Brake issues on Bigfoot 21 ft. Trailer - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-01-2017, 12:55 PM   #1
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
Posts: 14
Brake issues on Bigfoot 21 ft. Trailer

I purchased a 2008 Bigfoot 25FB21 trailer with little use. When I went to pick it up with my F-150 with built in brake controller, I tested it on a dirt road using only the trailer brake controller lever and found that even adjusted to 10 (the highest level) I could not lock up the trailer wheels on the dirt road. The brakes worked some, but I had always adjusted the brake controller in the past with other trailers by backing off the brake controller just a bit from where the trailer brakes would lock up on pavement. So I took the trailer to one place and they replaced the bearings and adjusted the brakes and said there was no problem, Still the brakes did not perform as I wanted so I took it to another place. They replaced all 4 drums, magnets, bearings and the entire brake assembly after testing out my truck at the 7 pin connector. Still the brakes are marginal. I took my voltmeter and put the hot lead on the trucks brake pin on the 7 pin connector and the other one on the ground pin. When my wife squeezed the brake controller lever I got 13.6 volts ...can't do better than that. Then I tried grounding to the trailer frame and got the same thing. This leads me to believe that the Ford brake controller must be functioning and that the issue is in the trailer. The place that replaced the brakes checked all the wiring that was visible under the trailer and said they somehow checked for shorts and checked to see that the amps were proper when the trailer brakes were applied. I'd appreciate it if anyone could give me any useful advice, as I don't want to tow a trailer as heavy as a Bigfoot with improper brakes and I'm tired of throwing money away on useless repairs. Thank you.
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Old 04-02-2017, 09:27 AM   #2
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Name: tony
Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21RB
British Columbia
Posts: 72
we have same Bigfoot trailer

We tow ours with a 2003 4runner V8 with no issues. I did have the brakes serviced by a local guy in abbotsford bc. If you're close by I can put you on to him.
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Old 04-02-2017, 09:37 AM   #3
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Name: Chester
Trailer: Bigfoot
Washington
Posts: 48
What year is your F150?
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Old 04-02-2017, 09:57 AM   #4
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Name: Joe
Trailer: Looking for BigFoot 25
Iowa
Posts: 26
Other option

Try a different tow vehicle from a friend. Eliminate the Ford pickup completely for this basic test. This will tell you if it is the pickup or the trailer.

Question. My 2013 F150 has multiple trailer brake settings which are programmable. Does yours?
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Old 04-02-2017, 10:42 AM   #5
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 13
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On my 2005 Bigfoot 17.5, I also had brake problems, underframe revealed a broken wire. I spliced in some additional length however it did not engage on the parking pad. Then sand papered / wire brushed the tow vehicle and trailer connectors and pulled the pin on the breakaway switch/ reset a few times. Still no brakes; however enroute to have the bearings greased a block from home they started working. I do not recall seeing a battery for the brakeaway switch but maybe it finally received some juice from the battery and powered up. I also have the built in electronic trailer brake on the chevy avalanche.

The suggestion to try a different tow vehicle is a great trouble shooter as well a bad ground wire can cause all kind of problems. Some vehicles need the fuse added into the fuse box to enable the brake controller to work.
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Old 04-02-2017, 11:13 AM   #6
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Name: Joe
Trailer: Looking for BigFoot 25
Iowa
Posts: 26
Sandstone, as you know identifying which of the combination is in trouble, for example, the truck or trailer, is the first test and critical to resolution. Once that is clear you can go after the why....such as ground, connections or connectors, wiring, fusing, electrolysis, rust, a combination of issues, programming or other key component failure. Sometimes our "assumptions" that something is working can throw us the opposite direction we should be digging into. You did a lot of great testing but as I read your information I don't see where it is clear which item is the cause.

Good luck Sandstone. If you determine it is in fact the Ford pickup and if you have a newer Ford with programmable trailer brake settings it may need a DIY settings change in the program. Other than that.......
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Old 04-02-2017, 03:10 PM   #7
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Name: abcde
Trailer: noneofyourbusiness
British Columbia
Posts: 54
Bigfoot brakes

First, congrats on your 2008 trailer. I have a 17.5 ft Bigfoot!

Now on to the brakes. I think you have dual 3500 lb axles with 10x2.25" brakes correct? That should provide plenty of stopping power. In our first long trip with our trailer last Sept we had to do a full emerg stop when a good ol' boy in Montana came out of a field gate in a battered old pickup right in front of us and promptly stalled his engine when he tried to take off! And we also tackled the steep and long downhill from the Yellowstone east gate down into the Shoshone River valley in WY. My Bigfoot is a single axle trailer probably about 4,000 to 4,200 lbs or so loaded. No problem - and we tow with a base 2012 F150 XLT with the small 3.7L V6. Tekonsha P3 brake controller which I installed myself.

You need a digital meter, a long patch cord and a helper. If I'm suggesting something you've already done apologies. You need to crawl underneath and test the incoming wires to each brake backing plate. You should have damn near zero ohms from the brake pin on the trailer umbilical cord to one side of each brake and near zero ohms to ground on the other wire to each brake. Your test point should be on the brake side of any connectors. Some corroding wire connections could be the cause of you issue.



