Hi,

I have a 7,600 LBS trailer that i need to tow. Can someone please give me an idea of what gain setting you are using?

 

Here is how I do it, others may have added suggestions
I have my 10K trailer set on max. If your brakes are skidding on dry pavement, then lower the setting until you get good braking without skidding. Partly it is a feel thing, I go 10mph in my driveway and put the truck in neutral and manually activate the trailer brakes to the maximum , if they do not skid but bring everything to a stop in 10-15 feet I call it good

 

Towing our ~ 12K ver, I recall the gain is set for about 8.5, like others said - and manual states - slide the button over, and adjust for no skid..Tow/haul mode also provides a lot of engine braking...

 

My trailer is 16K I run the controller on 5 witch is more than enough with disc brakes

 

There are really to many variables to have a fixed setting, I start out in the middle (5) and tweak it from there. Use your hand lever so you only feel the trailer brakes for the initial attempts. It is entirely by feel, you want the trailer to slow you but not lock up the tires.

Personally, I try to use my trailer brakes sparingly and do not like locking up my trailer tires at all. The truck you have will have zero problem stopping a 7K trailer without any brakes but if you are in low traction situation (rain and such) having the trailer do more of the braking will tend to pull you straight instead of trying to jackknife the truck.

I assure you there is a short learning curve, you will learn a lot really quick. Just go slow till you build up your confidence and know you have it set the way you want it.

 

What you provided isn't really enough elements for the equation, and this isn't a question you should be asking someone else anyway. You see, even though I have two separate trailers that each weigh about 7k, and each is tandem axle with electric brakes, they both brake VERY differently. One is newer than the other, and the older one hasn't been adjusted in some time. If I were to go out and do a brake adjustment on one, it would change the gain necessity. Each trailer is unique.

Find a parking lot. Accelerate to 25mph. Use brake controller to apply full brakes to trailer. Keep turning up and repeating until tires skid, then back off a little bit so tires do not lock up. Then go drive it. You know what it feels like to drive your truck, and what it feels like to brake when empty. You want it to feel as if you're providing a bit more braking than when not towing. The truck should be doing some of the braking, while the trailer brakes should be helping. You still want the trailer slightly pushing the truck when braking. If the trailer starts pulling on the truck, you'll wear out your trailer brakes way too fast, or even cause other issues. It's something you can feel on your own. I rent out my camper often, and this is what I always tell people to do to adjust their controller.

 

I like to use my trailer brakes so they do most of the work. To me it's much safer doing it that way. On my trailers, hauling about 16,000, I set them at about 9 and use tow haul also. If i forget to set the tow haul I definitely remember at the first stop. When empty I set them about 4.5.

The way I figure it, I use trailers a lot less than my truck brakes. Therefore, use the trailer brakes and save on my truck brakes.

 

As Toymaster said, too many variables on this. I have towed a number of trailers similar to my own and now two use the same controller setting.

 

My trailer is about 8000 lbs. and my trailer gain is set to 2.5 and works great. I started higher and it would lock up the brakes, gradually worked my way down til 2.5

 

The majority of electric trailer brakes are old fashioned crappy drum brakes, not even self-adjusting. So I tend to err on the side of less trailer braking. One caution is that trailer brakes tend to be rusty and dirty when you first hook up the trailer. so if you set the gain at a point where your threshold locking then go on a long trip the brakes become more effective over time and can actually lock and flat spot your trailer tires. The newer Super Duty's also have features about how aggressive the ramp is to apply your rear brakes so keep that in mind and set it appropriately.