Foto-n-T
Well-known member
We snowbird in AZ in the winter months and at some point before the temps get into the 90's I always pull all the hubs (triple axle), repack wheel bearings and inspect brakes. This year I had three bad brakes on one side which is a first but not unexpected. I replaced all three with auto adjusters which I didn't even know existed and all was right with the world. I did pre-adjust the auto's by the way. Unfortunately I didn't bother to test drive the rig after this and just assumed all was good. When the wheels are in the air the brakes function and lock up on all wheel positions, I did at least static test them while they were off the ground. Last week we moved locations as we weren't quite ready to migrate back to WY yet. During the move I became aware that I only had partial braking on the 5th wheel, what I would estimate at about 30% of what I should have.
I discussed the issue with a mobile mechanic who specializes in trailer brake systems on everything from horse trailers to boats and everything in between. He was of the opinion that given the age of the rig (2008) that the wiring inside the axles had probably chafed and was grounding out. That made sense so I spent two days re-wiring all three axles checking the voltage along the way, I soldered all connections as I don't trust crimp connectors. The front axle only was showing 12 volts with the panic lever thrown, center and front together showed 10 plus and finally with all three axles wired up I was down to 7.75 volts. We took it out for a test drive Friday and sure enough I'm still lacking anywhere near full braking.
The next step was to head down to an RV repair facility that I trust, I've known their parts guy for years and my wife used to work with him. I gave him the long sad story and he suggested that the brake controller may be knocking on deaths door. The controller is a Tekonsha Prodigy which has been on the truck for 16 years. I have a new Prodigy controller (suitable for 4 axles) coming in tomorrow and we'll hook her up and see what happens. If it doesn't do the trick I'll be at a loss, I can probably baby this beast back to Wyoming by going around South Pass in WY which is a hundred or so miles out of route but there is NO WAY I'm going down any long grades with just an exhaust brake and 30% of my trailer brakes.
In my research this weekend I read in the Prodigy instructions that it is a no-no to pull the break away switch while hooked up to the truck. A couple of times over the years the cable has gotten snagged on something during a tight turn and yanked itself out bringing me to a halt in the middle of a driveway or such. I'm hoping that this is what indeed caused the controller failure if it is indeed a controller failure.
I discussed the issue with a mobile mechanic who specializes in trailer brake systems on everything from horse trailers to boats and everything in between. He was of the opinion that given the age of the rig (2008) that the wiring inside the axles had probably chafed and was grounding out. That made sense so I spent two days re-wiring all three axles checking the voltage along the way, I soldered all connections as I don't trust crimp connectors. The front axle only was showing 12 volts with the panic lever thrown, center and front together showed 10 plus and finally with all three axles wired up I was down to 7.75 volts. We took it out for a test drive Friday and sure enough I'm still lacking anywhere near full braking.
The next step was to head down to an RV repair facility that I trust, I've known their parts guy for years and my wife used to work with him. I gave him the long sad story and he suggested that the brake controller may be knocking on deaths door. The controller is a Tekonsha Prodigy which has been on the truck for 16 years. I have a new Prodigy controller (suitable for 4 axles) coming in tomorrow and we'll hook her up and see what happens. If it doesn't do the trick I'll be at a loss, I can probably baby this beast back to Wyoming by going around South Pass in WY which is a hundred or so miles out of route but there is NO WAY I'm going down any long grades with just an exhaust brake and 30% of my trailer brakes.
In my research this weekend I read in the Prodigy instructions that it is a no-no to pull the break away switch while hooked up to the truck. A couple of times over the years the cable has gotten snagged on something during a tight turn and yanked itself out bringing me to a halt in the middle of a driveway or such. I'm hoping that this is what indeed caused the controller failure if it is indeed a controller failure.
