Leaderboard

Dave, a decent multimeter with ammeter function is a must-have tool for troubleshooting, but only if you are reasonably skilled in using it. For testing the voltage of a motor or determining that a ground has high resistance it is essential. But you still have to dig it out of your toolbox, have the necessary jumper cables and adapter wires, have access to and be able to read wiring diagrams, and especially have a logical and focused mind. As I get grayer, and my eyesight gets worse, reading and thinking become more important factors. The Tekonsha tester works like the cheaper LED light testers but it also allows you to verify that your controller is working correctly, by simulating the resistance load of the brake magnets. There is no other simple way to do this other than by connecting your trailer! If you do connect to your trailer and the controller doesn't work, you have no idea if the problem is in the truck or the trailer. If your trailer is stored off site, it means that you have to wait until you are leaving on a trip to see if things are working right. I don't think anybody wants to hang around at a storage lot trying to figure out why the brakes are dead..... It takes only a minute to take the tester out of the glovebox, plug it in, and have a buddy work all the lights and the brake controller, and you can see that everything is good by observing the six LEDs and the displays on the P3 screen. Using a meter would take WAY longer and frankly is a real pain in the butt. The wiring at the back of a car or truck is exposed to extremely nasty conditions, including corrosive road chemicals, and it is very common for wiring and the 7 pin connector to fail, especially if there have been non-factory mods. If your connector has a steel body, it WILL rust out and then short out the wire terminals inside. Plastic ones will not do this. If somebody made a connection using a non-waterproof splice, it WILL corrode and fail, eventually. The Tekonsh tester is a great tool to give your truck a spring checkup before you leave on your first trip. Buy it and you will thank me later. Also it is a great feeling to pull it out, test somebody's lights, and then be able to tell them immediately if there is a problem and which circuit is involved. It makes you look like a wizard. ;) John Davies Spokane WA

Dave, My Elite ll brakes would not lockup on full controller output either. But now that I've towed it for another 1500 or so miles they will. I guess they just had to break-in. You probably have the 3500 lb axles, as I do, and they have the smaller brakes. Oliver is advertising the 12 inch brakes, but those come with the 5200 lb axles on later trailers. I looked into the bigger brakes for the 3500 lb axles and could not get them. It might be possible to switch, but it would require new drums, bearings and complete backing plates. At least the wheel bolt pattern is the same. If you think they might not all be working, try skidding them on dirt or gravel where it will be much easier to lock-up. Bottom line is not whether the tester lights up at the bumper plug, but whether the brakes are all working and all working the same. The plug tester won't show a bad magnet or a broken wire. The skid test is the simplest way to see if they are all actually holding. Set you controller on the max setting and give them some more miles, unless you have already done that, and see if they gradually become more aggressive, as mine did. I have reduced the setting on mine now, as it was beginning to skid too easily. I still wish I had the bigger brakes, but they don't seem necessary now. Maybe one of these days I'll get an antilock setup for them as that would be the ultimate in trailer braking safety.

I've found that my belly band has slight "waves" in it, and this might throw off your level, if yours does too. I use the bottom of the frame, front and back to measure from, of course you could always use the frame bottom for your level too. You say it "appears lower" and mention your perception, do all your checks come out good then and it just "looks" off? Mine rides 1/2" lower in front and I'm good with that. When your taking about perception, if your truck doesn't appear perfectly level too it can throw off how your seeing the trailer sitting, ie: if it dips at all in the back it can make the trailer look like it dips in the front. Disconnect the trailer, level it out and then step back and see how it looks by itself. Post a picture and then we can all see it.

Try placing the level on the outside under the edge that forms the belly band. You can also measure the distance from the bottom of the frame to the ground in the front and back.