2018 Ram Integrated trailer brake problems

Check the trailer battery and make sure that it is charged then pull the breakaway cable and see if your brakes work. If they do, it is the truck or the wiring pigtail. If they don't, it is the brakes. Just plug it back in fairly quickly so you don't burn up your magnets. Have you greased your bearings recently? Did you get grease inside the drum? Check the voltage and amps getting to the brakes. You should have 12 volts and about 3 amps. Try a few stops aggressively using the manual override and see if that will clean the brakes, I frequently have to do that with mine after it has sat any time at all. Open up the brakes and check the shoes, the magnet and clean the mechanism then adjust them properly. I am about fed up with my electric drum brakes and am thinking of replacing them with electric over hydraulic disks. I just haven't decided yet whether to replace just the brakes or the entire trailer. My trailer outweighs my truck 2 to 1 so brake issues with the trailer are serious. At least you are not in that boat.

FishOnOne wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

patperry2766 wrote:

What am I missing or in which direction do I need to go? Thanks

It's a common problem with Ram's controller. Go have an aftermarket one installed and problem solved.

The controllers installed 2016 and up are good. My 15's is not so much!

The OP truck is a 2018.

Understood. Sounds like the Dealer needs to determine cause.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

patperry2766 wrote:

What am I missing or in which direction do I need to go? Thanks

It's a common problem with Ram's controller. Go have an aftermarket one installed and problem solved.

The controllers installed 2016 and up are good. My 15's is not so much!

The OP truck is a 2018.

FishOnOne wrote:

patperry2766 wrote:

What am I missing or in which direction do I need to go? Thanks

It's a common problem with Ram's controller. Go have an aftermarket one installed and problem solved.

The controllers installed 2016 and up are good. My 15's is not so much!

patperry2766 wrote:

What am I missing or in which direction do I need to go? Thanks

It's a common problem with Ram's controller. Go have an aftermarket one installed and problem solved.

On my 07.5 DRV with EOH disk brakes the battery was low and the brakes were not working well and kept getting worse as the battery drained.

patperry2766 wrote:

Would the health of the trailer's 12V battery have any impact on the trailer brake operation,

Nope.

Brakes are totally powered through the tow vehicle connector

Take it to a Ram dealer, let their computer talk to your TBC. The TBC failed on my 2012 Ford, they replaced it and problem solved.

Adjust the tailer brakes.

One thing I found after owning two (2012 and 2018) Ram 2500's is that the TBC is not very good in town under 30 mph. Out on the road under normal conditions it works fine. In fact I would suggest that the next time you're out on the hwy somewhere with no one around and your gain set to 10, is to hammer the brakes hard and fast. I bet the trailer tires lock up or at lest grab hard.
I also find it interesting that in the Ram manual that it tells you to set the gain high and drive around 25 mph and squeeze the lever. If the brakes lock up then reduce gain until they don't lock up. I never could get any of the 3 trailers I've owned lock up the brakes doing that routine.
I ended up with a P3 in the 2012 Ram and that was a nice TBC. On my 2018 I feel that Ram got the programming dialed in and even though I still can't lock up the brakes on the trailer under 30 mph I get good stooping power under normal conditions above 30 mph.