Brake Controller

[Katjo]

I’m curious what setting you set your brake controller to? I know it varies, just looking for an average of what number most set on. 
We just had our brakes checked today because we had a skidding noise a few times upon braking on our last trip home. Our brakes checkout good so we guessed it’s our brake controller setting.  We were set at 6 and the RV specialist recommended 2-3.
The odd thing is it didn’t skid every time. Is this something you just have to play with? 

[Frank C]

It’s not a set & forget kind of thing, you have to adjust it based on conditions.  Mine is usually somewhere between 4.0 and 6.0, depending on road conditions (wet or dry, paved or gravel) and how the trailer is loaded (full tanks or empty, etc.).   A number that works on dry roads will likely cause lock-up on wet roads.  The little manual squeeze paddles on the brake controller are there to use to get a feel for how hard the trailer brakes are being applied.   Plenty of YouTube videos showing how to set the gain.  

[Mike and Carol]

I agree with Frank.  If you’re getting a skid when braking back it off a bit.  Whenever we start out towing I check mine.  Usually before we get up to 5mph I take my foot off the gas and activate the trailer brakes.  Depending the resistance I get whether on pavement or gravel I can then bump the setting up or down.  Mike

[Jim_Oker]

I would guess that the amount of braking generated by a given number would vary a bit from controller to controller, but I do not know this for a fact. 

With my Redarc controller (the TowPro Elite unit) I'm in a somewhat similar range as Frank, and indeed I find I make adjustments based on coditions like wet roads. My "towing tutor" (a friend who has been towing big horse trailers since she was a teen) told me that it should not feel during braking like either the trailer is pushing my tow vehicle or that is holding my tow vehicle back - instead it should feel like they are kind of stopping in unison.

[Katjo]

32 minutes ago, Frank C said:

It’s not a set & forget kind of thing, you have to adjust it based on conditions.  Mine is usually somewhere between 4.0 and 6.0, depending on road conditions (wet or dry, paved or gravel) and how the trailer is loaded (full tanks or empty, etc.).   A number that works on dry roads will likely cause lock-up on wet roads.  The little manual squeeze paddles on the brake controller are there to use to get a feel for how hard the trailer brakes are being applied.   Plenty of YouTube videos showing how to set the gain.  

Ours doesn’t have squeeze paddles. It just plus and minus buttons. 
I know we shouldn’t be catapulting forward every time we stop nor skidding. I just find it odd that on a flat dry road it skid twice stopping on a hour long stop and go trip. 
 

[Frank C]

35 minutes ago, Katjo said:

Ours doesn’t have squeeze paddles. It just plus and minus buttons. 

Plus/minus buttons are for adjusting the gain and boost settings.  Yours has a lever (on the right in the photo) instead of the squeeze paddles for manually applying the brakes. 

[Frank C]

41 minutes ago, Katjo said:

Ours doesn’t have squeeze paddles. It just plus and minus buttons. 

“C” in the diagram below is your manual brake control.  It lets you apply just the trailer brakes without stepping on the brake pedal in your tow vehicle.  And you should study the instruction guide for your trailer brake controller.  Your skidding problem could be either a gain setting issue or a boost setting issue.  

[Katjo]

1 hour ago, Frank C said:

“C” in the diagram below is your manual brake control.  It lets you apply just the trailer brakes without stepping on the brake pedal in your tow vehicle.  And you should study the instruction guide for your trailer brake controller.  Your skidding problem could be either a gain setting issue or a boost setting issue.  

Thank you for the photos.
We don’t have an instruction manual. I’m going to look online for it. 

What is the difference between Output gain and Output Boost? 

[Frank C]

1 minute ago, Katjo said:

Thank you for the photos.
We don’t have an instruction manual. I’m going to look online for it. 

What is the difference between Output gain and Output Boost? 

https://www.rigidhitch.com/media/installation_instruction/5535.pdf
 

[Katjo]

21 minutes ago, Frank C said:

https://www.rigidhitch.com/media/installation_instruction/5535.pdf
 

Thank you, Frank. I appreciate all your help.