Trailer brake controller Q's

Chuck Bunnell · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2001 7:40 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

I'm going to be switching to a trailer with electric brakes in the near future and will be purchasing a trailer brake controller. I would like to get recommendations, suggestions or any other information for selecting one of these things. Which are good/bad? What features do I need? What kind of things do I need to look for? How hard is it to install in a truck that is not "towing package" equipped? And so on. Thanks for your help!

Bob Chiras · Joined: 30 Jul 2001 Posts: 198

My advice is buy the controller with as many options as you can afford.

We have hauled trailers to Daytona through ice storms in whasington DC, I've hauled to Charlotte and had snow in the mountains. we have come out of Atlanta with tornado conditions near by. The better control that you can exercise over that trailer the safer you are on the highway.

Have a trailer shop do the setup. It only takes about an hour. They made most of the connections with harness plugs and they were not cutting and splicing wires. The $100 was well spent. I believe the controller was in the $150 range.

Erik Frank · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2001 9:11 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

Chuck,

I use a Tekonsha Sentinel electric brake controller on my 2001 F-250 PSD towing a 16' double axle enclosed Haulmark traler. It works well, and it cost me about $90. The controller was also a cinch to hook up, since the newer F-250 come pre-wired for trailer towing with electric brakes. I'm not sure what brand your tow vehicle is, but www.ford-diesel.com has a message board like this one, and there is a trailer towing section with lots of good comments and info on controllers. I bought mine based on feedback from that site.

Hope this helps,

-erik

John Neilson · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2001 2:47 pm Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

Chuck,
Simple, Tekonsha Sentinel.
This unit is good for up to 3 axles of brakes.
Just make sure to mount it so you can reach the manual control, then adjustments are easy.
Some of my friends use this unit pulling a train, 5th wheel trailer and a boat behind that.

Chuck Bunnell · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2001 2:13 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

My tow vehicle will be a '97 Ford Ranger 4X4 and it already has a class III reciever type hitch installed. The trailer will be a 5' wide X 12' long X 4' high enclosed box. My estimates of the weight will be about 3000# gross for the trailer with all my stuff. The trailer will be a custom design so that I can maximize use of the trailer volume while keeping its profile less than the profile of my truck. I appreciate the input. Just got to finish all my projects now.

Patrick Hubbell · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2001 6:38 pm Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

quote:
Originally posted by Chuck Bunnell:
My tow vehicle will be a '97 Ford Ranger 4X4 and it already has a class III reciever type hitch installed. The trailer will be a 5' wide X 12' long X 4' high enclosed box. My estimates of the weight will be about 3000# gross for the trailer with all my stuff. The trailer will be a custom design so that I can maximize use of the trailer volume while keeping its profile less than the profile of my truck. I appreciate the input. Just got to finish all my projects now.

Chuck,

you have made a very wise decision to opt for the trailer brakes. I have a 99' Chevy silverado with 4 wheel discs. My previous trailer was a 5'x8'x 5 tall. When it was fully loaded I could feel the extra momentum while braking. Some times stopping in a hurry was marginal. Now with my 6'x10'x6-6" tall and elect. brakes short panic stops are no problem. I don't know the brand of the controler but it was $90 and another $100 to install it. Took about an hour and well worth the money. My controler has a digital readout with a thumb wheel that controls the amount of braking done by the trailer. With a full load I set it to 2.0 and when I get into slow traffic I turn it down to 1.0 to minimize the tugging that the trailer puts on the tow vehicle while braking. Be sure to charge the battery once in a while!

Chuck Bunnell · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2001 7:02 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

If you remember to look, see what controller you have. A digital readout to show the setting would be a major feature instead of guesssing. When you say charge the battery, what battery? Are you using the battery in the tow vehicle to power the brakes or do you have a battery in the trailer to power its brakes and stuff? I'd like to get this right the first time. Actually this will be the second time since I had a 6'X10'X5.5' white box before without brakes. It even pushed the full size Bronco I used to have and definitely impacted brake life. Thanks for your input.

Erik Frank · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2001 7:08 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

He's probably referring to the emergency brake system battery.

Most modern trailers with electric brake setups come with a small 12V battery installed in a box mounted on the tongue. This battery provides power to the electric brakes when the trailer is not connected to the tow vehicle. Under normal conditions, the power to the trailer brakes is supplied from the tow vehicle, via the electrical connection harness. In the event that the trailer becomes physically disconnected from the tow vehicle, the battery will supply power to the trailer's brakes to prevent a runaway trailer.

Come to think of it, I need to check mine.

-erik

[ October 12, 2001: Message edited by: Erik Frank ]

Patrick Hubbell · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2001 8:04 pm Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

quote:
Originally posted by Chuck Bunnell:
If you remember to look, see what controller you have. A digital readout to show the setting would be a major feature instead of guesssing. When you say charge the battery, what battery? Are you using the battery in the tow vehicle to power the brakes or do you have a battery in the trailer to power its brakes and stuff? I'd like to get this right the first time. Actually this will be the second time since I had a 6'X10'X5.5' white box before without brakes. It even pushed the full size Bronco I used to have and definitely impacted brake life. Thanks for your input.

