Testing electric trailer brakes

I'm new to the RV Forum and have a simple "How to...".

Question
How can I conduct a simple test to make sure my electric trailer brakes are working properly?

Background
I have a 30 ft toyhauler camper {Skyline - Mountain View) that I pull with a Toyota Tundra 5.7L truck.  The truck came equipped with a factory installed multi-pin brake light and brake actuator connection next to my trailer hitch. 

I now live in Denver and do not want to learn that my trailer brakes are not working properly coming down from a 12,000 foot pass in the Rockies.  I would prefer to be able to check to make sure my trail brakes are working each time I connect my trailer to the truck.

I tried the drive on gravel (and pavement) technique where I drive less than 10 miles per hour and slam on the breaks to view any skid marks in the gravel or on the pavement. This technique seems about as reliable and useful as nothing.  I always get truck skids and rarely get good evidence of trailer skid. 

I looked on the web for "testing trailer brakes" and get "get a multi-meter and remove the blue wire..." or removee the lug nut from the wheel and ...." 

Since the actuator was installed by the Toyota company, I cannot operate it independent of truck braking system.  I used to have an aftermarket actuator on an older truck and could actuate the trailer brake while stepping on the accelerator (gas)  The trailer tires would be lock on and leave skid marks with the aftermarket test.

I can't believe that everybody simply hooks their trailer to their truck, plugs in the wiring harness and dive away hoping the brakes work at a 100% efficiency level.

Again, what is a simple test of trailer brake operation that an RVer can do when one connects the trailer to the tow vehicle?

Electrical:  Use a compass.  Have an assistant apply the brakes via the brake controller.  Move the compass near the brake drum.  If the compass spins you're getting power to that brake, if not you have a problem.

Mechanical:  on loose dirt or gravel get going about 10 MPH and apply 100% braking to the trailer via the brake controller.  If the wheels lock up you're good to go.  If not try manually adjusting them and repeat test.  They key words are 'via the brake controller' not your truck brakes.

Another way is to pull the breakaway switch.  That should lock up the trailer brakes instantly.

If adjusting them doesn't solve the problem it's time to start disassembling stuff.

Why would Toyota not have a way of independently actuating the trailer brakes?  A common practice is to apply just the trailer brakes if you start experiencing trailer sway.  It's a safety issue IMHO.

Thanks for the quick response 8MuddyPaws - I will try the compass technique and the breakaway switch tomorrow!!!

Likewise, are you SURE the truck is actually applying the brakes??  You ask a very valid question.  The correct answer is very important!!

Did the truck come PREWIRED for a brake controller?  That makes installation easy, but it still needs done.  I never heard of an "invisible" brake controller where you could not independently apply trailer brakes only!

Please be safe!

My truck came pre-wired.  So did my last truck.  On the old one I had to install an external controller and splice it into the system and on the new truck I only had to plug it in and use a ford computer to enable the trailer brake options on the menu.  The factory controller is not hidden and it does have a manual actuator as well as a gain control.

On edit:  without knowing what year Tundra you have I found a Toyota factory controller that fits a 2016 on eBay.  It looks remarkably similar to the Ford one I just installed. If you don't see something sort of like this in a place easily accessible to the driver you most likely do not have a brake controller installed.  And that would certainly explain why your trailer brakes wouldn't work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Toyota-Tundra-Factory-Trailer-Brake-Controller-/322159799652?hash=item4b02386d64:g:MWYAAOSwVcFXOiiF&vxp=mtr

"Again, what is a simple test of trailer brake operation that an RVer can do when one connects the trailer to the tow vehicle?"

if the gravel test shows nothing and the trailer brakes wont hold the rig in drive, then check for voltage at the trailer connector while activating the manual lever, it should read 12 or so volts

try pulling the trailer with the breakaway pulled

but first we need to know if the truck even has a brake controller!

stevem said:

But first we need to know if the truck even has a brake controller!

Click to expand...

First and foremost!

This is the owner who originally posted the question - "what is a simple test of trailer brake operation that an RVer can do when one connects the trailer to the tow vehicle?"

Here are some are responses to concerns expressed by great advisors.

The truck is a 2010 Toyota Tundra with the factory installed trailer break actuator that is in a fairly hidden area behind a plastic panel to the left of the driver's left foot.  No person would believe there is a brake actuator behind the panel unless they read the Owner's Manual which says the unit is installed there.  The actuator is not an after market unit.  It has no visible manual control that would allow the driver to actuate the trailer brake independent of the truck brakes. As far as I can tell from reading the Owner's manual there is no way apply brakes to the trailer independent of using the brake pedal in the Toyota Truck.

I have owned the 2010 Toyota Tundra since 2010 and this 2010 Skyline trailer since 2012.  I have pulled the trailer with this truck over many miles including going over 12,000 ft passes in the Rockies.  I had confidence that the electric trailer brakes were working and I fully believe they were. 

