Hi everyone-

  I have a 1999 Chevy Suburban K1500 that I use to pull my two-horse Kingston. It tows great, especially with the WDH, but I've been having issues with my brake controller. I had it put in by the guys at a trailer shop (the Suburban came with a controller already installed from the old owner, but it was a time-based one and not adequate for pulling a horse trailer.) It's a Tekonsha Primus IQ ( http://www.tekonsha.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=3&parentid=1400&catID=1435&part=90160 ), for reference.

I had a smaller trailer before the Kingston that didn't use the WDH, so when I upgraded to the slightly larger trailer and WDH, I had to reset the brake controller. (Their instructions are to pull it on a level road at 25 mph, then slide the manual lever all the way in. Adjust as necessary so it's just under where the brakes would lock up, etc.)

This particular controller has boost settings, so the trailer brakes start out at either 0, 13, or 25% of max braking power when initially applied. I've been switching it back and forth between 13% and 25%, because I've noticed that the initial braking will be OK (e.g., 2-3), then the more I brake the number decreases instead of increasing. The only thing I can think of that would affect this is that the Suburban's brake pedal has a bit of play to it -- e.g., the first few inches does pretty much nothing, then I can feel it work. I don't think it's a bleeding issue, because there's some resistance for those first few inches. However, I think it might be affecting the brake controller, since the initial press on the pedal shows a higher number, then as I slow down even more (and in some cases NEED some extra power), the controller appears to let up.

So... is it the Suburban, or the brake controller? (Or is it me? :)) Had a scary moment last week as I was going down a medium-sized hill toward a stop light that was green, then as I approached it quickly turned to red. I ended up having to assist with the manual lever, because I felt the controller was NOT alloting enough power to the trailer brakes.

Thanks!

Have the trailer brakes been adjusted anytime lately? In other words, has the trailer been jacked up off the ground and each wheel manually adjusted from inside the backing plates...?

Trailer Inspections are not required in my area, could you explain the proceedure for checking the breakaway brake control? Sound like something I might ought to do myself.

 I have an 04 CM Norstar 3H Slant, 6 FT short Wall, GooseNeck.

Thank You!

Now that you mention it, I think the brakes need to be adjusted. (The trailer is an '09, but the person who had it before me barely used it, so I think it's coming up on the 2,000-3,000 mile mark... and the owner's manual said to readjust after 3,000.)

The one thing I don't like about this particular controller is that it tends to overreact and make the brakes grabby when I'm going, say 5-10 mph on flat ground.