How Does a Trailer Brake Controller Sense when a Trailer is Connected on a 2011 Chevy Silverado  

For a brake controller I would recommend the Prodigy P3 Brake Controller part #90195 for basically every towing situation but especially for an electric over hydraulic setup like what you have. This is our best selling brake controller because of…

All the brake controller needs to sense a trailer connection so that you can test it is a slight amperage draw on the output circuit. For that you can use a circuit tester like the part #PTW2993 with one pin grounded and the other on the output pin.…

When a trailer with electric brakes is connected to a vehicle that has a brake controller that brake controller is sensing the draw of the brake magnets by sending back a small amount of voltage on the blue wire. The brake controller also get's…

You are correct, you should only be getting output when the brake is applied, or the override switch is activated. It sounds like the controller might be bad, but to make sure, you should probably bench test it before tossing it. Use a circuit…

Based on the number you listed the correct hub/drum you need is the part #8-219-9UC3 which is a Dexter hub for 5,200-7,000 lb trailer axles that have an 8 on 6-1/2 inch bolt pattern.

The two hubs are very similar but the big difference is the size of the seal that comes with the hubs. The #8-219-9UC3-A comes with a seal that has an inner diameter of 2.25 inches and the #8-219-9UC3 comes with a seal that has an inner diameter of…

Like you said, many factory integrated brake controllers will not work well with electric over hydraulic trailer braking systems. Some of the newer versions of these controllers now have an electric over hydraulic mode. Check to see if any of your…

You can indeed test a trailer's electric drum brakes by directly applying +12V power from a fully-charged battery. You can apply this power to the hot contact on the trailer's plug (see photo please) or to an individual brake assembly's…

This is a fairly common problem that is almost always due to corrosion on the trailer connectors. Check both the connector on the tow vehicle and on the trailer for corrosion and/or a bent pin and fix as needed. I attached a help article on…

If the trailer has electric over hydraulic brakes then it is possible that trucks that have integrated factory brake controllers could work but at the same time they may not work or work very well. GM has said that their factory controller does not…

The Ford factory brake controllers are listed as compatible with the Dexter electric over hydraulic actuator #K71-650. It is possible that something else is going on causing the unit to not work. There are some common things to check: Check to see if…

The fuse for the brake controller on a 2013 Chevy Suburban should be at the front of the power distribution box (closest to the front of the vehicle) and nearest to one of the 2 terminals at are at the very front of the box. I have included a picture…