Towing and Trailer Brake Question
 

2020 2.7L. I added the trailer brake console after the truck was purchased. It was done at the Ford dealer. When I hook up a trailer (empty) and push the gain to 10 and then press on the brake with my foot, the trailer wheels do not lock up. The trailer display on my dashboard shows the amount of gaining being applied to the foot pedal but it does not appear to be stopping the trailer. An empty trailer set to 10 should lock up and skid.

However, when I'm driving the truck and manually slide the spring loaded lever on the trailer console with my fingers, it will lock up the wheels. So, the connection is good and the trailer brakes work.

My question is this: Should an OEM Ford trailer brake, work automatically when using the foot pedal or should I always have to manually slide the levers to apply trailer brake gain?

It’s velocity sensitive. If you’re going slow it’s going to apply less brake then if you’re on the highway.

X2!!! in addition are you set at "low, Medium or high" for the TT brakes aggressiveness?

I didn't know there was a setting for brake aggressiveness. I just know when I use the brake pedal, the trailer doesn't lock up. When I use the manual slider, it does. I just want to make sure I'm not burning my truck brakes up and that in fact, the trailer brakes are working.

Can you explain the velocity sensitive part? I'm trying to figure out how that relates to my experience.

Do you have a menu, scroll to trailer screen add your trailer and your dynamics, settings will be there. You don't want to simply plug in and go, like the truck magically knows if you have a 3000# trailer or 8000# trailer. If you don't have the manual in the glove box, there are free online manuals, or even videos how to set this up. I do not know what trim level you have or I would link one for you.

this is what it looks like on my truck yours could be different

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d6ee528326.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...6db53a73ea.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d21a13d150.jpg

The truck applies less brake effort the slower you are going.

Well...it's pretty simple really...moving slow means less braking needed, and vice versa for increased speed. It's not a linear thing, per se. In other words, you don't want to lock the trailer brakes up (well, ever, actually!) at slow speeds, but you want to have sufficient braking being applied to where the tow vehicle isn't doing all the braking.

In most/all proportional brake controllers--think OEM and Prodigy among others--there is an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that senses g-forces during braking. This means the harder you brake, the higher g-force sensed by the IMU and more voltage the controller sends to the trailer brakes. In the experiment you describe, there is no g-force occurring when you press the brake pedal at a stand-still, so no matter what your gain is set to, the controller will not send voltage to your trailer brakes.

The easy way to set the appropriate amount of gain is to take your truck-trailer to a safe level paved area--flat road with no traffic, big parking lot--and then adjust your gain as you drive at normal speed, using the manual lever on the controller for maximum braking JUST UNDER THE TRAILER WHEELS LOCK-UP SET POINT. Obviously, your optimal "max" gain setting will require adjustment depending on how heavily loaded your trailer is, and will need to be changed as your load increases/decreases.

This is one of the better written and clearer posts on this subject: https://www.f150forum.com/f82/amount...7/#post7179346