There is a central ground point on a Bigfoot somewhere on the frame near the LH end of the axle. You need to test ground from this point to the ground pin on your trailer umbilical for resistance. I suspect you have a high resistance connection on the hot or ground side somewhere between the socket on your trailer umbilical and the actual wires where they go into the brake backing plates. Or a bad ground. Do you get decent +12V for the fridge and so on when the f150 is hooked up and running? Does your battery on the trailer charge OK from the tow vehicle alternator? This would make ground issues on the umbilical less likely......

You can also get a charged 12V battery and a couple of patch cords and apply it to each brake in turn to make sure your brakes are OK. If you apply 12V from a lawn tractor battery or the like to each brake in turn the little blighters should lock up impressively. If not you have a dud set of brakes. of course you'll need a trolley jack and multiple axle stands to do that.

Then use the same battery to power up the brake pin (+12V) on the trailer umbilical socket and the ground pin on the socket. All four brakes should be locked. If not if proves you have a continuity problem between the socket and the brakes.

My trailer had - well still has to be honest - some pretty bad wiring in places underneath. You can see that RV techs used the wrong type of crimp connectors (cheapo interior style, not weatherproofed ones) and thin gauge wire between the wiring loom and the brakes. Unfortunately I'm rapidly forming the opinion that a lot of RV shop work is rushed. I'm slowly improving it as I get the inclination to shinny around on my back underneath the trailer.

Good hunting. Time, logic and note taking are needed to resolve electric issues. Don't tackle it when you're in a hurry......
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Bigfoot 25B175G 2008 Anniversary Edition
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Old 04-03-2017, 12:00 PM   #8
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
Posts: 825
Could be a poor ground that works but not well. Try another tow vehicle to determine if it is the TV or the trailer.
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Old 06-08-2017, 12:14 PM   #9
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Name: R.W. Rick
Trailer: Bigfoot 2500 25B175CB
Alberta
Posts: 28
Bigfoot Brakes

I have a similar, but different question;

I just bought 2008 Bigfoot 25B175CB.

I had the dealer install the Brake Controller in my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

All seems to work good; however, when I apply the brakes, the trailer does brake (good); however when I release the brake pedal, the brakes on the trailer seem to hesitate to release; I need to goose the gas pedal a bit to release the brakes.

The trailer does have new brakes.

Is this normal?

Will it ware in?

Any risk of burning up the brakes?

Thank You for any insights and direction.
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Old 06-08-2017, 02:43 PM   #10
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
Posts: 14
Brake problems

I don't know if you are familiar with how electric trailer brakes work. They are drum brakes and inside the drum is a backing plate to which the shoes are connected. When they get 12V current an electromagnet on an arm attached to one brake shoe is activated which causes it to become attracted to the drum. Since the drum is spinning with the wheel, the arm is pulled causing the brake shoes to spread apart and contact the rim of the brake drum. When you cease applying the brakes, a spring is supposed to pull the brake shoes together so they are no longer touching the rim of the drum and slowing the vehicle. You need to jack up your trailer one side at a time, remove the wheel, remove the bearing cap and then remove the brake drum so you can see what is going on in there. It may be that you just need to clean everything up and lubricate the pivot points. It would not hurt to replace the springs. You can also check out the magnet faces and drums for nasty scoring. And since you have all this apart you can check and lube the wheel bearings. Or go to a good mechanic who is familiar with trailer brakes.

With my brake issue posted earlier in this thread, I ended up replacing all the wheel bearings, drums, the backing plates with magnets, brake shoes, linings, springs, etc attached and then all the electric wiring for the brakes all the way back to the plug that plugs into the tow vehicle so every bit of my brake system is brand new! The brakes are still whimpy, so the issue must be with the Ford OEM brake controller on my F-150!
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Old 06-08-2017, 02:48 PM   #11
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
Posts: 14
My 2010 F-150 has the Ford OEM built in brake controller that can be adjusted from 1-10, with 10 being the highest setting. It also has a manual override pinch lever to activate the brakes more the farther you pinch the lever. I tried a friends truck but it is a 2011 F-150 with the same brake controller.
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Old 06-08-2017, 02:55 PM   #12
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
Posts: 14
I installed a new corded plug to the tow vehicle from a junction box under the front bed. I also ran a new positive brake wire from there down under the trailer and to the axles so as to bypass all internal trailer wiring. As for the ground wire, I grounded the other brake wires directly to the frame down by the axles. I also replaced the drums, and full backing plates containing, brake shoes, linings, magnets, springs, etc. so my whole brake system is new! They work, but not as strong as I would expect. It must be the Ford brake controller. If you or someone else has a Bigfoot 21 ft. trailer, can you lock up the trailer brakes by squeezing the manual override lever on your brake controller so only the trailer brakes go on?
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Old 06-09-2017, 12:11 AM   #13
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Name: R.W. Rick
Trailer: Bigfoot 2500 25B175CB
Alberta
Posts: 28
What the dealer has told me, is given the weight of the Bigfoot Trailers, there are hard to lock up. So rather than running the Gain up, in/on the Controller (in the Tow Vehicle), they prefer to adjust the electrics in the Trailer Brakes themselves; however this can cause the brakes to hesitate to release.

