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Braking Systems - Electric
How to Use Your Electric Brakes Properly
Your trailer brakes are designed to work in synchronization with your tow vehicle
brakes. Never use your tow vehicle or trailer brakes alone to stop the combined
load.
Your brake controller must be set up according to the manufacturer’s
recommendations to ensure proper synchronization between the tow vehicle and
the trailer. Additionally, you may have to make small adjustments occasionally to
accommodate changing loads and driving conditions.
Proper synchronization of tow vehicle to trailer braking can only be
accomplished by road testing. Brake lockup, grabbiness, or harshness is quite
often due to the lack of synchronization between the tow vehicle and the trailer
being towed, too high of a threshold voltage (over 2 volts), or under adjusted
brakes.
Before any synchronization adjustments are made, your trailer brakes should
be burnished-in by applying the brakes 20-30 times with approximately a 20
m.p.h. decrease in speed, e.g. 40 m.p.h. to 20 m.p.h. Allow ample time for
brakes to cool between application. This allows the brake shoes and magnets to
slightly “wear-in” to the drum surfaces.
Trailer Wire Size Chart
Number
of Brakes
Hitch-to-Axle Distance
in Feet
Recommended
Minimum Hookup Wire
Size (Copper)
2 12 AWG
4 Under 30 12 AWG
4 30-50 10 AWG
6 Under 30 10 AWG
6 30-50 8 AWG
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