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Old 03-31-2020, 11:28 AM   #1
linux3
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Initial Brake Settings

Hopefully in around a month I'll be getting my TT out of winter storage.
When I put it away I had my old truck with a Tekonsha Primus IQ Trailer Brake Controller. It worked great, no problems.
But, now I have a new truck with the factory installed controller.
I'll be pulling my TT out of the warehouse, down a 50 yrd gravel yard and onto a pretty busy rural road.
After reading the instructions from Chevy for initial setup I don't really see how I can follow them. 10 miles down the road I can pull into a way less busy road and do the 25 MPH tests but not right away.

2020 Silverado 1500. Passport 195RB weight ~4000 lbs.
Can anyone with a similar setup give me a starting place for the Offset?
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:18 PM   #2
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Hi Rob,

I'm a Ford guy this time around, so I'm not on top of GM specific tech. But based on fifty+ years of towing with various brake controllers, my first suggestion would be to set your gain for a little less than half of max setting. Most trailers, in my experience, will be manageable, at this setting until you can fine tune her on the "flat and level". If you find you need a little more brake control in transit to that place, dial her up a notch.

I think, based on my experience, this is a safe place to start. If you feel like you're in trouble, you can always hit the "Dolly Bar" and lock her up, and then add some gain to your adjustment. You'll dial her in pretty quick, especially on a gravel road with a little practice. Just bear in mind that your hauling a (probably) empty trailer. You may need to adjust your settings after loading up for a trip. Your Trailer Weight will probably go up.

Good Luck,
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Old 03-31-2020, 05:48 PM   #3
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I agree with what Pull Toy said and I don’t think you will have much of an issue only going 10 miles unless it is all downhill. Congratulations on your new truck!
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Old 04-01-2020, 05:28 PM   #4
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I too am a Ford guy. Read up on your factory brake controller and be sure you understand how to set it up before you leave...on the Ford controller, you need to:
  1. Designate the name of the trailer to be towed (you can set up several in a list)
  2. Designate type ("electric" or "electric over hydraulic")
  3. Set overall braking effort (light, medium, heavy) for each trailer.
Each preset trailer will then have full use of the 0-10 gain control with these initial settings for each trailer towed. In my case, this allows me to have pre-set conditions for towing either my 17K# fiver or my 7K# cargo trailer (1 braking axle). When I hook up, I need to tell the F350 which trailer I am towing.

I'm assuming that your Chevy will have a similar setup routine.
Hope that helps. Congratulations on your new tow vehicle!
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Old 04-01-2020, 07:36 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisB View Post
I too am a Ford guy. Read up on your factory brake controller and be sure you understand how to set it up before you leave...on the Ford controller, you need to:
  1. Designate the name of the trailer to be towed (you can set up several in a list)
  2. Designate type ("electric" or "electric over hydraulic")
  3. Set overall braking effort (light, medium, heavy) for each trailer.
Each preset trailer will then have full use of the 0-10 gain control with these initial settings for each trailer towed. In my case, this allows me to have pre-set conditions for towing either my 17K# fiver or my 7K# cargo trailer (1 braking axle). When I hook up, I need to tell the F350 which trailer I am towing.
!
What I wish Ford would tell us is what weights it considers to be light, medium and heavy for the initial setting. Is a 15,000 lb trailer considered medium or heavy?
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Old 04-02-2020, 04:37 AM   #6
CedarCreekWoody
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I'm not a Ford man but I would think any make would consider 15k as heavy, maybe even 10k.
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Old 04-02-2020, 05:35 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mustanger View Post
What I wish Ford would tell us is what weights it considers to be light, medium and heavy for the initial setting. Is a 15,000 lb trailer considered medium or heavy?
Good question: I haven't found anything "official" regarding the designations. And I think they are actually "low, medium, high" rather than my previous post. From my personal experience, I recommend as a start (JMHO):
  • Low = <5K
  • Medium = 5K to <10K
  • High = 10K +
That should at least get you started. My 7K cargo trailer I have set at "low" with gain about 6/10 since it only has one braking axle. For my 17K fiver, set at "high" with gain between 5 and 8 depending on towing conditions.

Hope that helps.
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