Setting the right gain value in Trailer Brake Controller (TBC)

[kavm]

I am completely new to towing. Will be pulling a 21' fifth wheel camper on Monday. I know where the Trailer Brake Controller is and how to adjust the value.... But, I am not sure how to determine what value I need to set. Can anyone share a link or other helpful insight...

I understand that the trailer brakes should come on just a fraction before the truck brakes but how to find the gain value that will do that. I was looking the YouTube videos that explain stuff, but did not find any...

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[Bryan Simon]

That trailer probably has some weight to it, so this is what I would do.
set it in the middle and go from there.
You don’t really want it dragging you to a stop before you’re ready to stop, but kinda needs to bring you down safely without locking up.

I have not yet bothered to do anything with mine yet as it has recently been installed (supposed to come with the truck).

in my older trucks, I would set it so I could feel it helping, but not taking over..
I don’t tow as much as I used to, but wanted the controller just in case I do have to drag something around.

another method is to locate a large empty lot and experiment with it there with the trailer hooked up.

It may come down to a personal preference.

 

[kavm]

Thank you so so much! Very helpful.

 

[daemonic3]

My original dealer said for a Ford start the first guess as GVWR/1000 for gain, and then adjust from there (I have no idea if this was good advice but I had no other experience). So for a 7995# GVWR start with 8.0 and adjust from there. My last trailer felt fine, I tried adjusting it a little both ways and didn't notice much difference so I left it 8.0 for 3 years.

New trailer is 7495# GVWR so I started with 7.5 and drove off. First few stops at lights felt a little wonky/jerky so I bumped it down. Bumped it down one more time to 6.5 and it feels smooth, went all the way down 7.2k feet of summit to sea level with that setting and nothing burnt so I'm keeping it.

Point is, each trailer may vary but pick a decent first guess and do the adjustments in a safe area your first time using that above procedure in previous post.

Have fun!

 

[chrisp993]

Sundancer330 gave an excellent overview, I'd only add that you'll need to change (reduce) the gain in slippery/rainy conditions since my experience is that the trailer tires will have a tendency to lock up (no ABS!) if you keep the gain at the same level as dry roads ...

 

[glockcopbob]

There is a procedure to set the gain on every trailer. Ford used to use brake controllers developed by prodigy (they were the first i think to use an inertia gauge to auto adjust the gain setting based on your speed and how hard you hit the brakes. The old way was to change the gain settings manually depending on your speed).

The current ford brake controller still uses an inertia measurements so all you need to do is set the starting gain.

Drive 20mph on a flat road. do not step on the brakes but squeez the brake controller lever. adjust the gain until just before the brakes lock up. If they lock, reduce the gain until they don't lock anymore. This is your base setting. If the tires don't lock up, you need a brake job.

This setting will change over time as the brakes wear or crap gets into the brake drum. I check the setting every time I grab my camper from storage (its easy for me as the road is level and i just pulled out so its convenient to hold at 20mph on the way to the house).

This setting will be different for every trailer you pull. I have three different trailers and they are all at different base gain settings. if you have the Max Tow and save your trailer settings it will remember the last gain setting you used when you select the trailer from the list.

***Safety Reminder***
Check your bearings!
They should be cleaned and repacked every other year or more often depending on your use. Last weekend i stopped to help a truck and camper that had lost a wheel in the middle of Colorado. his outer bearing had come apart so the wheel and drum came off the spindle. He had old grease and new grease, so it had been re-greased but when i asked him if he had them serviced recently, he replied that he paid a shop to repack them. obviously they weren't repacked and i suspect the tire was loose. check your bearings and the tightness of the wheel.

Plenty of youtube videos to teach you about trailer bearings before you get stranded on the side of the road, on a Sunday, 30 miles from the closest small town, and no cell service.

 

[glockcopbob]

There is a procedure to set the gain on every trailer. Ford used to use brake controllers developed by prodigy (they were the first i think to use an inertia gauge to auto adjust the gain setting based on your speed and how hard you hit the brakes. The old way was to change the gain settings manually depending on your speed).

The current ford brake controller still uses an inertia measurements so all you need to do is set the starting gain.

Drive 20mph on a flat road. do not step on the brakes but squeez the brake controller lever. adjust the gain until just before the brakes lock up. If they lock, reduce the gain until they don't lock anymore. This is your base setting. If the tires don't lock up, you need a brake job.

This setting will change over time as the brakes wear or crap gets into the brake drum. I check the setting every time I grab my camper from storage (its easy for me as the road is level and i just pulled out so its convenient to hold at 20mph on the way to the house).

This setting will be different for every trailer you pull. I have three different trailers and they are all at different base gain settings. if you have the Max Tow and save your trailer settings it will remember the last gain setting you used when you select the trailer from the list.

***Safety Reminder***
Check your bearings!
They should be cleaned and repacked every other year or more often depending on your use. Last weekend i stopped to help a truck and camper that had lost a wheel in the middle of Colorado. his outer bearing had come apart so the wheel and drum came off the spindle. He had old grease and new grease, so it had been re-greased but when i asked him if he had them serviced recently, he replied that he paid a shop to repack them. obviously they weren't repacked and i suspect the tire was loose. check your bearings and the tightness of the wheel.

Plenty of youtube videos to teach you about trailer bearings before you get stranded on the side of the road, on a Sunday, 30 miles from the closest small town, and no cell service.

As a reference:
- my camper (about 7,200lbs) gain setting is at 6.0
- My 9500lb flatbed gain setting is at 7.5

 

[UGADawg96]

Our TT is about 6500lbs on the scales and we run at 6.5 on the gain. It doesn't lock up and we don't feel it pushing us. It feels about right.

 

[powerboatr]

ditto
i set mine based on the trailer tires leaving black marks if i manually apply trailer brakes, then i reduce gain until its feeling its pulling me to a stop without lock up
then as i add weight to the trailer i adjust gain to take up for the new weight
my trailer is 1890 empty and can be as much as 12k loaded
so i have a wide margin and all four wheels have brakes
mostly its around 6k,
i like to feel the trailer pulling me back just a smidge as i apply brakes with the truck brakes
and the ford controller will try to modulate trailer brake gain or amps to TRY to prevent lock up, but it is not Anti lock for the trailer,
i have used ford TBC since 2006 and like it very much, i also have prodigy controller in the bus.

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