Is your trailer a tandem or triple axle?
Do you have brakes on both axles?

Are the brake actuators working?

I use a prodigy controller for my flatbed and have had no issues with it. Prodigy also has a good diagnostic routine built in, so if it was having any issues, it would tell you.

Tony

 

It's a tandem axle trailer, and the brake actuators are working. The prodigy tends to jump around a lot, but it has done OK for me for the last 5 years. I probably need to adjust the truck and trailer brakes both, but I would like to improve the overall stopping ability of the rig. I'm buying a much larger gooseneck trailer, and I will definitely need to be able to stop it. It weighs around 6K empty, and I plan on hauling 12k worth of payload. I've ordered airbags, and have an e-brake waiting to be installed, and I plan on ordering a brake-smart, but the truck still needs to stop better itself. Changing to 3" shoes is a good idea, I don't know who could help me with that around here, but I'll look into it.

 

Its easy if you can do brakes yourself. Buy the wheel cylinders listed by the part number elsewhere on the site, the FAQ? Buy shoes for a 1tom the same year as your 3/4ton and then have the drums turned. Most places that sell brakes can turn drums or know somewhere that can.

Personally I love the discs on mu '01.5. They stop WAY better then the drums on my '92 even with the 1ton cylinders and 3" shoes. PLUS no adusting them every month and I don't have to take the shafts out and hubs apart to work on them.

 

exhaust brake is the only way for me, i rarley use my brake only to completly stop, the auto trans works along with the eb when gearing down, then pedal for the last 50 feet

 

Chaser, I feel the same about my '06. And, I think Timberman was going to add one on with a lockup controller.

However, if you feel your are under-braked and carrying a heavy load, I would pursue ALL possible brake upgrades, from the truck to the trailer.

Truck:
1) Slotted and/or drilled front rotors http://www.philsinc.com/ is a great source. You are best ordering over the phone. Great customer service and knowledgeable about the product lines. I installed these on my F150, and 2 dakotas. MUCH better pedal feel and shortened stopping distance by ~20 feet, or that's what it felt like. Also worked VERY well with the ABS.

2) The rear brake upgrades that sound like they have already been done.

Repairs?
There may be a load-dependent rear brake proportioning valve that could be a problem. I can't recall what years they were used.
My F150 with the self adjusters needed adjustment once or twice a year. I found this easiest to do using a brake caliper.

Trailer brakes:
1) Use a good brake controller....prodigy should be fine. IIRC, there was a software upgrade a few years ago that may be needed. A phone call to the factory may resolve this.

2) Properly adjusted truck and trailer brakes. The trailer brakes also needed adjustment every year or two, dependent on frequency of use. Here's a brake drum measurement tool example.

3) Properly operating magnets. Usually the prodigy can tell if one is shorted. An open circuit may require a little more troubleshooting.

Tony

 

Have your new gooseneck trailer rigged with disc brakes.. This system does not cost that much more as the axles with disc brakes are actually cheaper, the money saved there is applied to the cost of the elec/hydr actuator

Check out the pics in my profile of my 42' GN with 2-12K disc brake axles. I use the P-3 controller to control them as it has more options for the electric/hydraulic systems..

I prefer the disc over drums as they have better stopping power, require no adjusting and are easier to replace.

 

Didn't read all the posts but look into an exhaust brake. They are great!! Now they say they aren't designed to stop ya but to control a decent with a load. They do that great but I also us it for normal breaking both loaded and unloaded. Your service brakes will last much much longer also. I do quite a bit of towing(not as much as you) since I put the exhaust brake on I haven't put brakes on the truck in five years. Most of the time I can bring the truck and trailer to a stop without the use of the brakes until the thing is almost stopped. As for a panic stop the best thing is not to get into that situation but I know it happens. Personaly I hope I never have to tow without an exhaust brake again.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to have my exhaust brake installed, and have adjusted my rear drums for now. I think I might look into a rear disc conversion for the truck. My new trailer has some serious brakes on it, it slows the truck with the prodigy set really low. That's a good thing, hopefully I won't have to fool with it for a little while. Combined with the exhaust brake, that will probably get me by for a while.