Trailer brakes issues

Olsy wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

Olsy wrote:
Gdetrailer, my truck is basically new off the lot, i waited the required 800km (500 miles) to tow, and same problem...i stopped by the storage lot on the way home and noticed the same trailer parked a few spots over, so i backed up and plugged in (i asked permission first from security) and had no issues so IT'S for sure my trailer, which i suspected all along anyways...i always planned to re wire anyways (and trust me here it is not something i cant handle), i am trying to gather as much info as i can before i tackle this (i dont think will take to long anyways). If it doesnt solve the problem i will try paralleling another set of mags ( which i do believe is hoaky as you stated, but i'd rather have brakes than no brakes), in a side note, wouldnt it be cheaper and more effective to simply put a resistor in parallel versus mags, just a thought (a load is a load)

Resistors would be cheaper but they would not have enough inductance required to create the return impulse that the brake controller is looking for (remember that the controller sends a pulse then it listens for the returned pulse from the magnets).

Resistors would present extra CURRENT load but that is not what the controller is looking for. It is looking for the size and timing of the return pulse to determine if the brakes are present.

One of the biggest problem about adding extra magnets is that the extra magnets could potentially "steal" more of the braking current from the other magnets.

Basically ohms law at work.. adding the extra magnets CLOSER to the front of the trailer means that they offer a lower resistance than the magnets at the far end at the axles due to resistance in the extra wire PLUS all the bad or poor connections at the axles. The result is the front magnets soak up more power and the farthest away magnets get less (and those are the ones that NEED the most to stop you :E ).

I am just amazed at what lengths of laziness folks are willing to do just to get it on the road :E

By using a heavier ga wire you reduce the resistance of the wire which in turn provides higher voltage to the magnets which allows the magnets to draw more current which gives stronger magnetic field which makes for much stronger braking. Fixing old crimp splices goes a long way to reduce the resistance of the splices (weather really gets to non protected outdoor splices).

My setup I only need to set my IBC at 4.5 out of 10 (less than HALF of the controller output) to get strong braking. To me, that is worth the time and effort :B

Good call, i never thought of the inductance since it is an inductor versus a resistor...thanks for the input

I should mention that I am not including disc brakes in this discussion which use electric over hydraulic. There are known issues with the hydraulic pump controller often not being recognized by many brake controllers (not just IBC units). Often there is an upgrade controller for the hydraulic pump to fix this issue..