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?