Help! Trailer Brake does not like this truck!? Any Ideas Guys?

[EddiieeG10]

Have a 2016 ram 3500, Was going to use Dump trailer with Trailer Brakes and saw the running lights turn on so i was in the impression everything was working, Got back into truck drove a bit and noticed trailer brake was not connected, got out, Re-Plugged and still nothing. Ended up switching trucks a Chevy 2500, and they connected fine no issues.

Took Ram to Trailer Shop and they put a 7Way Tester and a Power Loader test on it and it popped right up. Said brakes were connected and even used the + - on the Gain and manual Lever. THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED! Without doing anything though? Got back home and tried my trailer again with my RAM and still NOTHING! Is it MY TRAILER?! OR IS IT MY RAM!? Any Ideas Guys?! Why Does my Trailers Brakes connect to my Chevy 2500 Fine?! But not the RAM?

 

[crash68]

If the trailer brake tester worked, I'd suspect the plug or jack connection, something isn't making a good connection.

 

[markabby]

check brake wire connections

 

[EddiieeG10]

Like check the actual connections from each electrical Brake? I might do that tomorrow, just find it weird how it connects fine with the Chevy, but no brake connection with the Ram

check brake wire connections

 

[EddiieeG10]

If the trailer brake tester worked, I'd suspect the plug or jack connection, something isn't making a good connection.

Will Possibly look into looking at every wire or just rip everything and redo it. I bought the trailer during covid and the electrical lines are really ****** lol brand new too.

 

[GTyankee]

Is your Radio settings correct
Check the owner's manual, there is a chapter about it

If nothing else, find a AUTO ELECTRIC Shop
where you live, there should be several of them

 

[2003F350]

What does your plug on your trailer look like?

Does it look like this:
Plug style 1 (crappy)

Or this:
Plug style 2 (good)

In my experience, Ram trucks don't care for the first style - they don't interact with the receptacle on the truck very well. I had issues with that style on my flatbed trailer with my '17 Wagon and my new '22, but it would work fine behind the wife's or my FIL's Fords. My truck had NO issues with our travel trailer, which has a plug like the 2nd style.

I ended up replacing it with the second style, and all the problems with my flatbed went away. I went ahead and upgraded the lights on the trailer a few weeks later to LED, just to make them brighter, but the problems were with the plug.

I THINK what happens is the flat blade style tends to 'swell' a bit after some use, and they don't make a good connection with the receptacle that Ram uses. The second style is set up more like a 'spring' or a clip, and makes a solid connection to the prongs in the receptacle.

 

[EddiieeG10]

Is your Radio settings correct
Check the owner's manual, there is a chapter about it

If nothing else, find a AUTO ELECTRIC Shop
where you live, there should be several of them

What Radio setting? What do you mean by that?

 

[EddiieeG10]

What does your plug on your trailer look like?

Does it look like this:
Plug style 1 (crappy)

Or this:
Plug style 2 (good)

In my experience, Ram trucks don't care for the first style - they don't interact with the receptacle on the truck very well. I had issues with that style on my flatbed trailer with my '17 Wagon and my new '22, but it would work fine behind the wife's or my FIL's Fords. My truck had NO issues with our travel trailer, which has a plug like the 2nd style.

I ended up replacing it with the second style, and all the problems with my flatbed went away. I went ahead and upgraded the lights on the trailer a few weeks later to LED, just to make them brighter, but the problems were with the plug.

I THINK what happens is the flat blade style tends to 'swell' a bit after some use, and they don't make a good connection with the receptacle that Ram uses. The second style is set up more like a 'spring' or a clip, and makes a solid connection to the prongs in the receptacle.

Ahh okay! It doesn’t look like the #2, it just has one Tab in each section, #1 looks more like my 7 way on the trailer. Im going to look into it might have to end up switching the connector to something better! I wonder what the 7 way connector looks like on that power loader that they tested it with, would make sense if it looks like #2, which would make a better connection

 

[Tulecreeper]

What Radio setting? What do you mean by that?

You can set your brake selector on your EVIC to the type of brake you are using - Heavy/Light, Electric, Electric Over Hydraulic, etc.

 

[crash68]

What Radio setting?

You can set your brake selector on your EVIC

If the truck has the 8.4 radio (possibly the 5") the trailer brake settings are in the radio. You can save up to four different trailers, even name them. It will also track the mileage for each of the trailers that you save individually, this will be on the trailer brake screen on the full color EVIC.
You can change the trailer brake type from Light Electric to Heavy Electric. There's settings for hydrologic over electric also.
Light electric is supposed to be good up to 10K lbs trailers.

 

[Tulecreeper]

If the truck has the 8.4 radio (possibly the 5") the trailer brake settings are in the radio. You can save up to four different trailers, even name them. It will also track the mileage for each of the trailers that you save individually, this will be on the trailer brake screen on the full color EVIC.
You can change the trailer brake type from Light Electric to Heavy Electric. There's settings for hydrologic over electric also.
Light electric is supposed to be good up to 10K lbs trailers.

I just have the low-end radio so mine is only programmable on the EVIC, but I do have all those choices also.

