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Old 05-03-2019, 01:45 PM   #21
sourdough
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At the risk of a tirade from a member here that seems to regularly take issue with my driving style, I'm with you on this too. I always leave myself a good braking distance to the vehicle in front of me to avoid those hard stops where possible. I was taught "Defensive driving" in high school (do they still do that?) and a big part of that was leaving a safe distance to the vehicle in front of you.

Another aspect of that was an emphasis on only using the left lanes for overtaking. This is something that I wish driving schools would teach here in Oz. Australian drivers are terrible for driving in the passing lanes, particularly trucks in city traffic. OK, rant over. Now the guy on my ignore list can chime in.
Ha!! DO they even teach that anymore? At our high school each class had a state trooper with a specially equipped car come do demonstrations (class participated) on reaction time, stopping distances etc. It was really cool. It think that kind of stuff is long gone; I think you can qualify for a DL by email nowadays can't you?

As far as safe stopping distance - put me in the "foot off the gas and coast" crowd. If you ever have to try to make an emergency stop pulling a big trailer behind you it will ingrain in you to "keep your distance".
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Old 05-03-2019, 03:22 PM   #22
FlyingAroundRV
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Ha!! DO they even teach that anymore? At our high school each class had a state trooper with a specially equipped car come do demonstrations (class participated) on reaction time, stopping distances etc. It was really cool. It think that kind of stuff is long gone; I think you can qualify for a DL by email nowadays can't you?

As far as safe stopping distance - put me in the "foot off the gas and coast" crowd. If you ever have to try to make an emergency stop pulling a big trailer behind you it will ingrain in you to "keep your distance".
Danny: I might be showing my age here, but when I was in high school, they made us all sit through the "Mechanized Death" movie made by the Ohio Highway Patrol. Pretty gruesome stuff! I think today's little snowflakes would all have to rush off for therapy if they had to watch that. But it did leave a lasting impression and reinforce the need for "Defensive driving".



When we're towing "Doris" (don't ask) I can definitely feel the extra inertia of the rig and I give myself extra stopping room and take my time with the driving.
It might p*ss off some other drivers like my nemesis on the forum here, but I couldn't care less, as long as I and the DW are safe and relaxed.

And I also slow down in driving rain.
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Old 05-03-2019, 03:55 PM   #23
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Danny: I might be showing my age here, but when I was in high school, they made us all sit through the "Mechanized Death" movie made by the Ohio Highway Patrol. Pretty gruesome stuff! I think today's little snowflakes would all have to rush off for therapy if they had to watch that. But it did leave a lasting impression and reinforce the need for "Defensive driving".
OMG, I'm a bit younger and just youtube'd that documentary. Man, what where they thinking? Skip the body bags and tarps. Just show the mutilation where they lay after the crash. Nicely done, 1960s!
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Old 05-03-2019, 04:37 PM   #24
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From what I've read, the OP has not yet adjusted his brakes properly. It looks like he has gone from "brake effort 1 through 10" but has not adjusted the "brake mode" which is a 3 phase level of braking power...

Essentially the Ford brake controller has 30 "brake effort" settings, not the 10 that the OP has said he tried. The OWNER'S MANUAL gives step by step instructions on how to adjust the brake controller and it's far more detailed than "set it at 1-10 and it'll work".....

This is one "perfect example" of the old saying, "RTFM"......
Is this something new? I've been towing various rigs with my 2012 F-150 since... well, 2012, and this is all news to me. So I went back to the owner manual and all it talks about is a gain setting. It mentions ABS pass-thru, and braking reduction under 11MPH, but nothing else user-settable. Did this "mode" feature happen after 2012?
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Old 05-03-2019, 04:38 PM   #25
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For us it was “red asphalt”. Drivers ed isn’t in the curriculum here anymore AFAIK, you have to spend $$ on private driving schools. The road I live on is a favorite.
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Old 05-03-2019, 07:52 PM   #26
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Thank you everyone for your replies and help. I have now read the manual, and I see that my brake controller may be set too high, i.e. at max. At least I now know that I never adjusted it, but it actually seemed to do just what it was set to do. I will try to adjust it on our next outing. Finding a straight level road is impossible where I live. Normally I do not slam on the brakes, and have plenty of stopping distance in front of me.
Also, I seldom go over 65 on the highway. Thanks again for all the help!
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Old 05-03-2019, 08:43 PM   #27
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Is this something new? I've been towing various rigs with my 2012 F-150 since... well, 2012, and this is all news to me. So I went back to the owner manual and all it talks about is a gain setting. It mentions ABS pass-thru, and braking reduction under 11MPH, but nothing else user-settable. Did this "mode" feature happen after 2012?
My 2013 did not have the "three power settings" and my 2015 does have them. I'd guess that the OEM brake controller was changed from a "10 setting program" to a "30 setting program" in 2015. The OP's truck is a 2017, so his truck has the "enhanced brake controller". I don't believe your 2012 has the feature. At least I have never seen it addressed in any Superduty owner's manual prior to 2015.
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Old 05-04-2019, 04:38 AM   #28
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... I was taught "Defensive driving" in high school (do they still do that?) and a big part of that was leaving a safe distance to the vehicle in front of you. ...
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Ha!! DO they even teach that anymore? ... demonstrations (class participated) on reaction time, stopping distances etc. ...
I'm not sure what occurs these days, but when I herded cats (excuse me, taught at a high school) we had a defensive driver class; one of the PE coaches ran it like an army boot camp. In my physics class we did a unit on driving safety and always covered response times (with and without distractions), the relationship of speed and braking distances, how to handle hydroplaning, etc. And while I didn't show the "Mechanized Death" video (never thought to look on YouTube - shows my mindset! Who remembers filmstrips?) I did have various videos using crash dummies in slow motion.
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Old 05-04-2019, 08:52 AM   #29
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When I was with Parks Canada and being a certified Driving Instructor one of my duties was conducting Defensive Driving courses.
Part of the course was the "slow down before stopping". This may be why you still see Parks employees driving so slowly and also see them by the side of the road resting so they won't drive tired.
Looks like my training is still being passed on here in the Western Region.
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Old 05-07-2019, 02:28 PM   #30
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I have a 2011 F250 and my 2005 had the same integrated brake. 0-10 is the range and as you’ve found, 10 is the max. The plus and minus will allow you to go up and down. My last trailer was set at 6.5 and our current is 7.5. The slide switch is to activate the trailer brakes independently as has already been said. Find a relatively flat and open road and hit around 25-30 mph. Apply the trailer brakes with the slide. The brakes should not lock up. Find the setting where they won’t and the next one up they do. The ford changes in 0.5 increments. Just remember, if you’re sliding you have little control of the vehicle/trailer. Good luck.
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Old 05-07-2019, 06:53 PM   #31
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Do you have an owners manual for the brake controller? My brake controller has a slide that operates the trailer brakes indigently of the truck brakes and a dial for adjusting the brake controller for the truck brakes. I can feel the trailer brakes engage a tad before the truck brakes but it's a split second and wouldn't be noticeable unless you know it's there. The brake controller manual provides a guide line for initial set up and advises fine tuning toward the best results.
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Old 05-08-2019, 08:40 AM   #32
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My 2013 did not have the "three power settings" and my 2015 does have them. I'd guess that the OEM brake controller was changed from a "10 setting program" to a "30 setting program" in 2015. The OP's truck is a 2017, so his truck has the "enhanced brake controller". I don't believe your 2012 has the feature. At least I have never seen it addressed in any Superduty owner's manual prior to 2015.

