trailer controler

[ebeveridge]

i am buying a 7k trailer and need to put a controler in my truck. i already have a tow package. What is a good brand and model i dont need top of the line being as i will only be towing every month or so..

 

[Diamondpilot]

If you are only towing that much a $80 Reese/Hayes or similar brand available at TSC or even WalMart will be fine. If you want to step up to the bottom end of the better brands the Prodigy P3 is a good unit. It will run you about $125. They are usually available at trailer dealers and folks who sell RV's.

What brand of truck do you have? Also you will need the pigtail. Usually it comes with the truck but many times is missing.

A great place to get this stuff is R and P Carriages Trailer Sales, Service, Parts and Rentals

Paul and Robin are great people. He has step by step instructions in the help section and you can buy directly from him all you will need at a fair price.

Chris

 

[ebeveridge]

I have the pigtail that came with my truck. I have a toyota tundra. I just didnt want to buy something that would not work
thank you again

 

[Soundguy]

Even the 50$ hoppy brands work fine. i have one in my f250 work truck... it's pulled 2000+ mile hauls at a time with no problems.

In my dodge 1/2 ton I have a drawtight.. in my F450 I have a prodigy.. ( nice controller.. lil mre $$ )

soundguy

 

[Pain Cow]

Check out etrailer.com. They have many options for both.

 

[ebeveridge]

thanks guys. i will check them out when the baby goes to sleep... which today will not be soon enough...

 

[Will_C]

I have a Tundra that is pre-wired. Following TBN advice, I bought a Tekonsha Prodigy from e-trailer. It cost me $113 with a plug to plug connection. A real nice set-up, no wiring or splicing needed.

Will

 

[msb1766]

Get a Prodigy the best crontroller I have used. I have the P1 model that is now the P2. Very smooth and you can hit the boost button to get more brake to the trailer there are 4 settings: no boost, B1, B2, B3
I tow my camper in the city on B1, get on the highyway and hit the button once to B2. To get more braking, hold the boost button for 3 seconds and no trailer brake is applied for backing up.

http://www.tekonsha.com/product/accessory.asp?cat=1435&path=1435&titulo=Proportional Controllers&#Primusｮ IQ

 

[ebeveridge]

ordered the p2 thanks for all the help... cannot wait to get it..

 

[Soundguy]

the boost feature is pretty neat. kiunda like a cherry on top..

soundguy

 

[Storm56]

+ 1 on the Prodigy P2. I had a Tekonsha Voyager and just replaced it with the P2 because the Voyager died. Not sorry as the P2 is an improvement.

 

[Raspy]

The brakesmart controller is far more sophisticated that the Prodigy or other decelerometer type controllers. It measures pressure in the tow vehicle brake line to set the trailer brake current. This means you can have the trailer brakes lead the tow vehicle brakes and help stabilize the whole rig. It means you do not have to actually be slowing down for the controller to begin to work. It's far safer because of this. They are adjustable to any trailer and relatively easy to install.

Mine has been on for about 100,000 miles now and works very well with all my trailers.

 

[schmism]

The brakesmart controller is far more sophisticated that the Prodigy or other decelerometer type controllers.

and FAR more complicated a hookup requiring modifications to the hydraulic brake lines to insert the "sensor". Significantly more involved than plugging in a few wires and attaching a mount to the dash.

for a 7K lb trailer towed a dozzen times a year..... WAY overkill IMHO.

for the record i have a cheezy rammped controler that came with my 1ton dumptruck and a prodigy in my 4runner.

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto that 100%.. plus another place for the truck brakes to fail.

besides.. most e-brake controllers have a manual button to engage the brakes without the trucks brakes having to be engaged.

soundguy

and FAR more complicated a hookup requiring modifications to the hydraulic brake lines to insert the "sensor". Significantly more involved than plugging in a few wires and attaching a mount to the dash.

for a 7K lb trailer towed a dozzen times a year..... WAY overkill IMHO.

for the record i have a cheezy rammped controler that came with my 1ton dumptruck and a prodigy in my 4runner.

 

[QRTRHRS]

The brakesmart controller is far more sophisticated that the Prodigy or other decelerometer type controllers. It measures pressure in the tow vehicle brake line to set the trailer brake current. This means you can have the trailer brakes lead the tow vehicle brakes and help stabilize the whole rig. It means you do not have to actually be slowing down for the controller to begin to work. It's far safer because of this. They are adjustable to any trailer and relatively easy to install.

Mine has been on for about 100,000 miles now and works very well with all my trailers.

There has been some discussion here in this forum about the Brakesmart. I was under the impression that the unit was no longer available?

 

[kennyd]

There has been some discussion here in this forum about the Brakesmart. I was under the impression that the unit was no longer available?

I think that is the Jordan Optima 2020 that is NLA. I have been using one for 5 years now and it is the cat's meow, but they stopped making it to bring out a new model and I guess it all fell through...What a shame

 

[Raspy]

Well, it is more complicated to install the Brakesmart than a simple plug in unit. You have to unscrew one tubing nut on the master cylinder and install a tee they provide in the line. It all screws together and takes five minutes if you take your time. No bleeding required. No big deal.

You can apply the brakes manually any time you want with the typical button on the unit.

Over the years I've towed trailers of many weights and I've had them do some things I didn't like and I had to make one panic stop on a curve with a trailer. So, having the best is barely good enough in my book. And implying that it's a hassle to install, as an excuse to not look closer, is your choice. Safety is very important to me when towing. A significant improvement in performace with an extra five minute procedure is a no-brainer. Mine now has about 150,000 miles on it and works exactly as it did in the beginning. I guess you have to try one to see the difference.

I did run a Jordan, for a while, with it's complicated under dash linkage setup. I liked it. Eventually it would not shut off and when I called them they were just going out of business. It went in the trash, but while it worked it was better than the decelerometer type units. Been there, done that. Cheap is nice for things that don't matter so much.

 

[Soundguy]

theres good, then there's overkill good.

nothing wrong with having the best.. it just usually isn't realistic for everybody to have the best.. or need it..

would it be great for every vehicle produced to have all passanger air bags, multi position restraints, on star, puncture proof self inflating tires and rims, etc.. etc.

sure would be nice... but it gets non linear real fast...

soundguy

 

[horse7]

I like the BrakeSmart unit, but they weren't available when I got my truck new. Being paranoid, I'd only have it installed by some dealer that has insurance... losing a brake master cylinder line would not be a joke.

A friend had one installed on a new Dodge 1t DRW a year or so ago and loves it, especially as he was used to the old fashioned ones with the fiddly trailer controller knob. Buying it and having it installed by the dealer was expensive though... I think it ran him 500 or so installed.

Not clear if the BrakeSmart is still available, their original website is gone... people are mooting that the Maxbrake is similar in operation but I'm not familiar with the latter.

 

[schmism]

It all screws together and takes five minutes if you take your time. No bleeding required. No big deal.

if you completely disconnect a brake line and insert a new fitting and new line and DONT bleed the system.... thats just plain stupid. It is a absolute FACT that you will get air into the system that will HAVE to be bled out when you do the install. there is absolutely no way to avoid it, and in fact, the instructions for install specifically say to bleed the system.

Its kinda like this. some guy asks for a tractor recommendation for his 1-2 acre semi-rural property. The logical choice is for some SCUT or CUT. but then theres always that recommendation for that 75hp AG tractor. Ya you could argue its "the best option out there" but the reality is for this situation, it isn't.