Steve Osborne

Some info found in with the manual....even the last line says....brakes may not lock up...

atwowheelguy

I bought my camper used. I set the gain at 10 and couldn't get the trailer brakes to lock up. Then I adjusted the brakes. Then the trailer tires would start to squall under rigorous braking. I had to back off on the gain. I hope the shop adjusted the brakes when they inspected them.

PerryB

Tekonsha (who makes the controller for Ford) issues that statement with all their products. A 14,000 lb trailer with 12" drums WON'T lock the wheels, but thats not the issue here. It stopped smartly behind another vehicle, it stops weakly behind this one. Basic deduction says the problem lies with the tow vehicle. That doesn't mean with certainty that this is the case but its highly likely. If you do a little looking into it, there are quite a few complaints about this beginning with the '16 year models. I don't know what Ford/Tekonsha changed, but they obviously outsmarted themselves again because the previous units were excellent.

To the O.P. -- The RV dealer has been inside the drums a couple times, so I assume everything is is good physical condition/appearance. Have they done an amp draw test? Any better service facility should have a brake draw tester. If not, its easy to make one with a battery and an amp meter. The magnets should draw right around 3 amps each at 12V, so a 4 wheeled trailer would be very close to 12A. If so, it's back to looking at the truck. Its not possible that the truck is set to electric over hydraulic mode, is it?

stainlessman

I bought a new 18' aluminum car hauler with elec brakes. My XL has the tow package with NO brake controller. So made an appointment with our friendly Ford dealer. Was told it would be like $280. total, was $100. more for the total bill , controller and install. Tec said the wire was right there. 15 minutes it was in.
SO I used my trailer today. And me too could not get the tires on the trailer to lock up. My 2004 with a travel trailer I could drag the tries lock up soild down my driveway...lol. BUT this controller/computer system will not lock up. There is a computer program on the dash showing 'bars' like on a cell phone. I think there are 5 or 6 of the bars. The most I ever got today was three but just for a few seconds. But I'm gonna try what the other member said...'push hard and steady'...I really don't think I did that today. My trailer still hooked on. I'm headed for Quebec Canada in the morning to bring back a load of maple sap storage tanks. Weight...I'm guessing like 1500 lbs total. Plus the trailer so I'll see how the brakes work now I've read this. Thanks for all the replies as always!!!!!

4x4wagon

Hey guys,

I figured I'd give some info because I can actually read OP's frustration as he types.

The Ford Integrated Brake Controller is specifically designed to modulate the voltage to the trailer to prevent the brakes from locking up. When lockup occurs, you lose a portion of your braking power and the trailer is actually sliding in a potentially out of control manner. That's bad.

Most likely, your brakes were actually adjusted too tight intially or too grabby. That's why the RV dealer keeps telling you the brakes are fine. Currently, they are working as designed, which is different from your expectations.

When you are hitched up and coasting 5-10 mph on level ground, if you grab the manual actuator (slider) will the vehicle and trailer come to a completely stop? This is a better test of braking power than forcing a lockup. You could verify lockup using a jumper wire, but it would be dangerous to drive with a full 12 volts going to the brakes every time you applied the brakes. In the middle of a turn, the trailer locking up would turn you into a drifter and possibly into a ditch or oncoming traffic.

stainlessman

Well I made a trip up to Quebec with my truck and new 18' trailer. The trailer weight plus 1800 lbs on the trailer and I left my brake controller on a gain of 8 and no issues. Brakes never locked up and they seemed to work only once did I see the gain bar lights go up to 3. Generally when stopping only one or two lights across. But I made fine no issues. So the controller must be working I guess.

charles_slc

Going to join in here...I have a HTT which weighs less than 5000# and on my 2013, with the gain set at 10, I can't lock the brakes.

On my prior truck, with a Tekonsha P3, I could lock the brakes with a gain of 7 or 8 IIRC. Usually ran about 6 with a boost of B1, again IIRC.

It seemed to stop fine on my 1600mi (well 1800mi with side trips) trip back from Ohio. But it is a little disconcerting to run a a gain of 10 on a 5000# trailer w/o lockup.

stainlessman

I'm glad I found this thread and hope it helps others when they think the brakes aren't working.

smd3

I'm pretty convinced there's something going on with these integrated brake controllers, and I'm not the only one. I had a Tacoma with a Tekonsha P3, and it'd lock the trailer brakes when we'd rent a travel trailer. My F150 will complain about the connection, pulse the brakes, and never apply more than 2 bars on the indicator. Check this thread out: https://www.f150forum.com/f118/trail...solved-379698/

Granted, we usually rent trailers from outdoor recreation on the base I"m stationed at, but I never had the problems that I did hauling with my F150. I can't prove that it wasn't the trailer, but I had the same issues this guy did.

humblerb

I've had two travel trailers and pulled them with three different vehicles. At a full gain of 10, I've never locked up the trailer brakes. Trailers were 8500# and 7300#.
I think it would scare me to death if they would lock up. Key for me is, push the lever on the controller and see if the trailer brakes will stop you.
One thought I have from reading these forums, is the wiring. I believe OP said the original vehicle would lock up when new, but when he went back, the original TV now does not lock them up. I know next to nothing about electricity/wiring, but it sounds like maybe there is not as much power being sent to the brakes.