Testing Mopar trailer brake controller?

[Darel]

Installed the Mopar controller last weekend. I don't own a trailer, would mostly be U-haul / borrow a buddy's, etc, so it's hard to do a real full-on test until I actually need the trailer, which is the wrong time to test stuff. I am probably going to have to town my kid's Jeep down to FL at some point this year, which was a big reason I wanted to get the controller installed and sorted.

Current status: I installed it and I did read the user guide that comes with it, but my lights aren't matching up. When I first start the truck, the red light behind the numbers comes on for probably 15-20 seconds, then goes out. When I push the center button, I can hear a relay click from the module. No lights when I push the button.

I work on an AF base so I drove over to the SERE shop and plugged their boat trailer into my plug. No change in behavior at all. The trailer lights came on so I assume I have a good connection. The guide says I should be seeing green and white LEDs, never saw any of that. Red light when I started it, then no lights. Same click when I push the button, no lights at all. I wasn't about to drive away with the SERE guys' boat to road test it.

Am I missing something here?

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[TomH]

Mine turns red when I start the truck, then the light goes out. I have a small camper sort of a boxy teardrop design. I'm not even sure I need trailer brakes for it, but the axle came with brakes, so I bought the Mopar controller. I pulled the trailer without the controller for a while, then added it recently and I honestly can't tell any difference. But, when the trailer is hooked up to the 7-pin connector it does behave as the instructions say. The light turns green when you are driving. When you hit the brakes it turns red. I don't remember seeing a white light.

Hope that helps

 

[Darel]

Mine turns red when I start the truck, then the light goes out. I have a small camper sort of a boxy teardrop design. I'm not even sure I need trailer brakes for it, but the axle came with brakes, so I bought the Mopar controller. I pulled the trailer without the controller for a while, then added it recently and I honestly can't tell any difference. But, when the trailer is hooked up to the 7-pin connector it does behave as the instructions say. The light turns green when you are driving. When you hit the brakes it turns red. I don't remember seeing a white light.

Hope that helps

Thanks, what happens when you push the button? Any lights, either connected or not connected?

 

[AustinL911]

I believe the light does go out after a set period of inactivity.

I'm trying to remember here, but I think the numbers are supposed to be green when there's a trailer (I presume that has e-brakes; does the SERE trailer have working e-brakes?) plugged in. They turn red when the brake is activated. The center button is always lit up white, IIRC. I think the numbers are supposed to be white when nothing is plugged in.

As for the effectiveness, mine works great with my 7x12 tandem axle aluminum utility trailer. Too good at times. If I don't have any weight on the trailer, I keep it set at <2 or it locks the tires up. When towing with my ~1500lb SxS, I set it at like 4, any more and it will lock the tires up.

I do, however, need to adjust my trailer brakes themselves as it pretty obviously pulls me to the right when I hit the brakes.

 

[Darel]

I believe the light does go out after a set period of inactivity.

I'm trying to remember here, but I think the numbers are supposed to be green when there's a trailer (I presume that has e-brakes; does the SERE trailer have working e-brakes?) plugged in. They turn red when the brake is activated. The center button is always lit up white, IIRC. I think the numbers are supposed to be white when nothing is plugged in.

As for the effectiveness, mine works great with my 7x12 tandem axle aluminum utility trailer. Too good at times. If I don't have any weight on the trailer, I keep it set at <2 or it locks the tires up. When towing with my ~1500lb SxS, I set it at like 4, any more and it will lock the tires up.

I do, however, need to adjust my trailer brakes themselves as it pretty obviously pulls me to the right when I hit the brakes.

Yeah, I assumed since it was a 7-pin connector with a fairly large boat, that the SERE trailer had brakes but I could be wrong. Budget cuts and all. It could also have them but they're not working. I'll have to find another trailer around base and try it.

 

[TomH]

Thanks, what happens when you push the button? Any lights, either connected or not connected?

I haven't pushed the button with the trailer connected, never thought of it. When I first installed it, if I pushed the button, it behaved the same way as yours. You could hear a click.

