Trailer braking
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Allmost all the time it's in the trailer not the truck but it's easier to blame the truck.
Last winter I helped a guy change from drum to disk brakes on his 2014 trailer, he had 7K axles and I couldn't believe how small the brakes were on that heavy of a trailer. He was running his integrated Dodge controller on 10 with the drums and at 6.5 with the disks and his trailer would stop.
Denny
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Another problem I've had on two tailers was the molded plug on the end of the cord, they are a spring loaded type contact that is small and it goes over a spring contact in the female end on the truck. The easy fix is to disconnect your trailer batteries and cut the cord end off and install a new one that you can pick up at any automotive part store. The new one will have a flat larger flat contract that will wipe itself clean on the spring loaded contacts in the female end every time you plug it in. The wires in the cord are color coded and they match the labels on the new cord end.
Denny
Denny
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Bristol, TN.
That leave the connection between truck and trailer and the truck seven pin output to the trailer when the brakes are applied.
Steve
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Denny
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2013
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FYI...I left out that originally, I had the Hopkins in bed connector that Ts inline to the 7-way on the bumper. Then I upgraded, once I found out I could, to the Ford in-bed connector which is more robust and plugs into the factory harness on the frame.
I was hoping this would improve braking, but no change.
Pretty sure the brakes are just not strong enough...I like the idea of upgrading them. I do want to check the voltage drop at each wheel next chance I get.
I was hoping this would improve braking, but no change.
Pretty sure the brakes are just not strong enough...I like the idea of upgrading them. I do want to check the voltage drop at each wheel next chance I get.
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Because Hitchhiker is no longer on production I'm always looking at other brands I see in RV parks just in case something happens to put present trailer that I can't fix, it happened to some friends of ours when a driver ran a stop sign and totalled their trailer. When I find something I think I like I go on their website and look at options and I'm totally amazed at the lack of suspension and brake upgrades offered. The latest one was Artic Fox, looks like a well built trailer with a strong frame and side wall construction but no suspension or brake upgrades 
Denny
Denny
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Denny
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Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Greene, NY
I've got the same type of thing with my 2010 F250.. I pull 3 trailers - a gooseneck horse with a 13k gross, a gooseneck flatbed with 10k gross, and a bumper pull snowmobile with 6k gross. All running electric drums. Horse & Snowmobile both have brand new dexter setups. I can lock all of them up using the slider at slower speeds, but they all feel weak when stopping normally. Especially the horse.. If I really lay on the brakes, I always feel like i'm getting a bit of a push from the trailer, as opposed to the trailer dragging me to a stop. But, I never have a problem actually stopping where I planned on. So I guess it's all doing what it's supposed to, just not what I'm used to.
It will be interesting to see how the 2017 works.
It will be interesting to see how the 2017 works.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Home Base Nebraska
Trailer braking
I think some of the problem here is comparing the Ford proportional controller that works off the trucks braking system to a controller that has to sense the truck braking system starting the braking. Most of them rely on the brake light to come on to start the braking, that's were the boost comes in and it gives you the feel of the trailer braking but for full braking the truck has to do the braking first for the controller to sense it. On a proportional system the trailer brakes come on at the same rate as the truck brakes so most of the time you don't feel the trailer brakes unless you are under heavy braking.
Years back when I changed from a Prodigy to a BrakeSmart proportional controller it took some getting used to because I could no longer feel that brake light hit the Prodigy would give the brakes but instead I had smooth braking start to finish. To be truthful I liked the BrakeSmart over the Ford controller.
Denny
Years back when I changed from a Prodigy to a BrakeSmart proportional controller it took some getting used to because I could no longer feel that brake light hit the Prodigy would give the brakes but instead I had smooth braking start to finish. To be truthful I liked the BrakeSmart over the Ford controller.
Denny
Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 115
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From: North Fork, Long Island N
Never checked mine, but I have read on another RV site, that to have even braking we should have at least #12 wire from the pinbox to each wheel, & if possible the same length of wire from the pinbox to each wheel.
John
John