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Old Jan 9, 2022 | 04:59 PM
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Brakes

I have a 2001 f350 automatic trans. I eat front brakes like candy when I tow as I have an automatic and no exhaust brake. I’m wondering about upgrading brakes to something larger such as f450 brakes. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Thanks for any input.
 
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Old Jan 10, 2022 | 10:50 AM
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Does your trailer have properly functioning brakes? What type of trailer, how heavy is it and what type of braking system does it have. Towing really shouldn’t increase the load on the truck brakes, the trailer should be pretty much taking care of itself.
Have you verified that the slide pins are clean and moving freely on your front calipers, sticky slide pins will accelerate pad wear. Likewise a sticking caliper piston will do the same. But these issues would be a problem towing or unloaded.
 
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Old Jan 11, 2022 | 03:42 PM
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Calipers are good, fairly new. It’s the trailer brakes that are intermittent, mostly dur to my own lack of maintenance!! I tow many different trailers and not all of them even have brakes. I also live in a area with mountains so I use a lot of braking, just hoping to go a bit bigger for the times I need some extra stopping power
 
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Old Jan 11, 2022 | 04:24 PM
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Are you currently downshifting the auto trans to help control downhill speeds? Using just the brakes for speed control in the mountains can burn through brakes more quickly.
 
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Old Jan 12, 2022 | 12:42 AM
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If I take it out of overdrive (button on end of shifter) it changes nothing, it doesn’t shift down into 3rd gear. I don’t recall ever trying to pull it down into 2nd gear though. I was told years ago there are two programs for these trannys, one will downshift into third when taken out of overdrive and the other will not. I have no idea how much truth there is to that but I know mine just idles under this situation.
 
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Old Jan 12, 2022 | 08:37 AM
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I'd be working on the trailer brakes.
 
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Old Jan 12, 2022 | 09:17 AM
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First, fix your trailer brakes. If they work when you test them, turn up the gain on the controller.

Second, fix the OD lockout button. That usually can be fixed by replacing the switch at the end of the shifter. Easy job.

Finally, if you tow often you might want to install an exhaust brake.
 
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Old Jan 12, 2022 | 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by redford
First, fix your trailer brakes. If they work when you test them, turn up the gain on the controller.

Second, fix the OD lockout button. That usually can be fixed by replacing the switch at the end of the shifter. Easy job.

Finally, if you tow often you might want to install an exhaust brake.
Yes, what Redford said.
 
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