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Old 05-25-2017, 07:41 AM   #1
IC2
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Ford Integrated Brake Controller with our 5er

First, a bit of background.

We have used our 5er for two plus seasons with this being the the the third full year. We have towed about 18,000 miles with no problems but I never felt the brakes ('conventional' Dexter 12x2 electric-magnet) were adequate. This spring I changed them over to a Kodiak disc with a Hydrastar actuator system. Quite frankly, they seem as poor or possibly even worse. The Ford Integrated Brake Control is set for electric over hydraulic as required and the intensity has been tried from 5 to 10. Yes, it will stop the trailer but it feels like the brakes are barely helping, regardless of the setting. If I use the manual control - oops, that set of black marks and the billowing smoke cloud says that works and that the brake system installation itself is just fine.

Have others had the same kind of experience with the Ford IBC - mine being an '11 Super Duty/F250?

I have a finger poised over the 'Buy' button for a Prodigy P3 as many other discussions on the 'net' seem to say that this is the best way to go. Even Hydrastar in one of their ads 'suggest' that a Prodigy is the way to braking success. Is it or .... ???
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Old 05-25-2017, 09:13 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IC2 View Post
First, a bit of background.

We have used our 5er for two plus seasons with this being the the the third full year. We have towed about 18,000 miles with no problems but I never felt the brakes ('conventional' Dexter 12x2 electric-magnet) were adequate. This spring I changed them over to a Kodiak disc with a Hydrastar actuator system. Quite frankly, they seem as poor or possibly even worse. The Ford Integrated Brake Control is set for electric over hydraulic as required and the intensity has been tried from 5 to 10. Yes, it will stop the trailer but it feels like the brakes are barely helping, regardless of the setting. If I use the manual control - oops, that set of black marks and the billowing smoke cloud says that works and that the brake system installation itself is just fine.

Have others had the same kind of experience with the Ford IBC - mine being an '11 Super Duty/F250?

I have a finger poised over the 'Buy' button for a Prodigy P3 as many other discussions on the 'net' seem to say that this is the best way to go. Even Hydrastar in one of their ads 'suggest' that a Prodigy is the way to braking success. Is it or .... ???
The FORD controller is reading 3 or 4 sensor. If you are unsure of how well it is working unplug the controller then try (in an empty parking lot) braking.
We swapped over to disc as well and couldn't get the brakes to lock up...then we tried going faster than 25mph and had no issue with locking up the wheels.

The most annoying thing with the FORD trailer braking was that if Tow/Haul mode was NOT activated the truck would slow down to 5mph and drift 1'-2' to a stop.

I haven't used the Prodigy but from what I've read it is a step up.

We are installing Tuson ABS braking. The system requires the Direct Link controller.
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:54 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by jtbuilds View Post
The FORD controller is reading 3 or 4 sensor. If you are unsure of how well it is working unplug the controller then try (in an empty parking lot) braking.
We swapped over to disc as well and couldn't get the brakes to lock up...then we tried going faster than 25mph and had no issue with locking up the wheels.

The most annoying thing with the FORD trailer braking was that if Tow/Haul mode was NOT activated the truck would slow down to 5mph and drift 1'-2' to a stop.

I haven't used the Prodigy but from what I've read it is a step up.

We are installing Tuson ABS braking. The system requires the Direct Link controller.
I haven't tried unplugging the controller(pig tail to the trailer) but have tried from 20 up to 65mph and various settings with no 'joy'. The direct method with the manual paddle does its job though. I don't know what you mean by using the Tow/Haul mode and a having different manner of stopping but it sounds like the controller said - "That's all I do, now it's the truck brakes alone". I seldom use Tow/Haul on an interstate unless there are some very long and steep hills - maybe I need to see if that changes the mode.

I looked at that Tuson system and decided that was not an easy DIY project nor did it fit my budget for a single long/7-8K mile trip per year and a few local weekends. It sure is a good looking system though.

Interesting that Ford developed their IBC with Tekonsha. It's probably close to what Tekonsha sells as their low end competitive price level.
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Old 05-25-2017, 11:49 AM   #4
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yep

I never felt my ford controller was doing the job so I replaced it on the way to Myrtle Beach last year $435.00 dollars from the dealer, no, I mean NO improvement. So I bought the Prodigy and put it in (harness adapter made it simple) Thank you Amazon Prime for 2 day delivery to the camp office. On the way home........BIG improvement I can now lock up my trailer wheels at full voltage if I want to, never could come close with the ford controller. Tried to return the one I bought from the ford dealer after an explanation of events, they said "You want to do what, aim`t going to happen, electronic device your stuck with it".
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:55 PM   #5
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We have a 2016 F350 with the IBC, and the Titan disc brakes system.

On our center gauge cluster there is an option for initial brake force setting:
"Trailer Brake Effort Setting
The trailer brake controller allows the user to customize how aggressively the trailer brakes engage. The default value is the low setting and is the recommended setting for most trailers. If your trailer's brakes require more initial voltage, or if you prefer more aggressive trailer braking, then select either the medium or the high setting. "


This is separate from the gain control on the IBC.


Also, the Titan actuator has the best response (no lag) time of the various disc brake actuators. (If I set the gain or the effort too high, I can instantly smoke the tires on our quite heavy 5ver.)




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Old 05-26-2017, 10:48 PM   #6
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Using a Prodigy 3 with Titan discs ......works good!......Just set it for Hydraulic brakes so that the pump doesn't pump while sitt'n at stop lights
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Old 05-27-2017, 06:08 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray01 View Post
We have a 2016 F350 with the IBC, and the Titan disc brakes system.

On our center gauge cluster there is an option for initial brake force setting:
"Trailer Brake Effort Setting
The trailer brake controller allows the user to customize how aggressively the trailer brakes engage. The default value is the low setting and is the recommended setting for most trailers. If your trailer's brakes require more initial voltage, or if you prefer more aggressive trailer braking, then select either the medium or the high setting. "

This is separate from the gain control on the IBC.
Also, the Titan actuator has the best response (no lag) time of the various disc brake actuators. (If I set the gain or the effort too high, I can instantly smoke the tires on our quite heavy 5ver.)
It sounds as though Ford recognized there was a problem ('06-'1?) and made some changes. My TV is an '11.

As far as brake kits and actuators - everyone has an opinion as to which is better/faster for your use. If you believe advertising, every one builds the best though I do try to buy from US companies such as Kodiak and Carlisle-Hydrastar when possible.
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Old 05-27-2017, 06:11 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by bob caldwell View Post
Using a Prodigy 3 with Titan discs ......works good!......Just set it for Hydraulic brakes so that the pump doesn't pump while sitt'n at stop lights

Interesting though I think the latest P3 has software to handle that stoplight situation now - or at least that's how I read the brochure
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