 

[aprez27]

I installed it a couple of weeks ago and just purchased a 22 ft travel trailer/camper. Only red light when you start the Jeep then it goes out. Works perfectly when connected to Jeep. My findings have been you set it to 1 if you have a 1000lb trailer, 2 for a 2000lb trailer and so on. My trailer is about 3500lbs loaded so I have it set to 3.5 and it seems to be perfect.

 

[Tanners Owner]

@Darel where did you get your mopar brake controller? All the websites I checked have them out of stock

thanks

 

[danimal2000]

I installed it a couple of weeks ago and just purchased a 22 ft travel trailer/camper. Only red light when you start the Jeep then it goes out. Works perfectly when connected to Jeep. My findings have been you set it to 1 if you have a 1000lb trailer, 2 for a 2000lb trailer and so on. My trailer is about 3500lbs loaded so I have it set to 3.5 and it seems to be perfect.

Installed last year and I've observed the same. Have a 4500-5000 lb and I find 4.5-5 setting has been good

Red light when no trailer, goes off after a bit. Click if u press button. Green Light with trailer hooked up and brakes released, red light when braking with trailer hooked up.

I suspect the boat trailer OP tested with had no brakes or perhaps disconnected/not working brakes.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The light goes out. It only stays on with a trailer connected.
It's likely just fine if it comes on red then goes out. That's what they do.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I installed it a couple of weeks ago and just purchased a 22 ft travel trailer/camper. Only red light when you start the Jeep then it goes out. Works perfectly when connected to Jeep. My findings have been you set it to 1 if you have a 1000lb trailer, 2 for a 2000lb trailer and so on. My trailer is about 3500lbs loaded so I have it set to 3.5 and it seems to be perfect.

Mine varies a bit. Empty trailer, 1600 pounds, I have to set it down to 1 or I slide the wheels on gravel, set it to about 2 to 3 on pavement.
Loaded at 5,000 pounds I run about 4.5

Where you set it will vary with the trailer - the numbers mean nothing at all other than a reference point because you could have a single axle or double axle, the brakes may take 16 amps, they may take 10 amps. They may have more grip or more sticky shoes or pads or less sticky shoes or pads.
So the ONLY way for anyone to actually set it correctly is hook up, take it on the road where you can drive slow, press the button and see how much pull the trailer brakes give at a given setting.
It's gonna vary with trailer and brakes and axle numbers.
If I were to set mine to 5 or more it would be too much with my trailer brakes - I can slide the tires.

 

[Darel]

@Darel where did you get your mopar brake controller? All the websites I checked have them out of stock

thanks

I forget, I ordered it through whichever of the online Mopar retailers ended up being cheapest. I wasn't in a hurry so I just placed the order and left it. Turns out they emailed me only like a week later to say it came in and was getting shipped. Maybe "out of stock" means special.order, and they don't bother to keep it in stock until someone orders?

 

[Tanners Owner]

@Darel - thanks

 

[RudeJeepin]

Yeah, I assumed since it was a 7-pin connector with a fairly large boat, that the SERE trailer had brakes but I could be wrong. Budget cuts and all. It could also have them but they're not working. I'll have to find another trailer around base and try it.

In my experience, alot of boat trailers have surge breaks, so no controller needed.

Surge break equipped trailers will have some kind of box/cover setup on the tongue, something like in the above picture.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In my experience, alot of boat trailers have surge breaks, so no controller needed.

Surge break equipped trailers will have some kind of box/cover setup on the tongue, something like in the above picture.

Yeah, many if not most boat trailers have surge brakes if the boat is over a certain size. Easy to tell as the works will be on the tongue.
Even uhaul trailers generally have surge brakes as they have no clue about your tow vehicle and brake controller and so on.
Some surge devices may be a bit smaller, a bit further back but that's a good example of what to look for.

For lurkers and onlookers - don't let that small cable and lever fool you - even trailers with non-surge electric brakes have that so that if it becomes disconnected, it closes a switch and the trailer brakes are activated by a small battery on the trailer that powers the brakes long enough to stop the trailer. Such a battery is recharged when you connect your 7 pin connector - from the constant power pin on that connector. So don't use that little cable and lever as the tell for surge brakes - use the the other bits - the fact that there's a box of enclosure on the tongue.

As you hit your truck brakes, the trailer pushes on the two-piece tongue and activates the trailer's brakes.

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