Tow Comand

[BigGreen06]

I just wanted to find out from those that have the integrated brake controller, what a good setting would be for a loaded and unloaded 2500lbs trailer. When it is loaded total weight would be 8500lbs. So what would be a good number to set the brake controller at?

-BG06.

[Heat]

It's easy enough to test so to speak... I used between 3.5 and 4.5 for my friends 3000 lb camper... On my 5th wheel (11,000 to 12,000) I have it set at 8.5...

With the truck in gear and your foot on the brake, what you do is choose a guestimated number and squeeze the two switch halves together... Then let off the brakes and see if you move the trailer... If the trailer moves you need to up the number a bit... Once you have it where it doesn't want to move the trailer simply move down the street at a reasonable speed (this is best done in a housing area or large parking lot) and gently squeeze the switch again (slowly) and see if the trailer starts bogging the truck... If it does then you are pretty well set... What you DON"T want to do is lock up the trailer brakes completely...

Ken....

[720Deere]

It varies between different trailers of the same weight. Different braking systems react differently to the same input. For a 2500 lb empty trailer I would be at 2 or less. At 8500 lbs I would be at more like 5.5 or 6.

My fifth wheel camper weighs in a little over 8,000 lbs loaded and I run 5.5 on it. If you have too much trailer brake you will be able to tell because you won't need a lot of peddle pressure to stop. The trailer brakes aren't there to stop the truck, but rather help with the additional weight of the trailer. I like to set mine so I need to press the peddle a little harder than with the truck empty otherwise it seems to work the trailer brakes too hard.

[BigGreen06]

Well I set the towcommand to 3.5 first and it seemed alright, but when I started pulling the trailer and squeezed the 2 levers together it didn't seem to bog my truck down, so I upped it to 4.0 and that seemed better. Forgot that my construction crew was using before me and they loaded it up w/ various things including about a 1/2 dozen bales of hay and a 500lbs water tank about 1/4 full. When I first set out on the road I had a couple ups and downs, and the truck seemed to be bucking a good amount like the trailer wasn't seated in the coupling or something (I've got a pintle hitch). Also I remembered that I was still in Looney mode, so I detuned and went to my tow tune. It seemed a little better performance wise with the trailer, but it was still bucking, and the whole time I was doing about 30-35mph. Any ideas on what the bucking was?

-BG06.