Fifth Wheel Trailer Brakes Not Braking Enough with Controller Turned Up All the Way

Question:

I just purchased a new 5th wheel camper. I have the prodigy p2. With the gain turned all the way up I can barely feel the brakes. I also have the boost turned up to 3. I have adjusted the brakes to make sure that was not the problem. The previous camper brakes worked fine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

asked by: Travis M

Expert Reply:

Ideally, the trailer brakes would be braking in such as way as you cannot tell they are braking but I do not think that is the issue here. It sounds like there may be some voltage loss somewhere. With the controller output set up correctly and the brakes adjusted, you can check a few other things to determine where the problem is.

Start by severing the blue wiring from the back of the controller a few inches. Use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 if needed to test the end coming from the brake controller. It should only show power with the manual override pressed. If it shows power at idle, then there is something wrong with the controller and it will need to be replaced.

Next, after reconnecting the blue wire, unhook the trailer and test the truck 7-Way trailer connector. To see if there is a voltage loss you would need a multi-meter like # PT89ZR. If the controller is putting out 12 volts (set to max) then voltage should be at or very near 12 volts at the connector.

If it is not, then there is most like a bad or loose connection between the controller and connector you will need to hunt down or some corrosion in or on the trailer connector itself and cleaning it could solve the problem.

If the voltage does test out correctly then the issue must be on the trailer. Make sure the main trailer connector ground is clean and corrosion free and that the main ground is attached to a clean and corrosion free bare metal surface. Move on to the trailer brake magnets and make sure the ground are attached to clean metal surfaces and that there are no bad connections on the power wires.

Then you can visually inspect the magnets. If you see the windings coming through then the magnets need to be replaced. You can further test the magnets by following the FAQ I have linked.