I got the magnet at a trailer store. I am sure any rv store has them also. Sorry I said 3500 lbs magnet. It could be 3000 lbs or 3500 lbs. I am not sure but I know a 3000 would work also

 

I appreciate your thoughtful words. Although I am new to this site, having switched from a F 150 to a F 250, I am not new to RVing nor websites of this nature. Most of us who RV (nearly full time now as I am retired) share information that we think will help someone else avoid an unfortunate encounter. In fact I have already gleaned important information here regarding the service bulletin about the venturi tee installation. I have an appointment to get mine installed tomorrow as well as have some other items looked at. So, even though I was a bit put off by the response to my posting I am old enough and having been around the block a few times ignored the personal nature of the comments.

I'll put up some pics of my truck and trailer. The combination is awesome.

RTaylor

 

We are all only new for a few posts, and then if we are bad, our MODERATOR will come in and kick butt.

MY POINT: You are taking your family in a new truck. With an application that FORD denies applicable and workable to a great breaking system. I have RV'd, boat'd, traveled and been exposed to a lot of experts. I am not an expert. I am a person who, much like yourself reads, and comes to my own conclusions/decisions.

If a builder tells you your roof will leak will you feel comfortable with your roof? Ford has told you that your brakes are not tested, or whatever they say, with electric over hyd. brakes. Do some homework and let us know. I hope you are correct.

P. S. Photographs are wonderful. BRAKES are better than wonderful.

 

Okay, here is more information on the integrated controller. After reading some posts on the Airstream forum board and Trailer Life about the incompatibility issue I discovered:
1. The original controller worked with electric brakes (only?)
2. Ford has continued to modify their controller because many RVers are buying 5th wheels and travel trailers that use the electric/hydraulic system. GM has no such system, to my knowledge.
3. Sometime mid or late 2007 they apparently improved their product.
THE ISSUE:
4. The controller sent a false positive to the command display indicating the "trailer was unhooked".
5. I talked to an engineer at the company which made my electric/hydraulic system and he said the reason for the false positive was that the controller sent a voltage thru the 7 pin connector to detect the presence of the electric magnets and the return signal of course was not a valid response.
6. He further said that the actual working of the brake system was not in jeopardy but that the trailer failure message was a bit disconcerting to many RVers. The work around is an electronic device installed in the electrical pathway which "fools" the controller into thinking that there are magnets present.
7. He gave me some assurance that the latest controller and the system I am using are compatible and if not the installation of the work around would be fairly simple.

So I took my setup on a test drive as I indicated in the post. I experienced no failure messages and in fact the electric/hydraulic system seems to perform better than my Tekonsha controller. Yes, it may be like the guy who jumped from the top of a 30 floor building and who was heard saying "so far so good" as he fell past the 25th floor but without any other data at this time I am going to remain positive. If a problem arises I think I can solve it.

I did not expect to get into such a long winded explanation because as a new user I have no intensions of being a "so called know it all" but perhaps this will explain my reaction to the initial response.