Weak Brakes

[2goods]

Here is a bit of a stumper someone may have a suggestion on. In 2016 we bought a 2017 Reflection 337RLS. We tow with a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 6.7L diesel. The brakes have always worked but have always been very weak. If I set the gain to the max (10) and squeeze the manual control levers you feel some drag but nothing significant. The trucks builtin controller went bad last year. Surprisingly I was not towing when it went out. I had it replaced with a new dodge controller identical to the unit that failed. Maybe I should have gone with an after market controller and saved a lot of money. The new controller worked exactly like the old one... still had very weak braking. So I did some testing. The 7 pin connector on the truck puts out almost 12 volts on the brake wire while the manual override is squeezed. The trailers pigtail junction box (located in the pin box) measured 11.4 volts so the wiring in the trailer pigtail is good. In the junction box that blue brake wire from the pigtail goes into a connector with a blue and black wire going out of the connector. Those 2 wires coming out also read 11.4 volts. I know the trailer brakes are good because when I pull the emergency pin the trailer brakes are locked down hard. No way to budge the trailer. Anyone have an idea what the problem could be? The brake wires leaving the junction bow go to never-land. No easy way to track.

[Aridon]

I don't know much about brakes but I do know that if other components like the leveling system or pumps get 11.4v they won't work well, if at all.

[Steven@147]

Here is a bit of a stumper someone may have a suggestion on. In 2016 we bought a 2017 Reflection 337RLS. We tow with a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 6.7L diesel. The brakes have always worked but have always been very weak. If I set the gain to the max (10) and squeeze the manual control levers you feel some drag but nothing significant. The trucks builtin controller went bad last year. Surprisingly I was not towing when it went out. I had it replaced with a new dodge controller identical to the unit that failed. Maybe I should have gone with an after market controller and saved a lot of money. The new controller worked exactly like the old one... still had very weak braking. So I did some testing. The 7 pin connector on the truck puts out almost 12 volts on the brake wire while the manual override is squeezed. The trailers pigtail junction box (located in the pin box) measured 11.4 volts so the wiring in the trailer pigtail is good. In the junction box that blue brake wire from the pigtail goes into a connector with a blue and black wire going out of the connector. Those 2 wires coming out also read 11.4 volts. I know the trailer brakes are good because when I pull the emergency pin the trailer brakes are locked down hard. No way to budge the trailer. Anyone have an idea what the problem could be? The brake wires leaving the junction bow go to never-land. No easy way to track.

I don't know if the 2010 Ram has this or not but on my 2018 Ram in the evic options - trailer set up menu you can select electrical light braking or heavy braking. I have mine set on heavy braking and run the factory controller on 5. That might make a difference but again I don't know if the 2010 has that option.

[TwoElkhounds]

Have you adjusted them? Have you taken the hub off and looked at the brakes? My brakes did not work well a year or so after I bought my fiver and I pulled the hub and they were all covered in grease, all four brake assemblies, I had to replace everything, bearings, hubs, pads, backing plate. I never put grease into the hubs, so it came like this from the factory.

You say they lock down hard when the pin is pulled, so maybe not your issue, but possibly worth checking.

DAN

[ncitro]

I’d say dropping to 11.4 sounds like way too much, so I’d start at the pigtail connector. After that I’d pull the drums and see what shape they’re in. Mine were weak from the factory, I had Lipport out at the rally suspecting they’d been contaminated with grease, but he found a broken wire, only my front axle was working. I know you said they work with the brake away, but I’d still check.

[2goods]

I did adjust the brakes one time only to discover they did not need it. The voltage of 11.4 versus 12 was probably because I taped the manual override levers together and they were not completely tight. Plus you should never need 12 volts except in an emergency... like trailer separation going down the road. That's where the safety pin comes in. The 2010 Ram does not have the light / heavy option. I have a slider hitch and when I need to move the slide back the brakes often times will not hold the 5th wheel in place so I have to chock a wheel. That's with the gain set to 10 and fully engaged. Again, pull the safety pin and it isn't going anywhere. Made a sharp corner at low speed one day and the safety pin wire caught on a bolt head and popped out. Truck and 5th wheel came to a very abrupt stop. The brakes are good. So the power is good leaving the junction box which of course is located very close to the emergency switch, and the power from the emergency switch to the brakes is good which should be using the same circuit as the brake controller. So I am thinking it may be a connector related to the controller wire and the emergency switch wire coming together which is hidden inside the pin box and or behind the fiberglass shell on the nose.

[ncitro]

I would be curious to know what voltage you get when the brakeaway is pulled. If you are only getting 12 out of the truck I wonder if your issue is in the trucks wiring. I would expect you should see alternator voltage which would be above 12. Do you tow any other trailers and how are their brakes? That was my clue something was wrong on the trailer side, the cargo trailer I use for work would bring the truck to a stop. If you do not, do you have a friend that can connect their truck to your trailer and check the brakes? Again this would tell you which side of the equation your problem is on.

[steve gravelle]

One other factor- when the pin is pulled, the voltage applying the brakes can be coming from the RV battery/batteries. But my experience had been 11 plus volts will apply the brakes adequately. Good luck hunting! Also it may be a good idea to remove at least one drum to check for grease.

[Bill Davey]

2 goods. No direct help here, but I suggest you ask your question on the RamforumZ (specific to Ram trucks). I recall reading about some, not all, Ram trucks having a wiring issue between the brake controller and the 7 pin plug on the bumper. Sorry I don't remember the specifics.

[2goods]

I think I need to try it with another truck... Results to follow.