Trailer Brake Issue or Brake Controller Issue?

[ImGoose]

I've been towing my small camper with my Maverick w/ 4k Tow option. The camper has brakes and 7-pin connector.

Ever since I started towing the camper, I never felt that when pressing the brake pedal that the camper was doing much in the braking department. When I squeeze the controller lever (and not touch the brake pedal), the camper absolutely is braking though. You can tell it's not the truck.

As a test today, I lifted a wheel of the camper and got it spinning by hand. I squeezed the brake controller and it brought the wheel to a very fast stop.

I spun up the wheel again then pressed the brake pedal...nothing. The wheel kept spinning. That isn't the correct behavior, right? I am a novice, but the brakes of the camper should be getting used when pressing the brake pedal, right?

Recall
I did take the truck in and had the controller software updated after a recall. These tests are happening after that. Since that update, I have also absolutely had one instance where squeezing the controller did not do anything at all. So I feel the controller software is still incorrect - or they didn't actually update mine when they said they did.

Camper or Truck?
Is this likely the brake controller still not working correctly or the camper that's not behaving correctly? Could a trailer with brakes ever be designed not to brake when the pedal is pressed, however brake when the controller is squeezed? I feel the signal is the same to the trailer.

I am looking for someone in my circle with a brake controller on their vehicle - that should rule out the truck or camper for sure.

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[maverickdubs]

just check the note about the reduce output below 11 mp/h

 

[XLMaverick23]

I have this same problem. 2023 XL 4K. Trailer brakes only work squeezing the manual switch. They do not work using the brake pedal. Did you ever get this resolved?

 

[ImGoose]

I'm not sure the point they start working, but have since had an instance or two where I needed truck and trailer max braking.

While I was doing the hard braking, to get as much as I could, I manually squeezed the controller as well.

In these hard brake situations while squeezing, I felt nothing additional.

That's different from when at speed, no brake pedal and apply trailer brakes. You can absolutely tell only the trailer brakes are being applied.

From that, I feel the trailer brakes were at full brake power already in those hard brake instances.

So, not really sure when the truck sends signal to trailer to brake, but it does.

 

[todd92]

The brake controller is an inertia switch. Once the gain is set using the manual control (maximum braking with no lock up), it works when the truck is both braking (activates) and decelerating (sends signal to trailer brakes). Spinning the wheel while sitting still and applying the trucks brakes should do nothing.

Why do you think the trailer brakes are not working when they are supposed to? Mine work fine.

 

[ImGoose]

I've done a test with the trailer 7-pin connected, getting to 40mph and coming to a stop quickly.

Then did the same but with the 7-pin disconnected and felt no difference.

But like I said, real world slamming on brakes then manually applying, I felt nothing more. So I've got to believe it was already at max braking.

 

[RichardCranium]

Integrated trailer brakes vary the amount of power sent to the trailer based on many factors, including the pressure on the brake pedal and, if equipped, an inertia sensor. I have had 2 different types of brake controllers on my tow vehicles in the past. A cheap, on/off brake controller that would put the set amount of power to the brakes, and an inertia controller that has the inertia sensor which varies the power based on how quickly you are stopping. The inertia controller was by far a better controller. With the built in controller, it takes that a step further and the computer can control the amount of power that is sent to the trailer brakes based on the pressure applied to the pedal as well.
I recently towed my travel trailer with the gain set to 9, and the truck did feel like it was taking a little longer to slow down, but knowing now (I didn’t read) that the trailer brakes do not apply under 11 miles per hour, it makes sense. I was very happy with how the brake controller worked.

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