No brakes

Bob Vaughn · Apr 15, 2011

I do not think the brakes work on my 3250ts.....I had the brake controler replaced at camping world but it made no difference.....I did not have this problem with the TT that I traded in....It makes me afraid to take it on the road....the controler is a prodgy and the indications are that it is working but at maxium power at 25 miles per hour the wheels do not lock up as the instructions say it should....

cookie · Apr 15, 2011

Your trailer is in the neighborhood of 13,000#. I don't think you will, nor do you want to lock up the wheels. I have never been able to lock up my wheels. In fact I just drove home from Texas without brakes. Not by choice though. Glad I have an engine brake.
Do your trailer brakes stop you when you apply power to them? Also do you "warm up" your brakes when you take off? I think, maybe, there is something in the instructions about that.

Peace
Dave

Ray LeTourneau · Apr 15, 2011

Bob, a couple of suggestions. Hook up to the rig but don't hook up the lights. PULL the wire/cable going to the emergency breakaway box then try to move the truck. If you can't move the trailer, all is well back there and you have a problem with the trucks wiring. If you can easily move the trailer you have a problem somewhere in the trailer wiring. Camping World should have tested the effectiveness and installation of the controller with a special meter at the trailer connection on your truck. On the Prodigy, there is a button on the left side of the controller to adjust the power/voltage to the brakes. I mention this just in case you weren't aware. Hope this helps some...

ultrafarmer · Apr 15, 2011

The brakes might be out of adjustment. Sometimes they are not adjusted very good when new. I did mine and now I can lock them up on gravel.

Bob Vaughn · Apr 15, 2011

Ray LeTourneau said:
Bob, a couple of suggestions. Hook up to the rig but don't hook up the lights. PULL the wire/cable going to the emergency breakaway box then try to move the truck. If you can't move the trailer, all is well back there and you have a problem with the trucks wiring. If you can easily move the trailer you have a problem somewhere in the trailer wiring. Camping World should have tested the effectiveness and installation of the controller with a special meter at the trailer connection on your truck. On the Prodigy, there is a button on the left side of the controller to adjust the power/voltage to the brakes. I mention this just in case you weren't aware. Hope this helps some...

They replaced the controler that I had in the truck because I did not feel like the 11 year old controler was working correctly....they had the truck and camper as they were installing window awnings I would have thought they would have checked to see if it was working but I guess not....Thanks for the information. I will call CW world and see if they have this special meter to check and see if it actually is working.....

Ray LeTourneau · Apr 15, 2011

Bob Vaughn said:
They replaced the controler that I had in the truck because I did not feel like the 11 year old controler was working correctly....they had the truck and camper as they were installing window awnings I would have thought they would have checked to see if it was working but I guess not....Thanks for the information. I will call CW world and see if they have this special meter to check and see if it actually is working.....

Bob, I would perform the test on the trailer brakes before calling CW. Just in case...

TravelTiger · Apr 15, 2011

Bob, we had our brakes adjusted because we too could not lock up the brakes (with the Prodigy). Even after the brakes were adjusted, we could not get true "lockup"... even with the controller set as high as 11! It would definitely jerk upon application, but not lock up the wheels. So DH played with it until it felt adequate. (driving back and forth about 20 times at the local high school... I'm sure the survailance cameras got a show!) Make sure the brakes are warmed up before you start making adjustments.

Erika

TedS · Apr 15, 2011

It would be good to have Camping World check the receptacle with their meter. I had CW install the 7-pin receptacle when they installed the hitch for my previous trailer. When I got the rig home, I found it hard to back the trailer. CW had wired the backup light to the brake. They had not made a meter check after installing the receptacle. They made the meter check after I returned to their shop for the fix and found the receptacle miswired. I had driven home with no trailer brakes.

Bob Vaughn · Apr 15, 2011

I found out that I have a bad cell in my truck battery....I wonder if because of that there is not enough power left to operate the brakes on the camper? When I put a new battery in the truck the windows did not seem to be so labored going up and down. Mabey this is drawing at straws but there must be a reason.....

GOTTOYS · Apr 15, 2011

I put mine full on when I was going about 70 mph to test them out and was able to smoke the tires. I think it was due to the internal inertia override function in the factory Chrysler controller in my truck. At lower speeds it won't fully engage. I just don't worry about it...Don

Willym · Apr 15, 2011

If you have a test meter with a resistance scale, you can check the integrity of the trailer brake magnet circuits by measuring the loop resistance at the trailer umbilical connector. Check between the bottom two sockets on the connector (the top being where the lip is) You should see about 1 ohm if all 4 magnets are good and properly in-circuit. A higher resistance will indicate a faulty magnet or magnet connection. Each magnet takes 3 amps at 12 volts and has a resistance of 4 ohms. My P3 controller can show output current and voltage in troubleshooting mode. I'm not sure if the prodigy has this capability.
You may have a bad connector, or a bad connection within the trailer circuits themselves.

Bob Vaughn · Apr 16, 2011

I took it to CW this morning and they put the tester into the rv plug and found some blown fuzes and that the power knob had been turned all the way down when they installed the unit.....I brought the truck home hooked it to the 5th wheel pulled the lever all the way to the left and my truck could not move the camper so now I know I have brakes now I will just take it down the road and do the final adjustment......

TedS · Apr 16, 2011

Sounds like another happy camper.

Travel safe.

No brakes

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