Is this 3 power settings thing referring to 3 different types of trailers? I would assume each type would have its own level of power and 0-10 gain setting?

Or are the oem brake controllers in the F250 different from the ones in the F150?

Just wondering for my own edification..
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Old 05-08-2019, 03:14 PM   #33
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Is this 3 power settings thing referring to 3 different types of trailers? I would assume each type would have its own level of power and 0-10 gain setting?

Or are the oem brake controllers in the F250 different from the ones in the F150?

Just wondering for my own edification..
There are two distinct setting procedures. One sets the controller from 1-10, by using the +/- buttons on the brake controller. The other is the "power setting" which is done on the instrument panel menu in the "trailer applications". It has three settings, Low/Med/High. So essentially the Ford brake control has 30 "brake level settings, 10 on LOW, 10 on MED and 10 on HIGH. I can't speak to the F150 controller, my 2010 only had 10 settings, but later model trucks may incorporate settings similar to the SuperDuty, then again, F150's may not. I just don't know.

In the trailer applications software (located on the instrument panel) there is a feature to name and set up 5 different trailers (by name). The software will remember brake setting, mileage towed, etc by trailer name, so you can have 5 trailers with different brake settings, one might be at LOW power, brake level 5, another at MED power, brake level 9 and a third at HIGH power, brake level 2. Each of those trailers would always set the brake control to the correct braking level when the 7 pin connector is plugged in and you verify (in the instrument panel window) the correct trailer by the name you assigned it. That part of the software is "speed limited" so you can only access it when the truck is not moving.
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Old 05-08-2019, 05:56 PM   #34
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What is the best way to adjust the brakes on my Sprinter 29bh? On my last trip it seemed that I could feel the trailer brakes apply a split second before the truck brakes. When I came to a red light, I put on the brakes a little hard and must have locked the brakes on the trailer. After the smoke cleared, everything seemed to be fine and no other issues for the remainder of the trip. What do I need to do check before heading out again? Thanks for any help given.
So how many trips have you made with the controller set at 10?
eTrailer sells complete brake packages....shoes mounted on the back plate with magnets. Probably have self adjusting brakes for your size as well.
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Old 05-09-2019, 05:14 AM   #35
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There is a difference between the F150 and F250 brake controllers. The F150 has a setting of 1-10 in .5 increments. The F250 has the same setting range, but also adds an "Initial Output" setting which can be set at low, medium or high. This is the initial power output to the trailer brakes that you set depending on trailer weight and how aggressively you want the trailer brakes to be applied when you first touch the brakes. It really isn't accurate to say that it has 30 different settings, since the only difference is the INITIAL braking power, and after that the controller works the same regardless of whether the initial setting is low, medium, or high. Since you are more likely to be towing a heavier trailer with the F250, it makes more sense to have this feature in that model. The F150 compensates to a degree if you use Tow/Haul mode because the truck uses engine braking to supplement the trailer braking effort in times where you are really getting on the brakes. I have had a number of different types aftermarket brake controllers and I like the integrated one the best of them all.
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Old 05-09-2019, 08:17 AM   #36
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If you had to do an emergency stop and the trailer breaks locked up it means your break controller settings need to be adjusted lower so breaks don’t lock up. The truck has anti-lock breaks and will not lock up like the trailer. Check your vehicle manual it will tell you how to set your onboard trailer break controller.
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Old 05-09-2019, 10:07 PM   #37
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Google the controller brand and you will probably find adjustment instructions.
Your trailer brakes should always apply before the tow vehicle.
adjust the trailer brakes first and then the brake controller.
The brake application on the road and in town are different so I do a slight adjustment when I arrive in town.
You'll get the feel down.


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