TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

RockyMtnRay · 05-02-2003, 05:09 AM

I would strongly recommend against any of the low price controllers (Hayes, DrawTite, probably Hoppy) as these are almost invariably the "time-delay" type.

A "time-delay" controller is a simple circuit that gradually increases the voltage going to the trailer brakes the longer the brake pedal is depressed. Which means that upon initial brake application, the trailer brakes are getting almost no voltage regardless of how hard you're pressing the brake pedal as in a panic stop. It also means that even if you're very lightly pressing the pedal (as in slowly coming to a stop in traffic), the trailer brakes are increasingly being applied to the point of lockup. In short there is very little correlation between desired braking effort on the trailer and the amount of braking the controller is actually providing. Most people who have them are constantly tweaking the settings so they have enough braking at highway speeds but less braking in city traffic. They also tend to be jerky...and some even pulse the brakes if you are using your 4-way flashers while braking.

But because their circuits are simple...and there are no expensive components as are found in the inertia controllers...or advanced controllers like the Prodigy or Jordan, "time-delay" controllers are inexpensive to make and can be sold for a much lower price.

IMO the hassles (and potentially dangerous braking characteristics) that come with the time-delay models aren't worth the relatively small difference in price (under $100) between a poor time-delay controller and a super-duper kind like a Prodigy or Jordan. (I say relatively small by comparison to the investment you've already made to buy a TM).

05-02-2003, 05:09 AM	#9
RockyMtnRay TrailManor Master Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 816	Re: Brake Controllers I would strongly recommend against any of the low price controllers (Hayes, DrawTite, probably Hoppy) as these are almost invariably the "time-delay" type. A "time-delay" controller is a simple circuit that gradually increases the voltage going to the trailer brakes the longer the brake pedal is depressed. Which means that upon initial brake application, the trailer brakes are getting almost no voltage regardless of how hard you're pressing the brake pedal as in a panic stop. It also means that even if you're very lightly pressing the pedal (as in slowly coming to a stop in traffic), the trailer brakes are increasingly being applied to the point of lockup. In short there is very little correlation between desired braking effort on the trailer and the amount of braking the controller is actually providing. Most people who have them are constantly tweaking the settings so they have enough braking at highway speeds but less braking in city traffic. They also tend to be jerky...and some even pulse the brakes if you are using your 4-way flashers while braking. But because their circuits are simple...and there are no expensive components as are found in the inertia controllers...or advanced controllers like the Prodigy or Jordan, "time-delay" controllers are inexpensive to make and can be sold for a much lower price. IMO the hassles (and potentially dangerous braking characteristics) that come with the time-delay models aren't worth the relatively small difference in price (under $100) between a poor time-delay controller and a super-duper kind like a Prodigy or Jordan. (I say relatively small by comparison to the investment you've already made to buy a TM).