Trailer Brakes

[jmlocklin]

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.

[sourdough]

What kind of brake controller do you have? What is it set on? Maybe you have it set too high.

[chuckster57]

What brake controller do you have and what’s it set at?

[chuckster57]

What kind of brake controller do you have? What is it set on? Maybe you have it set too high.


Typing at the same time!!!

[jmlocklin]

I am not sure about controller. Truck is Ford 250 and display shows 10% gain, but I have no idea what that means. In the truck there is a slide control, but I don't know what it does. When I put on the brakes, there is a line on the display that I think shows the trailer brakes, but not sure. Sorry to appear so ignorant, but I am.

[busterbrown]

What year is your Ford? Do you have an aftermarket brake controller or factory installed one?

Aftermarket brake controllers use a proportional motion-based pendulum as its way of adjusting braking effort of the trailer.

Modern day Integrated brake controllers (factory) are integrated into the truck's braking system and detect braking effort from the TV and instantly transfers that proportional effort to the trailer brakes. IBCs are more responsive and refined.

After market controllers tend to have a few more adjustments to driving characteristics, ie freeway vs local stop and go. My Tekonsha Prodigy 3 had to be dialed in a bit more when installed on my former TV as the trailer was secondary to braking. I finally got it right after reading the instructions and watching a few YouTube videos.

With my current RAM, there was not much fussing with the gain setting. It's set at 7.5 in all driving conditions and performs better than the Prodigy. That's just inherent in the integrated design.

[jmlocklin]

2017, factory equipped.
My main concern had to do with the brakes locking the tires and the smoke and rubber smell, but maybe that is what they were supposed to do when I slammed on the brakes. The truck tires never locked down like the trailer tires. My other concern is would that cause damage to the tires and do I need to check something before the next trip.

[FlyingAroundRV]

My 2015 F250 has the brake controller. The slide control is to activate the trailer brakes independently of the truck brakes.
I don't remember what the gain is on my truck and I'm presently 12,000 miles from it! As was described to me, Set the gain control such that at about 25 MPH, if you squeeze the slider all the way, you can feel the brakes, but they don't lock the wheels.

[busterbrown]

2017, factory equipped.
My main concern had to do with the brakes locking the tires and the smoke and rubber smell, but maybe that is what they were supposed to do when I slammed on the brakes. The truck tires never locked down like the trailer tires. My other concern is would that cause damage to the tires and do I need to check something before the next trip.

Are you smelling "smoke and rubber' when you do stop in a normal controlled manner? This should not be happening.

A good way to test the function of your brake controller is to squeeze the manual slide control lever slowly when traveling at a given speed. You should immediately feel the trailer gently pull against the truck's momentum decreasing your speed. As you squeeze the manual lever further, the braking force becomes more abrupt. You should be able to lock the trailer brakes completely if the lever is squeezed tightly.

If the trailer wheels are locking very quickly, lower the gain on the brake controller to a level that offers up a smooth predictable stop. If all that is felt are the trucks brakes, then move up on the gain.

Also, another way to check function of each trailer brake while connected to the TV is to lift up each side of the axle (1 axle at a time) and rotate the wheel. There should be slight audible drag of the pads on the brake drum. This is normal.

If the wheel does not spin easily and there is resistance, you may have to adjust the brake shoes from behind the backing plate. That also applies if there is no drag at all.

If the appropriate drag is present, have someone press the tow vehicle's brake pedal (or squeeze the brake controllers manual override lever) while you spin the elevated tire. The spinning wheel should stop.

These steps will confirm your brake controller is behaving properly. If the only time you're witnessing smoke and brake smells is when the braking is hard and abrupt (emergency avoidance), I would say this is expected and normal.

[gearhead]

All the above is good info, but this may be a good time to read your trucks owners manual.
Sounds like you have your trailer brake controller set too high.

[Logan X]

I have a 2017 F250, my gain is set at 5.

