What do the truck and trailer gurus think of this?

[dcyrilc]

Is that true for all brake controllers? I'm going to have to check that out. I never guessed it would control the brake lights.

Just went out and tried it on the truck. No brakelights. I'll have to try it later with the trailer attached.

 

[JB4310]

Is that true for all brake controllers? I'm going to have to check that out. I never guessed it would control the brake lights.

Both of mine do. They work off the brake light system, intercepts the signal from the switch. That's what tells it to apply brakes, but it's just on and off, can't tell how hard you are applying them. so you need the right setting on the control box so when you lightly apply the vehicles brakes the trailer is not locking up, but also when your coming down a hill the trailer brakes assist in stopping.

I usually fiddle around with mine when I first get on the road, using the manual button on the controller and no vehicle brakes, I set it so the trailer brakes would slow down the truck and trailer to eventually stop both.
I have to do this often because the set ups on my 2 trailers are much different. Also a different setting going to the quarry empty and returning loaded.

JB

 

[JDgreen227]

About ten years ago I was in Florida and saw an F-350 dually with a custom welded up hitch bar that was about three feet long and dropped about a foot in the length. Didn't have a camera phone then so couldn't take a picture but always thought that would be one heckuva way to discourage tailgaters, always wondered what the weight rating for that setup would have been given all the length. But it was built really solid, the hitch bar itself probably weighed 75-80 pounds.

 

[dcyrilc]

Both of mine do. They work off the brake light system, intercepts the signal from the switch. That's what tells it to apply brakes, but it's just on and off, can't tell how hard you are applying them. so you need the right setting on the control box so when you lightly apply the vehicles brakes the trailer is not locking up, but also when your coming down a hill the trailer brakes assist in stopping.

I usually fiddle around with mine when I first get on the road, using the manual button on the controller and no vehicle brakes, I set it so the trailer brakes would slow down the truck and trailer to eventually stop both.
I have to do this often because the set ups on my 2 trailers are much different. Also a different setting going to the quarry empty and returning loaded.

JB

I was refering to the manual control on the brake controller turning on the brake lights.

Our brake controller has two adjustment knobs. One controls how much brake is applied to the trailer and the other adjusts how much the pedal has to be applied before the trailer brakes are activated.

 

[JB4310]

I was refering to the manual control on the brake controller turning on the brake lights.

I know, that's why I said both of mine do.

Actually both the ones I ever owned, only have 1 now.

Our brake controller has two adjustment knobs. One controls how much brake is applied to the trailer and the other adjusts how much the pedal has to be applied before the trailer brakes are activated.

Never seen or heard of a setup like that. But then I have limited experience with brake controllers. Do you mean "how much" "time" the pedal has to be applied ? Maybe it's just a time delay, not a pressure sensitive adjustment.

All the controllers I've seen simply take the signal from the stop light switch to activate the trailer brakes, either off or on.

JB

 

[dcyrilc]

I know, that's why I said both of mine do.

Actually both the ones I ever owned, only have 1 now.

Does the trailer have to be attached for that to work? Forgot to try that yesterday.





Never seen or heard of a setup like that. But then I have limited experience with brake controllers. Do you mean "how much" "time" the pedal has to be applied ? Maybe it's just a time delay, not a pressure sensitive adjustment.

All the controllers I've seen simply take the signal from the stop light switch to activate the trailer brakes, either off or on.

JB

Hmmm..... I suppose that's possible, but it seems to be a pretty consistant amount of depression on the pedal when I'm playing with it to get it adjusted.

I have to agree with the statement earlier about always changing the amount of brake applied for full vs empty. If I'm adjusted for having just a slight drag with my trailer full of cattle, it will lock the brakes when the trailer is empty.

 

[JB4310]

I'll have to check if it turns the brake lights on w/o a trailer, I'm thinking it must, but will check.

It pretty much has to activate the lights when you use the manual switch, with trailer attached, cause you are applying the brakes. For safety sake anyway.

JB.

 

[grsthegreat]

thats too much effort. especially with my middle left finger having soo much spare time while im driving HEHE :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[two_bit_score]

KILLS*Tailgaters...

If You Have*A Receiver Hitch...*
---------------------------------------------
Hummmmmmmm?.??????

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...All the controllers I've seen simply take the signal from the stop light switch to activate the trailer brakes, either off or on.

JB

That really surprises me. It seems to me that would make it VERY hard to control braking. Either that, or the trailer brakes wouldn't do much in a hard stop. Any I've ever seen are like dcyrilc described... One knob adjusts the level, or braking strength. The other knob adjust the gain, or how far the pedal is pushed before the trailer brakes activate. The brakes then gradually increase braking force as the pedal is pushed.