They are going to back off on the Trailer Brakes and adjust the Controller Gain upwards, to see if this makes an improvement.

Thoughts? Insights?
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Old 06-09-2017, 08:59 AM   #14
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Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
Posts: 2,316
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tug Hercules View Post
What the dealer has told me, is given the weight of the Bigfoot Trailers, there are hard to lock up. So rather than running the Gain up, in/on the Controller (in the Tow Vehicle), they prefer to adjust the electrics in the Trailer Brakes themselves; however this can cause the brakes to hesitate to release.

They are going to back off on the Trailer Brakes and adjust the Controller Gain upwards, to see if this makes an improvement.

Thoughts? Insights?
I have no idea what "electrics in the trailer brakes" are. I think they simply adjusted the "star wheel" on the drum brakes to have less space between the brake shoes and the drum, so now they feel that they need to back them off a little more to get a quicker release of the brake contact to the drums.
Dave & Paula
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Old 08-13-2017, 09:16 AM   #15
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Name: terryjan
Trailer: 2005 17'Bigfoot CB Since Aug 2017
British Columbia
Posts: 19
While we're on the Subject of brakes on Bigfoot.
Any Ideas on wiring up the Breakaway switch. Theres 2 wires coming out of left (driver) side that are not connected to anything. any ideas how to wire them up. Both seem to be white.
PS we sold our Lil Bigfoot, Had a Jayco for the last year Didn't trust this rubber roof business so now are confirmed firberglass fans.
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Old 08-14-2017, 08:32 AM   #16
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Name: Rob
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
Posts: 14
Wiring the Break-Away switch

As you know, the purpose of the break-away switch is to apply the trailer brakes in the event that the trailer becomes unattached from the tow vehicle when underway. You can test it by driving very slowly and having someone walk along beside the front of the trailer and give the lanyard coming out of the front of the break-away switch a sharp pull. A 3" long plastic clip will pull right out, which will allow the contacts of the switch to close, which in turn should energize the electric brakes. Don't worry that you broke something as the plastic piece just pushes back in place to open the switch contacts again. Just take note as to the orientation of the plastic piece when you pull it out. The switch is a simple single pole single throw switching only the positive DC current from the trailer battery to the trailer brakes. There are two wires coming out of the break-away switch. The first is the hot wire coming from the trailer battery positive terminal. The second wire leads to a junction box in the trailer and then on to the trailer brakes. The electric brakes work by two electromagnets inside the brake drums attached to the trailing edge of each brake shoe. When energized, the magnets are attracted to the outside disc-shaped part of the brake drum, and since that is turning when the trailer is moving, the magnet then pulls the brake shoe so that it pushes the brake lining against the outer part of the drum. So back to wiring. On my Bigfoot, the heavy electric cord that plugs into the tow vehicle led to an electrical junction box that was located under the bed at the front of the trailer. All seven of the trailer cords wires were spliced in that box. You could see the box with a flashlight if you looked through a 4" round hole located in the front inside corner of the driver's side front storage compartment, but it was next to impossible to access from there. I cut a hole in the bed platform directly above it and installed an 8" round screw-in plastic access plate that I bought in a marine store. I also had to slide the water tank aft to get at the wiring. Now if Bigfoot had their act together, they would have installed that junction box 6 inches to the outside in the forward storage compartment right next to another junction box for easy access. Anyway, I wanted full access so I could replace the aforementioned long trailer cord with the tow vehicle plug. I learned that the blue brake wire in that cord was spliced in the junction box to the second of the two wires coming from the break-away switch, and to a third wire that led aft along the floor inside the trailer's cabinetry and finally dropped down above the axles to connect to each brake mechanism. So there are two ways that the trailer brakes could be energized ...the first is when you apply the tow vehicle brakes, its brake controller sends 12V DC power from the tow vehicle's battery down the large cord to the trailer brakes. The other is when the break-away switch's contacts are closed (plug is pulled out), power is sent from the TRAILER BATTERY to the trailer brakes. Please remember that in order for the later to happen, the break-away switch must have power from the trailer battery! So if you have a battery disconnect switch at the battery, be sure to turn it on when you are running! The original equipment solenoid battery rocker switch in the trailer should not affect this as it turns off the power at the back of the (Bigfoot 21 with front bed) trailer near the fuse box. I hope this helps you understand the break-away switch.
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Old 08-17-2017, 04:07 PM   #17
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Name: terryjan
Trailer: 2005 17'Bigfoot CB Since Aug 2017
British Columbia
Posts: 19
Thank

BRILLIANT!.
That just about tells me all I want to know.THANKS
So it doesn't really matter which wire goes from breakaway switch to battery?
Thanks again, Terrys!
PS. I guess I hit the reply on this email and the reply went to Admin. They just replied now.
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