[MarkEHansen]

The gain required depends on the weight of the trailer, road conditions, the configuration of the brakes, etc. The gain setting for one configuration will not necessarily be appropriate for another.

As I understand it, you should not be able to lock up the trailer tires when testing using the manual application lever in the brake controller. The instructions for my controller say that you should drive at a specific speed (25 mph, if I remember correctly) and then smoothly apply the manual application lever until fully deflected. The gain should be adjusted just below the point where the tires lock up.

Note that this gain setting will change with different conditions, such as loading of the trailer, road conditions, etc., so you should keep that in mind. For example, if it starts raining, you may want to consider reducing the gain setting a little.

[Northofu1]

Check brake linings and drums just to make sure, check to see if adjustment is needed.
Take it on a smooth, traffic free road if possible and check for proper gain. Remember when adjusting that the trailer doesn't have ABS, trailer brakes may lock even though truck doesn't. I do check for a fairly hard brake to see how trailer tracks and brakes at a near hiway speed.
I adjust my mirrors to check for lock up while stopping, of course making sure road is clear.
My gain is set at 4.5 on my TV

[sourdough]

All the above is good info, but this may be a good time to read your trucks owners manual.
Sounds like you have your trailer brake controller set too high.

If your controller is set to 10 I'm pretty sure it is set too high causing the problem you are encountering. It can be really dangerous in wet/slippery weather. Mine (Ram) is adjusted via the electronic control display. I'm not sure how yours is. As was mentioned, look it up in the owner's manual and test different settings until you get to a point where it doesn't lock up but gives you good braking ability on the trailer.

[Logan X]

I have a 2017 F250, my gain is set at 5.

I wasn’t trying to suggest the OP should set his gain to five, I was only trying to point out that 10 was probably way too high. I agree with the above stated methods for setting the gain.

To set the gain, use the +- buttons on the brake controller.

[jsmith948]

Just an added thought: Our integrated brake controller is set at 8.5. We pull a 10,000# trailer. The brakes will behave differently depending on your driving style. If you are "easy on the brakes", i.e. let off on the fuel and apply the truck brakes gently, the controller seems to put less power to the trailer wheels as opposed to "braking hard". Everyone's driving style is different. I guess I'm the guy you hate to follow because I let off the fuel a quarter mile or more before the stop sign. Under "normal" conditions, I tend to use the truck's brakes sparingly. I have to set the brake controller higher, it seems, to "feel" the trailer brakes.

[{tpc}]

I feel like a gain of 10 is the max for a ford factory controller? I think mine is in the 8.5 range though it is a smaller trailer I am sure.

The owners manual describes how to set it up. It can be a challenge to find enough clear road for the procedure, but I found it to work well, at least with my setup.

I would start there.

[Ken / Claudia]

First and foremost before you pull the trailer read the ford manual, so you get an understanding of the function of the brake controller and it's settings. Then ask questions. If you do not understand the manual information, that's Okay, but after reading it you may not need help.
Sounds like most of us givings settings or advice may not help much since you have no understanding of the system.

[JRTJH]

I agree, whatever you do, READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL before you adjust/use the trailer brakes.

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"......

[FlyingAroundRV]

... I guess I'm the guy you hate to follow because I let off the fuel a quarter mile or more before the stop sign. Under "normal" conditions, I tend to use the truck's brakes sparingly. I have to set the brake controller higher, it seems, to "feel" the trailer brakes.
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.

[sourdough]

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? :facepalm:

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".

[FlyingAroundRV]

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? :facepalm:

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.:hide:

[busterbrown]

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! :eek::eek::eek:

[LHaven]

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?

[chuckster57]

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.

[jmlocklin]

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!

[JRTJH]

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.

[SummitPond]

... 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. ...

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.

[66joej]

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. :D:lol::lol::lol:

[BauerAP]

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.

[shermris]

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.

[{tpc}]

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..

[JRTJH]

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.

[gearhead]

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.

[NH_Bulldog]

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.

[BadmanRick]

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.

[Miloski]

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.


David