Forum Discussion

Sportsmen's avatar
Sportsmen
Explorer II
Mar 25, 2019

Integrated brake controllers

I am trying to understand how the integrated brake controller works on my new to me 2016 F250. On my old truck I had a Draw Tite after market controller. I could jack up one side of the trailer, throw a tool box against the brake pedal and see if each wheel on the trailer locked up. No problem. Using this procedure I have discovered brake problems on individual wheels before heading out on trips.

On my 2016 if I manually operate the brakes using the dash mounted control the brakes will lock up. If I depress the brake pedal (truck running in Park) I have no trailer brakes. Per the owners manual the braking is reduced to the trailer when the truck is travelling under 11 mph.

So, how do you test the brakes using the brake pedal BEFORE you hit the road ????????

Any insight is appreciated !
Tow Vehicles
  • Terryallan's avatar
    Terryallan
    Explorer II
    Mar 26, 2019
    Yyou truck will tell you if the trailer is connected. It also has a lever on the controler. Simply push that lever to one side. while moving between 5, and 20 MPH. You will feel the trailer brakes come on. It can't get any easier than that.
  • Bedlam's avatar
    Bedlam
    Moderator
    Mar 25, 2019
    Grit dog wrote:
    Hook it up and go for a little drive and see if they work? I can't imagine jacking up the trailer to test brakes pre-trip.

    I check my brakes when jacked while rotating tires on my trailer. The trailer is already up and it quickly tells me if each brake is actually working. I rotate the tires once a year, so this method only gets used once a year unless I was having some type of problem.
  • Bedlam's avatar
    Bedlam
    Moderator
    Mar 25, 2019
    philh wrote:
    Pull the brake cable on the trailer. That should lock up each wheel.

    This is the way I check my enclosed trailer brakes.

    Checking the integrated controller and connection is a little tougher since it uses technology that defeats the old methods. You may be able to squeeze the controller paddle to verify signal is coming on the brake wire, but it may not output anything without a trailer connected and only limited voltage when not moving. Once you know that your trailer brakes actually work by pulling the pin, the best way to check the controller is to squeeze the paddle while driving at 30+ mph.
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Mar 25, 2019
    Hook it up and go for a little drive and see if they work? I can't imagine jacking up the trailer to test brakes pre-trip.
    Agree diagnosing problems can be a bit more difficult and to date, I've had far more "service trailer brake messages" from a plethora of IBC equipped trucks in the last 10 years than ALL other add on brake controllers for the last 30 years. I've literally dealt with 100s if not 1000s of light duty trucks in some capacity from driver to mechanic and I don't look forward to when these newer trucks get old....I'll have to buy a nother new one, lol!
  • bpounds's avatar
    bpounds
    Nomad
    Mar 25, 2019
    The Ford controller doesn't send power to the brakes when you are moving less than about 10 MPH. I don't like it either, don't understand why they did that, but fortunately the levers on the controller still work even when stationary. Just have someone pinch them for you, or if you must work alone, a small woodworking spring clamp could be used.

    As far as a pull test, that should always be done with the controller levers, not the service brake, so I don't get that part of your question. The point is to test the trailer brakes, not the truck service brakes.
  • philh's avatar
    philh
    Explorer II
    Mar 25, 2019
    Pull the brake cable on the trailer. That should lock up each wheel.
  • shum02's avatar
    shum02
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2019
    Me Again wrote:
    Sportsmen wrote:
    I am trying to understand how the integrated brake controller works on my new to me 2016 F250. On my old truck I had a Draw Tite after market controller. I could jack up one side of the trailer, throw a tool box against the brake pedal and see if each wheel on the trailer locked up. No problem. Using this procedure I have discovered brake problems on individual wheels before heading out on trips.

    On my 2016 if I manually operate the brakes using the dash mounted control the brakes will lock up. If I depress the brake pedal (truck running in Park) I have no trailer brakes. Per the owners manual the braking is reduced to the trailer when the truck is travelling under 11 mph.

    So, how do you test the brakes using the brake pedal BEFORE you hit the road ????????

    Any insight is appreciated !


    Me thinks the RAM trailer brake engineer that screwed up the RAM IBC starting with 2013 to 2015 time frame model years must have moved to FORD for the 2016 models.


    My '06 F350's integrated brake system works the same. I hit the manual control to test the brakes, not sure why that's a problem? Also had a Prodigy that worked the same.
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    Mar 25, 2019
    Sportsmen wrote:
    I am trying to understand how the integrated brake controller works on my new to me 2016 F250. On my old truck I had a Draw Tite after market controller. I could jack up one side of the trailer, throw a tool box against the brake pedal and see if each wheel on the trailer locked up. No problem. Using this procedure I have discovered brake problems on individual wheels before heading out on trips.

    On my 2016 if I manually operate the brakes using the dash mounted control the brakes will lock up. If I depress the brake pedal (truck running in Park) I have no trailer brakes. Per the owners manual the braking is reduced to the trailer when the truck is travelling under 11 mph.

    So, how do you test the brakes using the brake pedal BEFORE you hit the road ????????

    Any insight is appreciated !


    Me thinks the RAM trailer brake engineer that screwed up the RAM IBC starting with 2013 to 2015 time frame model years must have moved to FORD for the 2016 models.
  • Retired_JSO's avatar
    Retired_JSO
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2019
    In addition to you having a Gain adjustment, newer Fords also have 3 effort settings on the dash trailer set up along with sway control. All covered in the manual.
  • mkirsch's avatar
    mkirsch
    Nomad II
    Mar 25, 2019
    Modern brake controllers sense acceleration/deceleration. No deceleration, no braking. Your old controller was likely a time delay style.

    Use the dash mounted control to test the brakes. If you have brakes there, it's just a matter of adjusting the controller, and you can only do that on the road.

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