Brake Controllers

Hey, folks,
Looking for suggestions for electric brake controllers. I've seen versions by Hayes, Hoppy, Reese, Powertrac, and Draw-Tite, to name a few. Comments, suggestions? HELLPP!! ???

[Civil_War_Buff]

Then opt for the BEST THING going, a Tekonsha Prodigy!! You will never regret getting that one.  I had a Voyager installed years ago, then I heard all this raving about the Prodigy....checked it out, and it is the wisest thing I ever purchased...right after the TrailManor that is.

Check it out and I am sure you will select the Prodigy.

Larry

Civil_War_Buff, how is the Prodigy so much better? How is it so much more effective and safety enhancing than the Prodigy that we can justify taking out our present brake controllers (I believe I have a Voyager in my truck) and paying the hundreds of dollars to install one?  ??? ???

[RockyMtnRay]

PMFJI, but this is a topic I've extensively investigated as I regularly tow on steep mountain roads.

The Voyager is a traditional inertia controller...it uses a mechanical pendulum to detect decelleration. On flat terrain this works fairly well.  But in hilly/mountainous terrain, applying the brakes even sliightly on a descent will cause excessive trailer braking since gravity will be acting on the pendulum as well the decelleration of the tow vehicle. And on an uphill grade, gravity will reduce the effects of decelleration on the controller so you get less than desired trailer braking.

By contrast, the Prodigy uses solid state missle technology accelerometers and continually updates itself to the current angle (ascent/descent) of the tow vehicle. The result is it applies the same amount of trailer braking for a given amount of tow vehicle braking regardless of whether you're going up or down a grade. It also means that the control unit can be mounted in a wide range of angles.

As I regularly camp in the Colorado mountains, I'm very frequently either ascending or descending steep mountain grades when I'm towing.  I have the Prodigy and couldn't be happier with the way it adapts itself to the road grade and always gives me the same amount of trailer braking for a given amount of tow vehicle braking.

If you tow on anything besides level, flat terrain the Prodigy is worth the extra cost. And it has one extra benefit...unlike any inertial controller, it also works when backing up.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Civil_War_Buff, how is the Prodigy so much better? How is it so much more effective and safety enhancing than the Prodigy that we can justify taking out our present brake controllers (I believe I have a Voyager in my truck) and paying the hundreds of dollars to install one? ??? ???

Larry, just to name a few benefits, it is self adjusting and it senses the tow vehicle deceleration and applies current proportionally to assure a safe stop without locking the brakes.  Sort of an ABS feature for trailers. It can be in at any angle so it doesn't need to be "level" like the others.  It can be removed and moved from one vehicle to another without any hassle, and it even comes with a little carrying bag for protection.  I always hated the slamming jerk of the trailer brakes with the Voyager, but find that the braking with the Prodigy is smooth and sure.

One of the write ups that helped me make my decision to change was this one:
http://www.bbrv.dreamstation.com/prodigy.html

Anyhow, if you do a websearch on Prodigy Brake Controllers, you can read lots of testimonies of people who owe their trailer and in some cases their life to a Prodigy, and for me it was an easy decision.

In most cases I would never recommend that someone swap out their controller, but I am glad I did, but if someone is looking for a first buy like flyday, I say Prodigy all the way.

Larry

When we bought out 1990 TM 26 (today's 3023) I opted for the Jordan Brake unit. It is cable actuated and after following the instructions for installation and adjustment I can't be happier. Drug our TM from approx New York City to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, through Rocky Mtns and back again over the summer and it performed flawlessly. It takes a little more install time than the Prodigy but I still have some reservations about the Prodigy when using engine braking on long, steep mountain grades. While the Jordan unit is the only one I have used as driver, other rigs I have ridden in with other controllers (NOT Prodigy) were choppy. I suspect that either the Prodigy or the Jordan unit would leave you happy. My vote is for the Prodigy. Check our thier website at the link below, it is very informative.

http://www.jordanbrake.com

Concerning any controller with a digital readout:
The digital readout also let me know that one of our brakes quit working coming down a 10,000+ foot pass in Colorado. Got to the town at the bottom and discovered a broken quick-connector at the wheel under the trailer. I credit the digital amperage display with alerting me to the problem, allowing me to use additional engine braking and slower overall speeds to get down off that mountain to make repairs. The problem was absolutley NO fault of the brake controller. All of the connections are now soldered and heat shrink tube wrapped and then wrapped with black elec tape. Once was enough.

Outta breath now.
Happpy Trails
Camperboy

[BobWilson]

Hundreds of dollars to install?

What is there to installing it?  How many hours?

The cost seems low.  Here  are a couple of sources that came up on a search for Tekonsha Prodigy :

http://www.mooretruckaccessories.com..._Controls.html    $125

http://www.marksrv.com/prodigy.htm   $139

WOW!
Thanks for all the info. I've been watching all the controllers on ebay and blew right past the Prodigy because of its Pro-digious price. Guess I'll have to re-evaluate before I buy anything.
So nobody recommends the lower-priced Hoppy or Hayes units? Interesting... :-/
Dick

[RockyMtnRay]

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).

I've got a question.  If you are replacing a Tekonsha inertial controller,  wouldn't it be a simple matter to remove the old controller and hook up the Prodigy to the wires already installed.  Does it require running new wires to the connector ?