TT Brakes

[Roper46]

Copied this from my New Member thread.

So I took the TT back to Camping World this morning ref the brakes. First thing the tech does is check my brake controller on my new Ram. He sets the gain to +10 then shows me on his "machine" how the controller on moves the numbered dial about 2 or 3 and says its low voltage.

So I tell him to prove to me the TT brakes actually work. So he pulls out the wire from the breakaway switch. While he is in my truck w it in drive the TT brakes do lock up. So he crawls under the frame to plug the wire back into the switch & says a wire on the switch is actually frayed.

They are ordering a new switch. But I'm thinking it was grounded or shorted out maybe ?? The Brake Controller in the truck still shows maxed out when you use the manual slider.

[Roper46]

So does anyone think there may have been a short all along ? And since the brake controller is putting out voltage, is it working ?

[chuckster57]

The break away switch isn’t part of the equation when using the TV brakes/controller. The switch has 12VDC from the trailer battery, and the “cold” side is connected to the brake circuit. When you pull the “key” out, it simply applies 12V to the brake circuit causing the brakes to apply.

I have in the past heard of low voltage issues with the Ram trucks. Been a couple years since I’ve seen the issue, so I would have thought it was fixed but I think you may have proven it wrong.

[sourdough]

Like Chuck said pulling the breakaway switch doesn't prove anything about the truck controller or umbilical cord on the trailer.

If the brakes lock up with the breakaway switch it would then eliminate the brakes and electrical circuit to them. Now it's the plug at the back of the truck, plug from the trailer and wiring from that plug back into the trailer. First thing I would do is determine I had power at the truck plug to power the brakes. At that point it's in the dealer's lap to fix the RV.

[travelin texans]

If pulling the breakaway key wouldn't lock up the brakes & you have to have controller set to max then the trailer brakes need adjustment or repaired.
On the newer integrated brake controllers the voltage is proportional based on speed & pedal pressure so it will be next to impossible to read voltage while moving.

[Roper46]

Thanks for the replies. So how much power should be coming out of the truck plug to the TT ?

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Roper46

Thanks for the replies. So how much power should be coming out of the truck plug to the TT ?

It’s going to change based on speed, how hard your pushing the pedal. A lot of these newer vehicles with the integrated brake control are near impossible to test using the old equipment.

[Roper46]

Ok, thanks for the info.

[Hblick48]

Originally Posted by Roper46

Copied this from my New Member thread.

So I took the TT back to Camping World this morning ref the brakes. First thing the tech does is check my brake controller on my new Ram. He sets the gain to +10 then shows me on his "machine" how the controller on moves the numbered dial about 2 or 3 and says its low voltage.

Had he tried that on my factory installed Ford controller, voltage would be zero. Ford decided to disable their brake controller at speeds of 5mph and lower. Vehicle must be moving to get the controller to send power to the brakes.

[Roper46]

So I took my truck to the dealer I bought it from yesterday to test the IBC and the plug on back of the truck. His tester at the plug showed voltage coming from all 7 pins.

Today I just finished leveling & did a recertification on my Lippert 3.0 autolevel system. But prior to that I hooked to the truck & tested the IBC. I pressed the braked pedal & maxed the slide controller and the IBC showed max. But when I started moving forward I got two messages from the truck stating "Trailer Brake Disconnected" in red no less. The other message stated "Check Trailer Brake Wring". Something is NOT right with the trailer IMO.

It amazes me the dealer will put a customer on the road without thoroughly checking what is in my opinion the number one safety feature on a travel trailer, the brakes !!

[chuckster57]

You’ll need a DC amp clamp for this:

Find the break away switch. There will be 12VDC on one side and nothing on the other. Hook the amp clamp to the “cold” side, pull the pin and post how many amps it reads.