New owner

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Congratulations on your 176.  Our 177 is similar in that the FW tank is located behind the axle so when you go to weigh yours using whichever method offgrid mentioned above it would probably be a good idea to weigh in with a full FW tank, that will give you the lowest tongue weight.  As you use water from the FW tank it will be transferred to either the gray or black tank which is located in front of the axle resulting in additional tongue weight. We also like to keep our tongue weight around 11-12 %.   Currently driving a 'lightweight' F-150 which tows the 177 really nice.  For the first 8 years we towed with '08 and '13 Explorers.  In all cases  only used a $ 50 Curt anti-sway bar was utilized.  With over 36,000 miles under our belt and all sorts of driving conditions, this has worked well for us.

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jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3340	Topic: New owner Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 7:28pm
	Congratulations on your 176. Our 177 is similar in that the FW tank is located behind the axle so when you go to weigh yours using whichever method offgrid mentioned above it would probably be a good idea to weigh in with a full FW tank, that will give you the lowest tongue weight. As you use water from the FW tank it will be transferred to either the gray or black tank which is located in front of the axle resulting in additional tongue weight. We also like to keep our tongue weight around 11-12 %. Currently driving a 'lightweight' F-150 which tows the 177 really nice. For the first 8 years we towed with '08 and '13 Explorers. In all cases only used a $ 50 Curt anti-sway bar was utilized. With over 36,000 miles under our belt and all sorts of driving conditions, this has worked well for us.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

SailorDude Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 Dec 2020 Location: Washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 48	Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 8:54pm
	Thanks for all the advice. I'm picking up the trailer on thursday. i want to be safe. My vehicle has trailer breaks built in. I know nothing about them. Anyone know how I'm supposed to use them?

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 6:49am
	Lots of folks here with F series pickups who can probably help with the setup details. For a general "theory of operation" check out this write up: https://www.hitchweb.com/blog/post/2013/01/07/how-electric-brakes-work The brake controller outputs a voltage that varies depending on how much braking action is needed. In modern controllers that voltage is proportional to the rate at which you are slowing the tow vehicle down so the trailer brakes are following along with how aggressively you're using the TV brakes. You will have a couple of adjustments to make in the controller setup which usually only has to be done once unless you change trailers or really change the trailer loading a lot. The other thing you will want to know how to do is how to activate the controller manually so you can test the trailer brakes without operating the tow vehicle brakes before hitting the road. Otherwise it can be hard to tell if the trailer brakes are working because the TV brakes have much more capacity.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2707	Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 12:31pm
	I would expect there to be an OEM trailer brake controller (sometimes abbreviated as "TBC") for your F250. We have the OEM one in our F150, and it proportions the voltage to the trailer brakes according to how hard you're pressing on the brake pedal. In fact, if I have the console set to trailer monitor, it shows a little bar graph to indicate how much brake command is being sent to the trailer. It works very well.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost