-12 amps at the trailer and it isn't stopping, you have to work on the brakes, period. You know that because the power is there.
If you don't have the amps, you are wasting your time until you figure out why you don't. The brake controller folks teach troubleshooting brakes with amps.
Steve
You can hear em, but you will still see that with weak connections to some degree. Measuring amps nails the problem cold. If you have 10-12 amps at the trailer and it isn't stopping, you have to work on the brakes, period. You know that because the power is there.
If you don't have the amps, you are wasting your time until you figure out why you don't. The brake controller folks teach troubleshooting brakes with amps.
Steve
X2
Just listening at each wheel is more of a quick check. I should have said that.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Bristol, TN.
You are right and it is worthwhile, I did not mean to imply otherwise. If you can't hear them at all, it's an electrical problem for sure. It gives you a shorthand to know if your connections are intact. They still may not be the greatest, but at least you know they are there.
Steve