Yes the battery is on the trailer and will apply power to the system in case the trailer separates it's self from the tow vehicle without my consent.

I'll get the brand name and model number for you. The controller also has a plunger of the side that allows you to work the trailer braked independantly from the tow vehicle's brakes.

John Valerio · Joined: 24 Jul 2001 Posts: 650

Chuck,
I recently(yesterday) bought a new trailer. Its an 18 foot Fun Runner 7'x18'x8'(Similar to a Weekend Warrior). The gvw is 7k. I towed it home after U-Haul installed the new brakes and weight dist bars. It's the U-Haul brand "Activator 2" it cost around $70.00 installed around 160.00..
It has the plunger like Pat Hubbell eluded to as well as a sync lever and digital display for setting the progression of braking pressure...I think they refer to it as a brake sync.In any case my new trailer was easy to tow and to stop. So consider the dist bars too. It really balances the weight between the trailer and the tow vehicle.

By the way
CONGRATS TO PAT HUBBELL FOR WINNING the IKF region 11 championship in KT100

A well deserved Championship!!!

[ October 25, 2001: Message edited by: John Valerio ]

Patrick Hubbell · Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2001 6:56 pm Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

quote:
Originally posted by Chuck Bunnell:
I'm going to be switching to a trailer with electric brakes in the near future and will be purchasing a trailer brake controller. I would like to get recommendations, suggestions or any other information for selecting one of these things. Which are good/bad? What features do I need? What kind of things do I need to look for? How hard is it to install in a truck that is not "towing package" equipped? And so on. Thanks for your help!

Chuck,

mine is made by Drawtite(sp). $95 Has digital readout with a thumbwheel to adjust the trailer braking force and a slider/plunger that can operate the trailer brakes independantly from the truck's.

Greg Walters · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2001 10:33 pm Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

Chuck,

Glad to hear you are going to purchase a brake controller for your vehicle! Most brands will work just fine and are quite easy to install although I recommend you have a shop do it unless you are familiar with how they work.
I have been in the landscaping field for almost twenty years now and have used numerous types of controllers on many different vehicles from Fords to Chevys, 1/2 tons (like Blazers & Broncos) up to 1 ton pick-ups, dualies and dumps. Hauling many different types and sizes of trailers over the years from 8' open trailers to 28' Wells Cargo enclosed trailers loaded with landscape machinery (about 15,000 lbs) and also 40' flatbeds loaded with two or three Bobcats (skid steer loaders-20,000 lbs total) I have found it is most important to have control of not just your vehicle but the trailer behind. I give you this info to make the point that no matter what you are hauling it is always important to make sure that you are safe out on the road, not just for yourself but for those travelling around you.
A couple pieces of advice I'd like to pass on to everyone are:
1. Test it manually every time you hook it up!
2. Set your controller's sensitivity control for what you actually have in the trailer at that moment! Digital readouts are basically a gimic designed by those particular manufacters to make their product more appealing! Braking is something that you feel, not something on a digital readout! Always test the FEEL of your braking ability as you leave your home or shop! (I see way too many folks pull up to a racetrack with their brakes locking up on the trailer because they haven't brought the usual amount of cargo they normally carry and never reset the sensitivity to compensate for this. How they don't notice this is beyond me!)
3.Mount your controller where you can easily reach the manual control in an emergency braking situation! (I have had two master cylinders on trucks (both Fords) go out while approaching stopped traffic and was able to stop (using just the trailer brakes) before a collision occured because we always make sure our controllers are easily accesible.
4. Take the time to understand how the electric brakes on a trailer actully work! (In short - the sensitivity control regulates the amount of current going to the brakes. More current = more braking power.)

Hope this is helpful!

Greg Walters
The Inside Track "America's Karting Newspaper!"

[ November 04, 2001: Message edited by: Greg Walters ]

Patrick Hubbell · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2001 12:08 am Post subject: Trailer brake controller Q's

quote:
Originally posted by John Valerio:
Chuck,
I recently(yesterday) bought a new trailer. Its an 18 foot Fun Runner 7'x18'x8'(Similar to a Weekend Warrior). The gvw is 7k. I towed it home after U-Haul installed the new brakes and weight dist bars. It's the U-Haul brand "Activator 2" it cost around $70.00 installed around 160.00..
It has the plunger like Pat Hubbell eluded to as well as a sync lever and digital display for setting the progression of braking pressure...I think they refer to it as a brake sync.In any case my new trailer was easy to tow and to stop. So consider the dist bars too. It really balances the weight between the trailer and the tow vehicle.

By the way
CONGRATS TO PAT HUBBELL FOR WINNING the IKF region 11 championship in KT100

A well deserved Championship!!!

[ October 25, 2001: Message edited by: John Valerio ]

Thanks for the kudos John. It was a long time coming, 3 years. It also was a real nail biter. I came from leading the series early on only to have my lead errode rapidly mid series. Gathering it all up and making a charge in the end. It came down to the final race to decide the championship. Won it by 3 points.

Greg Walters posted the best advice. Obviously spoken from experience. The digital readout is only there for reference. I set mine by feel turning up the juice to the trailer brakes untill I can just feel the additional braking force. I think practicing in a parking lot would be a good idea too.