Roo 183L brakes working properly or not?

[olwalker]

Have a 2013 Roo 183L that we've used about 6 trips. It was purchased last year so it is essentially 1 year old. The dealer set up my hitch and also my Prodigy P3 brake controller. The tow vehicle is a 2012 Toyota Tundra.

I decided I needed to really understand how this all works to be super safe and I wanted to do the brake controller set up/calibration myself, so I drove over to a school to play around it with. I followed the instructions precisely (traveling at 25 mph, use the increase the power & use the manual override on the brake controller until the brakes lock up, then turn down the power settings). The brake controller was set at 8.5 and first run, wouldn't lock up. I kept dialing it up until I was at max power and WITH the boost on at a Boost 3 - the trailer brakes will not lock up. In fact, I measured off the stopping distance, and it is 113 ft - which seems excessive at 25 mph. I then drove over to a gravel road to test things also as I figured maybe the tires were just too good to slide and I still could not get the brakes to lock up, even on gravel.

I called Teckonsha who makes the Prodigy brake controller - they said that the trailer should *definitely* lock up and if I am at max power, then the brakes need to be adjusted or I have a problem with the braking system on the camper.

As I have done research and spoke to others, there are a lot of people saying that the brakes will not lock up because it is a camper and weighs too much and that this is not realistic.

I decided that I would adjust the brakes, but as I looked into my brake, they are Dexter Axle "Never Adjust" (Self Adjusting Brakes). In looking into this further, there would be not point to "manually" adjust the brakes because the self-adjusting feature would override the manual adjustment as I drove around anyways.

I feel like I am getting conflicting answers to questions and that I am stuck between Teckonsa and Dexter, so I have come to ask "unbiased" experts - the power users of this forum!

My questions:
1. Is it realistic to expect the trailer brakes to "lock up" on a camper this heavy (Dry weight ~ 3500 lbs)? I am doing this test with hardly anything in the camper - it is not loaded with water or food or anything.
2. Does 113 ft stopping distance at 25 mph using the Trailer Brakes only and the Brake Controller at max power seem right or not?
3. Any other thoughts, words of wisdom or advice?

[ChooChooMan74]

This looks familiar...
I think you should have someone look at it. I have no issues locking up my Roo's brakes with my Voyager brake controller (I know, old school...I had this same controller in my 91 Dually, and I kinda like it)

[rockfordroo]

My 2012 Roo 19 is about the same weight as yours, maybe a bit more. I can lock up the brakes with my Prodigy P3 on both a 2011 Chevy Traverse and a 2009 Silverado. I suspect you have a brake problem.

[olwalker]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

My 2012 Roo 19 is about the same weight as yours, maybe a bit more. I can lock up the brakes with my Prodigy P3 on both a 2011 Chevy Traverse and a 2009 Silverado. I suspect you have a brake problem.

@rockfordroo - out of curiosity (since you essentially have the same camper and you do have the same brake controller...what setting do you have to have your P3 set to in order to lock up the brakes? Are you all the way up at 13 or something lower?

[urocav2001]

I have a 2013 silverado with a 2013 233s and a prodigy p2 brake controller I have had mine up to 9 and the brakes grab very quickly and hard but never got them to lock up m, I would assume beeing proportional it would automatically adjust and if you slam in the brakes the trailer brakes would lock up also, but I could be wrong

[rockfordroo]

I have it set about 6.

[PaThwacker]

I lock up the brakes on our starcraft easily. I set the P3 to 2 and its lock up time at any speed.

[Bill_C]

My Tundra had a wiring problem with the hitch plug. I ended up replacing both the truck and trailer plugs with a matched set. No problem after that.

[olwalker]

Originally Posted by Bill_C

My Tundra had a wiring problem with the hitch plug. I ended up replacing both the truck and trailer plugs with a matched set. No problem after that.

Bill_C: Curious what the indication was that you had a wiring issue and what made you replace the plugs with a matched set? Where you getting the right voltage back at the brakes?

[Bill_C]

Originally Posted by olwalker

Bill_C: Curious what the indication was that you had a wiring issue and what made you replace the plugs with a matched set? Where you getting the right voltage back at the brakes?

I had full voltage at the truck end. The trailer brakes were weak and sometimes not work at all- all 4 trailer wheels were acting the same. I pulled the disconnect emergency plug and tried to move the trailer. All 4 wheels were locked up. That eliminated the trailer brakes, the only thing left was the trailer to truck plug. I bought a match set, installed them and the trailer brakes would stop the truck hard and fast. ***WARNING*** Careful when trying to pulling the emergency break-away plug. Some of them are 1 time use and have to be replaced when activated.

[rockfordroo]

Get yourself some dielectric grease (etrailer) and put on both the plug and the jack to keep the contacts from corroding.