Happy New Year!Just a little story and a lesson I learned.DW and I traveled from south Michigan to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone this summer. We were first time Rvers.When I took possession of the trailer in March of 2014(Tracer Air 240TE with a F 150 TV) they showed me how to hook it up and away we went. I went thru the trailer brake gain setting procedure as shown in the Ford truck manual. Everything went perfectly! Little did I know, that the trailer brakes were, in fact, not functional!We drove across the Marias Pass (in the snow) and the Bear Tooth Pass in Wyoming, thinking all the while that the TT brakes were working. In the fall, I had the F150 in for service and was telling the mechanic about our trip out west. He then tested the plug and told me that I did that whole trip with out TT brakes. I was stunned! He installed a relay in the HV fuse box and told me I would get a completely different towing experience now that the brakes were functioning. :SI now have a 7-way plug tester, and I would highly recommend one for all Rvers. I have to say that our first year towing was very interesting it is the most comfortable way to travel. Except for the white knuckle ride over the Bear Tooth Pass LOL. I can't wait for next year. Thanks for all the advice, this forum is the best!!

LOL I am glad you are here to tell the tale!

The first thing I do when leaving home and a camp site is hit the manual brake slide bar thingy to make sure the trailer brakes are working.. ;)I do this every time I move the trailer and I'll even hit it manually going down the grades, just to make sure it's there.. :)I've driven a rig with a heavy trailer and no trailer brakes before and there is a big difference.. This was back in the late 80's, so vehicle braking has come a long way since then, but still..Good luck!Mitch

Wow, that is one scary thought. That's a lot of trailer to have no brakes, especially in that terrain. You are very fortunate that you didn't find out the hard way that you had no trailer brakes.Now that you have a little more experience under your belt, always check your trailer brakes as you pull out from home, out from a CG, or wherever. And it never hurts to periodically do this throughout a day of travel. I've done this gently at 60 or 65 mph...gently. I just want to feel a little tug to know that the brakes are getting the juice.Just reach down while going slow (your driveway, or the CG drive) and slide your manual brake slider over some. You will feel the trailer tug on your TV substantially. If you don't, stay off the road until you figure out why.Happy trails!

The first thing I do when leaving home and a camp site is hit the manual brake slide bar thingy to make sure the trailer brakes are working.. I do this every time I move the trailer and I'll even hit it manually going down the grades, just to make sure it's there.. X2 mitchF150 does it right

24 foot TT over the Bear Tooth WITH BRAKES would be very interesting . . . .:R

5000 miles and no TT brakes | Good Sam Community

ROBERTSUNRUS
Explorer
Jan 05, 2015
:) Hi, while this is most likely not the case, I'm surprised no-one here mentioned that a trailer with Disc brakes needs the charge line for the hydraulic actuator. So even though this fuse and relay is for the trailer's charge line, in some cases it could effect the brake system. :S

Note: the bag in the glove box contains a fuse and a relay. I installed both on my F-150.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 05, 2015
MitchF150 wrote:
The Ford brake controller is a FUSE, not a RELAY.. ;) My dealer was kind enough to install all the needed fuses/relays for the tow package that you get in the glove compartment "bag" before I took delivery of it.... :)

I knew this because I opened the hood and looked at the fuse box that's right on top of the rad, right in front of you when you open the hood.. ;)

Sure, if you didn't know to look, who would look?? But, I did know to look, so I was ahead of the curve here.. :)

Knowledge is a good thing.....

Mitch

Controller FUSED
And 'charge circuit'......RELAY

OPs mechanic installed RELAY
MitchF150
Explorer III
Jan 05, 2015
The Ford brake controller is a FUSE, not a RELAY.. ;) My dealer was kind enough to install all the needed fuses/relays for the tow package that you get in the glove compartment "bag" before I took delivery of it.... :)

I knew this because I opened the hood and looked at the fuse box that's right on top of the rad, right in front of you when you open the hood.. ;)

Sure, if you didn't know to look, who would look?? But, I did know to look, so I was ahead of the curve here.. :)

Knowledge is a good thing.....

Mitch
krobbe
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
CKNSLS wrote:
krobbe wrote:
CKNSLS wrote:
The OP had a safe trip-however, he put others at risk because he was in an unsafe condition.

If it went the other way-it's something you would have saw on the evening news.

I would think the OP had trailer brakes. The relay/fuse should be just for the 12V charge circuit to the trailer battery. Not the trailer brakes. Does anybody think Ford would sell a truck with the integrated trailer brake system non-functional? It's not like a Ford warranty where they might leave you hanging...Bazinga!

Did you read the OP's post and everyone else comments? He didn't have trailer brakes. Do you believe the world is flat as well?

No. But I believe your head is FLAT. If you can read, my post stated that a Ford truck with an integrated brake controller should have a relay already installed. Otherwise, what the hell is the brake controller good for?? Plus, if you read this thread, the OP stated: "The way I understand it is, there is a constant 12volts being supplied to the TT from the TV when driving down the road. In my case the constant 12 volt relay was not installed.The gain control worked, I tested it, it locked up the brakes on the TT the first time I tried it." Here's your SIGN! :S
beemerphile1
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
If you do a manual test of the brakes every morning before departure, you would have caught it the first day.

Add it to your preflight checklist.
CKNSLS
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
krobbe wrote:
CKNSLS wrote:
The OP had a safe trip-however, he put others at risk because he was in an unsafe condition.

If it went the other way-it's something you would have saw on the evening news.

I would think the OP had trailer brakes. The relay/fuse should be just for the 12V charge circuit to the trailer battery. Not the trailer brakes. Does anybody think Ford would sell a truck with the integrated trailer brake system non-functional? It's not like a Ford warranty where they might leave you hanging...Bazinga!

Did you read the OP's post and everyone else comments? He didn't have trailer brakes. Do you believe the world is flat as well?
skipnchar
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
WOW....how did you set the gain without the brakes working? Virtually NONE of the new trucks come with the relay and fuse (Ford uses both) installed. They usually are inside the glove box on a new purchase. One very QUICK way of teling if brakes are activated or not is to use a compass. Hold it near the brake drum and pull the manual lever and the needle should move to point to the brake drum if it's working. Brakes are operated by an electro magnet.
Good luck / Skip
Boband4
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
I have an additional way to check the brakes. As we are pulling out of the camp ground heading for the first stop sign we are moving at less than 15 mph. I put the window down and listen. As I begin to brake for the stop sign I can hear the brakes activate, feel a little tug, hear a bit of brake squeel, and just as important, I can hear them make a "clunk" as they release. As somebody said, when you become more familiar with the ins, outs, sounds and feels of your rig you will be very comfortable with knowing what is happening.
krobbe
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
CKNSLS wrote:
The OP had a safe trip-however, he put others at risk because he was in an unsafe condition.

If it went the other way-it's something you would have saw on the evening news.

I would think the OP had trailer brakes. The relay/fuse should be just for the 12V charge circuit to the trailer battery. Not the trailer brakes. Does anybody think Ford would sell a truck with the integrated trailer brake system non-functional? It's not like a Ford warranty where they might leave you hanging...Bazinga!
captnjack
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
CKNSLS wrote:
The OP had a safe trip-however, he put others at risk because he was in an unsafe condition.

If it went the other way-it's something you would have saw on the evening news.

Everyone who never unknowingly did something unsafe, raise your hand.

I bet there are not a lot of hands up.

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5000 miles and no TT brakes

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