Brake issue help

[baumer64]

I have a 2017, 28BHBE. My TV is a 2018 Silverado 3500HD. When I first got the trailer, pulling with an 09 F150 the brakes needed to be set at a gain of 9 or 10 before they would lock at 25mph. With the Chevy, they would lock at 4.5. On our last trip last fall I noticed braking wasn't as good. I could feel them when manually activated but could not get a lock up even at 10. Stopped at a Jayco dealer and tested the truck. It was fine. The trailer brakes were just light. They couldn't work on it so I took it easy home. Warranty is about up so I made an appointment at my dealer and took it in last week. He called and said the brakes are fine. When they pull the emergency cord, the wheels lock. He said it must be my truck. I'll get the truck tested again, but I'm thinking you can't test the braking system by pulling the e-brake and saying the wheels lock on their gravel lot. Suggestions?

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

Locking up the breaks is not the goal. Increase-decrease the gain until it feels good.

[baumer64]

I understand that locking them is not the goal. However, I should be able to do so thenback off the gain a bit. The problem is, even set at 10 I'm not getting enough braking from the trailer now when set at 4.5 earlier they would lock up. I believe there is a problem with the brakes on my trailer but the person working on them has said no it's the truck. My question was, can you really determine that the brakes are working properly by pulling the emergency cord?

[CampNow]

Typically, if TT brakes will lock up easily on gravel, odds are they probably have enough braking action to brake reasonably well while being towed on pavement. It's not the most graceful way to check TT brakes; but, it's a reasonably effective check. I'd suggest finding a secluded gravel (or dirt) road and manually applying maximum braking using your truck's brake controller to see if you can lock up the brakes (all 2/4/6 of them) on gravel.

Looks like your brakes are "probably ok" mechanically. That's based on the fact the TT brakes are apparently locking-up on gravel when the TT's emergency brake is activated. Electrically, at least from the TT's emergency pull-switch to the TT's brakes, the brakes appear to be ok, too. However, due to the fact you're not getting good braking with your truck, all your truck's wiring and BC (brake controller) are suspect, plus the TT's 7-wire cable (and plug) that connects between your truck and your TT are also suspect.

If it were me, I'd check the braking voltage (should be ~12vdc with the TT's emergency brake activated) at each brake. I'd also verify braking current at each brake using any ole cheap clamp-on ammeter. You should read close to 3 amps at each brake. Current is more of a definitive check than voltage in this particular situation, because a good current reading shows you have good continuity through the brake's magnet. I'd also make this same voltage/current check while applying maximum braking using the truck's BC (manually, using the BC lever), too. Compare the two sets of readings. Based on your symptoms (less braking with the truck) I'd say you'll probably read lower voltage and current when maximum braking is applied from your truck. If that's the case, further troubleshooting will have to be done to narrow the problem down to the TT's 7-wire cable/plug (to include grounds) and/or the truck's wiring and BC.

Good luck!