 

[GTyankee]

EddiieeG10​

What i meant by the Trailer Settings in the stock Ram radio, when you have the Factory Brake Controller,
Is very well covered in this video
The Mechanic shows you how to do what, using the different radios that came in Ram trucks, over a period of years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqJo1pmplxo​

Somewhere there is another video, that shows everyone how to Set the GAIN
That should be done with the trailer hooked up.
Drive to an asphalt or concrete area that no one is using, preferably with the load on the trailer & then TEST the braking distance, which is to bring the truck & trailer & load to a smooth STOP, without sliding the tires

Happy Hauling

 

[EddiieeG10]

If the truck has the 8.4 radio (possibly the 5") the trailer brake settings are in the radio. You can save up to four different trailers, even name them. It will also track the mileage for each of the trailers that you save individually, this will be on the trailer brake screen on the full color EVIC.
You can change the trailer brake type from Light Electric to Heavy Electric. There's settings for hydrologic over electric also.
Light electric is supposed to be good up to 10K lbs trailers.

EddiieeG10​

What i meant by the Trailer Settings in the stock Ram radio, when you have the Factory Brake Controller,
Is very well covered in this video
The Mechanic shows you how to do what, using the different radios that came in Ram trucks, over a period of years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqJo1pmplxo​

Somewhere there is another video, that shows everyone how to Set the GAIN
That should be done with the trailer hooked up.
Drive to an asphalt or concrete area that no one is using, preferably with the load on the trailer & then TEST the braking distance, which is to bring the truck & trailer & load to a smooth STOP, without sliding the tires

Happy Hauling

I one time searched for it on my Dash Options because i would see videos on how they would set their gain and switch from light to heavy on their dash. On mine just TODAY i saw where to go on the Touch screen radio to set what trailer i have. It wasnt an app though because i was searching for a “tow/Trailer” app. it was in the actual settings tab. Will try later today see what happens, Thanks!

 

[EddiieeG10]

If the truck has the 8.4 radio (possibly the 5") the trailer brake settings are in the radio. You can save up to four different trailers, even name them. It will also track the mileage for each of the trailers that you save individually, this will be on the trailer brake screen on the full color EVIC.
You can change the trailer brake type from Light Electric to Heavy Electric. There's settings for hydrologic over electric also.
Light electric is supposed to be good up to 10K lbs trailers.

Because of this response, I was able to find it in the settings tab on my radio. I was searching for it on the dash for a while, but could never find it. Thank you. I now know how to switch from light to heavy trailer.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Do you have the ITBC (Intergrated Trailer Brake Controller) from the factory, or did you install it and have it flashed, may be the reason for it not showing up on your EVIC (heads up display) or on your 8.4 radio. @crash68 is right!!!

 

[EddiieeG10]

Have a 2016 ram 3500, Was going to use Dump trailer with Trailer Brakes and saw the running lights turn on so i was in the impression everything was working, Got back into truck drove a bit and noticed trailer brake was not connected, got out, Re-Plugged and still nothing. Ended up switching trucks a Chevy 2500, and they connected fine no issues.

Took Ram to Trailer Shop and they put a 7Way Tester and a Power Loader test on it and it popped right up. Said brakes were connected and even used the + - on the Gain and manual Lever. THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED! Without doing anything though? Got back home and tried my trailer again with my RAM and still NOTHING! Is it MY TRAILER?! OR IS IT MY RAM!? Any Ideas Guys?! Why Does my Trailers Brakes connect to my Chevy 2500 Fine?! But not the RAM?

Do you have the ITBC (Intergrated Trailer Brake Controller) from the factory, or did you install it and have it flashed, may be the reason for it not showing up on your EVIC (heads up display) or on your 8.4 radio. @crash68 is right!!!

FOUND THE PROBLEM! SOMEONE or Something cut my Brake Lines on my right side on the trailer. Wouldn’t get a good connection so it wouldn’t connect to my Brake Controller.

While having this problem my left side leaf spring snapped either today or yesterday with the load i had while using another vehicle(Chevy 2500) because it said “Brakes Connected” Good thing we caught it on time before something bad happened. Now i need to find a leaf spring and should be good to go!

 

[markabby]

Like check the actual connections from each electrical Brake? I might do that tomorrow, just find it weird how it connects fine with the Chevy, but no brake connection with the Ram

pull the safety plug while hooked up and check the wiring at the brakes. or, see if the wheels are locked up with the plug pulled ( the pull away switch). if the brakes are all locked then check the wiring connections at each brake. You said previously it began when you hit a series of bumps...right? maybe just enough to loosen one wire.

as for it working with the chevy vs a ram, i'm thinking the ram is more intelligent and recognizes a problem whereas the chevy doesn't and the chevy will still apply brakes to maybe 3 out of 4. I'm NOT knocking chevys, I don't know how their trailer AI system works.

I'm just guessing obviously, I'm not saying any chevy is junk, i'm just saying the AI in the ram seems more sophisticated. My truck actually measures the trailer length, not sure if the chevys do that or not.

 

[DRam2019]

Personally I’d suspect the trailer, in particular the ground/s. The gm may be more forgiving than the ram. On all of my trailers I install (if it’s not already there) a 7 or 10 pole junction box, the whip from truck to trailer into that, and from there harness back out to lights and brakes. I also home run my brake wires back to the box with a service loop along the way so I don’t have to worry about doing weird extensions on the wires. 90% of all wiring issues are ground related.