Trailer brakes question

If you have an inertia type controller the brakes will be there when you need them.

My Dodge Ram has a choice in the brake controller settings for Heavy haul and light haul. Maybe the Ford does too. If so set it to heavy haul and see if that improves your braking.

I replaced all 4 brakes and found that they barely worked first time out. It took about 1000 miles till they worked well. For environmental reasons, the compounds used in brake shoes are different than they were years ago. Now you can breathe more brake dust but you have more collisions.

New brakes (shoes/magnets) need to be 'burnished' for proper braking affect.

Per axle Service Manual
Your trailer brakes should be burnished-in by applying the brakes 20-30 times with a 20 m.p.h. decrease in speed, e.g. 40 m.p.h. to 20 m.p.h.
Allow ample time for brakes to cool between application.
This allows the brake shoes and magnets to begin seating to the brake drum

I rented a TT the same size as I wanted to buy, I could adjust the brake controller to lock up the brakes.

When we finally found a used TT with the floor plan we wanted. The braking can be adjusted for the proper TT and TV balance, but it will not lock up the TT wheels.


I suspect it is the difference between TT manufacturers.

Does your trailer have 5k or 6k axles? If only 5k, it just may never brake all that well, even with better wiring.

My trailer is a bit heavier, but came with 6k axles, and definitely doesn't have great brakes at highway speeds. I would like to upgrade to electric over hydraulic at some point.

I find that on my trailer (7,000 lbs) that the first few stops are not that impressive. After a few miles on the road and working the brakes maybe 5 times, then I get much more braking action and have to back off the settings
(I have a Prodigy). I think the brakes need to "bed in" after storage and adjusting.

Trying operating the override switch for the first few miles to re-bed the shoes.

Gerry

Your new brake shoes may need to be worn in, there is any residue on the drums it will also take time to burn off. In addition at normal operating speeds you should not be able to lock them up but at 25 mpg you should get very positive braking.

Drive it around a bit using the brakes, you may see a difference.

I cleaned my brakes with brake cleaner. It seemed after that I had no brakes. I drove it around the block 4 times and slowly the braking became more effective. I may have had some residue on the drums.

Just wondering how well trailer brakes should grab . My TV is an excursion v10 , my trailer weighs in at 9K pounds . Complete new brake assemblies on all 4 wheels , adjusted till they just barely touched .But they wont lock up at full gain .And I feel I should get more out of them . When I pull a car trailer or a equip trailer that weigh about 7K those trailers feel better braking . My controller is made by POD it was on the truck when I bought it . Any input?

You could try a different controller like Prodegy, but since your controller works well with other trailers it most likely is not the controller. You could re-wire the trailer with a larger grade of wire and that might help some. Some trailers simply won't lock up the brakes.

I would pull the trailer with a friends truck and see if the brakes work better and then look at each brake to be sure the magnet is working properly. Check for grounds, check to see if all the brakes are about the same temp after a test drive using the brakes. New brake assemblies need to be broken in. Drive 30 miles and use the brakes and see if it improves.