This summer season of 2016, I felt concerns about my trailer brakes and wrote to RV Forum looking for an easy , reliable method to check trailer brake based on the belief that most RV trailer pullers would like to check to make sure their trailer brakes are working at the 100% level.  IK was trying to avoid the old "pull the trailer on a gravel road and slam on the brakes of the truck to see if the trailer leaves skid marks"l because that upsets everything in the cupboards and such. 

Thanks,

Distanceed

Can you post an image of where the controller is supposed to be? Down near the left foot? All I can find is reference and pictures showing the controller's connector in that general location. It's really surprising Toyota would say there is a controller there and have no way to operate it independently from the truck's brakes.

On our old Ford F250 with an integrated brake controller, the way we determined if the trailer brakes were working was to squeeze the controller on the dash while driving on the freeway.  That would activate the trailer brakes and slow the truck.  With the Ford, we needed to be going at least 25 mph before the brake controller would engage.  It also had a way of increasing or decreasing the force applied to the brakes once activated.  As I recall, it was graded from 1 to 10.  We always left it in the middle. 

When you apply the brakes in your tow vehicle, there shouldn't be any push or pull from the trailer.  In other words, if you apply the brakes on your truck and feel the trailer push against the truck you probably need more brake on the trailer.  If the trailer slows the truck, the brakes on the trailer are working too hard. 

To the OP:

Thank you for a much better explanation of the situation.  Knowing it has worked in the past makes a big difference.

I have never heard of a controller with no manual controls before.  That is why I did not understand.

If it "feels" different, you are very correct in wanting more information.

I hope others can provide better help with this new information.

What happened when you pulled the breakaway switch?

8Muddypaws said:

My truck came pre-wired.  So did my last truck.  On the old one I had to install an external controller and splice it into the system and on the new truck I only had to plug it in and use a ford computer to enable the trailer brake options on the menu.  The factory controller is not hidden and it does have a manual actuator as well as a gain control.

On edit:  without knowing what year Tundra you have I found a Toyota factory controller that fits a 2016 on eBay.  It looks remarkably similar to the Ford one I just installed. If you don't see something sort of like this in a place easily accessible to the driver you most likely do not have a brake controller installed.  And that would certainly explain why your trailer brakes wouldn't work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Toyota-Tundra-Factory-Trailer-Brake-Controller-/322159799652?hash=item4b02386d64:g:MWYAAOSwVcFXOiiF&vxp=mtr

Click to expand...

i'm wondering if the controller was an option that is not equipped.  Maybe it's wired for it, has the connector at the hitch, but without the controller it's doing nothing
You should have a way to manually actuate the brakes, and a way to adjust the gain.

I agree, I suspect that there isn't a brake controller, just the wiring under the dash

if you look at this video, it shows the wiring plugin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTq6VUTG3KM

id be talking to a Toyota dealer, but like I said, highly unlikely there is a controller in there, just the wiring

To the OP:  Are you saying that you feel a difference, and that it seems like the trailer brakes are less effective now?

It seems like any trailer brake controller would have to have a way to adjust the amount of signal sent to the trailer (gain?), as different trailers would respond differently.  If the OP hasn't found that, maybe there is no controller there.  I have a Prodigy controller, adjusted so that the trailer slows the TV if applied at ca 15MPH.  I'm wondering if I should adjust it up to where it locks up the trailer brakes?

I would also be concerned about pulling a 30 ft toy hauler with a 1/2 ton truck.

It appears from the owners manual that all Toyota offers is a prewired plug for hooking up a brake controller.

Just a few thoughts.

Would it be true that by pulling the breakaway cable will let you know if the brakes lock up in emergency mode, but won't tell you if the controller is working.

If the OP has mileage and history with this setup and now he feels that the rig is reacting differently maybe the brakes need some adjusting, or attention.

Wouldn't checking voltage at the connector pins be the most effective method to check the controller?  I know that the request was for some sort of simple test, but I would feel a lot more confident knowing there was voltage where voltage should be.

Corky

Corky--Checking the voltage would test the controller, but not the brakes.  There should be some way to test the trailer brake system, as you can with an aftermarket controller, and if the brakes work, you know the controller works.  I guess checking the voltage would serve as a last-resort way to find out if there is a built-in controller.

Telemark46 said:

Corky--Checking the voltage would test the controller, but not the brakes.  There should be some way to test the trailer brake system, as you can with an aftermarket controller, and if the brakes work, you know the controller works.  I guess checking the voltage would serve as a last-resort way to find out if there is a built-in controller.

Click to expand...

I must be reading things a little askew here. The OP has a history with this rig, and just this year feels that the brakes aren't up to snuff - correct? Seems that would answer the question of whether or not there was a working (at some point in time) controller. And he asks for a simple method to check his brakes, but no response as to the breakaway cable test, which imho would be the most definitive way to see if the brakes are working. If it were me in this situation I would want direct answers from the test given to this brake system,  no place for guess work.
Proper voltage at the pin answers all questions from the pin forward.
Breakaway cable answers most questions from the cable to brakes, and it may lead to an adjustment problem with the brake shoes.

Just another opinion.