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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
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Posts: 2707 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: New owner
    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
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post 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:


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
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SailorDude View Drop Down
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Joined: 06 Dec 2020
Location: Washington
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Posts: 48 		Direct Link To This Post 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?
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3340 		Direct Link To This Post 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.
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"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 3:43pm
I like to think about managing sway with a "belt and suspenders" approach. The "belt" is keeping the trailer tongue weight in range. That will dampen out sway, as the video link shows. The "suspenders" is some type of physical sway control, which could be a wdh with sway control, a friction bar system, a cam or Hensley type sway control, or electronic sway control. At least one member here (who has experienced a severe sway event) has decided that a belt and two sets of suspenders is the right choice.

Its really a personal choice about how much risk you want to take. To me getting the weights right and then adding either a wdh or a friction bar seems to be a good place, others could choose differently. With a heavy tow vehicle like your F250 you can still get trailer sway but it would take quite a lot to also get the TV to decide not to stay planted. 

BTW, if you have the time and presence of mind, applying a bit of trailer braking using the manual control on your brake controller will bring the trailer back in line behind the tow vehicle. Probably it goes without saying but you never want to apply your TV brakes if you do get trailer sway, unless of course you'd like to get a good view of your trailer proceeding you down the highway. Star
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Dirt Sifter View Drop Down
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Posts: 170 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 1:04pm
Welcome! When we bought our 179 we also picked up the friction hitch ball attachment similar to the one OffGrid mentioned. I get you've got an F250 and don't 'need' the sway control. It came in real handy on some windy WA and ID open country hwy.'s even with the Tundra. I came out of a cut on a curve into a gust that pushed me around a bit even with the sway control. But that was with a Tacoma tow vehicle. Bottom line, I'm a proponent of sway control 'most all the time; takes the white knuckle out of the trip.
Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages
1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 8:08am
There are several ways to measure tongue weight. 

One is to get a a tongue weight scale like this:


Another is to use the "bathroom scale method":


But since you still also have to weigh the trailer itself, what I do is make two runs through a public scale. On the first run I hitch up and weigh the two tow vehicle axles with the trailer axle off the scale, the roll the trailer onto the scale and weigh the combined rig.

Then I disconnect the trailer and go back through the scale to get the weight the tow vehicle by itself. The difference between the combined rig from the first weighing and the second weighing is the trailer weight. The difference between the weight of the two tow vehicle axles from the first weighing and the second weighing is the tongue weight. 

Often you can do this for free at your county waste transfer station. Go at a quiet time of day and ask nice. 

If you want to proceed you can get a bracket to mount the anti-sway friction bar offset from the ball, like this. 

There is a photo on that web page showing how the bracket gets mounted on a drop down hitch. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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SailorDude View Drop Down
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Joined: 06 Dec 2020
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Posts: 48 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 7:33am
Thank you for the advice.  How to you measure tongue weight?    Also I think I will get a sway bar hitch set up.  How does that work for a receiver hitch that drops down from the truck.  the F250 are kind of high?  any advice on which one I should get?
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2020 at 7:01am
Every trailer configuration behaves a little differently. A couple of years ago I did a survey on this forum of actual incidences of reported rPod trailer sway and there were one or two that occurred right around 10% tongue weight. That's why I recommend keeping the tongue weight higher than that. Based on that I don't let mine drop below around 11-12%. 

Bear in mind that in the 176 the water heater, fresh water tank, and pass through storage areas look like they are behind the trailer axle. There is nothing in any of those in Forest River's published weight data, so if you load those up you will be reducing your tongue weight. Not to sound like a broken record here, but do get actual loaded tongue and trailer weights to be sure. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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SailorDude View Drop Down
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Posts: 48 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 11:54pm
Thank you for your advise.  Yes it is a 176 my mistake.   I've looked at so many rpod.  

I plan to pick it up on Thursday, and then head off straight for week trailering.  Since I'm picking it up 200 mile from our home all our camping stuff will be in the truck bed in tubs.    Based on what you say as long as I make sure I have tongue weight is at least 10 % of GVW of trailer we shouldn't have a problem.  

Maybe long term a sway controller makes sense.   But for this first outing should not be a problem without sway bars. 

Keep on RV
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