Braking Problem on Initial Start

[TRIBUTE100]

Trailer braking on our 2018 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 287BHS which weighs about 6,500+ pounds when loaded is poor when we first start down our driveway on a camping trip. We have a steep hill as we start out and that's where I have inadequate braking, even when using the manual override lever on the brake controller.
I have a Tekonsha P3 90195 brake controller which I have set to a 6.8 gain and boost level 2. I'm pulling with a 2001 Chevy 2500HD 8.1 Liter V-8 which weighs about 7,000 pounds loaded and I put the Allison automatic in low when going down our hill. Now after we get out on the road traveling the brakes start working well. This past winter I put new 4-leaf springs on the trailer rated at 4,000# when the stock springs, 3,500# rated, which got bent for some reason. At that time I adjusted the drum brakes on the trailer.

I emailed Tekonsha and they recommended I check out the voltage output of the brake controller and I did that. With the engine running, I got a 12+volts at the truck hitch plug location with the manual override lever fully activated and 10.5+ volts at the trailer wheels which Tekonsha said should be no less than 10 volts. So that checked out OK.

I'm thinking the drum brake pads heat up and expand as we get down the road which make them work better, or possibly the electric brakes actuator gets heated up and works work better as we drive. The next time we take the trailer on a camping trip I'm going to turn the brake controller all the way to maximum gain as we go down our steep hill then turn it back down later just to be safe.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations you can give me.

[WeRJuliian]

If your TT has been standing for a day or two, the drum surface may have acquired a light coating of dirt or rust, so the first application is less effective, until the drums have been "polished".

You can overcome this by driving the first couple of yards with the brakes lightly applied, to clean the drums.

[RogerR]

X2. Brakes rust when sitting. Just look at disc brakes on your car after it sits for a few days. Drums are closed so this may happen more slowly but it does happen. Try back and forth before leaving the driveway to clean them up a bit.

While you do the annual wheel greasing inspect the brake pads. If they are greasy you may have bad seals.

[Scott]

Ian and Roger made a great recommendation. I had some brake issues this summer and it turned out the brake wire running under the trailer was pinched between the frame and the axle and some of the wires were cut. Might be work a look.

I'm guessing this is not your issue as it would not get better with travel, but it might cause you to need to be at a higher gain to get the brake to be effective.