Worth upgrading Voyager to Prodigy controller?

01-12-2011, 03:35 PM

My former RV dealer installed a Tekonsha Voyager brake controller in my TV when I bought my last trailer (an RPod). I've been using it with my Elkmont as well, but have always found it "finicky" to set up.

Most folks I've seen on these RV boards rave about the Tekonsha Prodigy controllers. This leads me to two questions:

1. Is it worth upgrading to the Prodigy and why?
2. If I do upgrade the controller, do they share the same plug connector in the back of the controller, or will I need to get a new pigtail cable designed to fit the Prodigy and my Buick?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Wavery · 01-12-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigbit

My former RV dealer installed a Tekonsha Voyager brake controller in my TV when I bought my last trailer (an RPod). I've been using it with my Elkmont as well, but have always found it "finicky" to set up.

Most folks I've seen on these RV boards rave about the Tekonsha Prodigy controllers. This leads me to two questions:

1. Is it worth upgrading to the Prodigy and why?
2. If I do upgrade the controller, do they share the same plug connector in the back of the controller, or will I need to get a new pigtail cable designed to fit the Prodigy and my Buick?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Yes....it is worth upgrading. The Prodigy makes braking much smoother, especially at low speeds, stop & go driving.

The Prodigy comes with a pigtail. It could just be a matter of cutting off the old plug, matching the wire colors and splicing them.

Check to see if there is a harness available to plug directly into your Buick. That is always the safest way to go.

Check with etrailer:
http://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring.aspx

**Bill** · 01-12-2011, 05:56 PM

You would do well to read this tutorial by RockyMtnRay, our towing expert.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2830

The Voyager is a time-delay controller. The Prodigy is full proportional.

Bill

01-12-2011, 08:58 PM

I had the Voyager installed in my truck from a popup trailer we use to have. I always thought that the brakes grabbing hard sometimes was a result of the trailer brakes and not of the controller. After towing our TM the first time and having the brakes lock up periodically while traveling I asked the question in this forum if it could be my controller. EVERYONE said it probably was, I bought a Prodigy installed myself using Wayne’s suggestion of matching wires and have had NO issues since. I bought mine online from the following RV site.
Bruce

http://www.adventurerv.net/tekonsha-...ol-p-1432.html

01-13-2011, 09:45 AM

Thanks to all for the advice. I went ahead and ordered the Prodigy with the pigtail/plug to fit my Buick from eTrailer.com. They have a nice instructional video on the site on how to do the install on an Enclave. Looks like cake.

I'll report back in a few weeks on how I like the set-up. I'm planning a short camping trip on the weekend of 1/28; it should be a good test run.

01-21-2011, 09:48 PM

Prodigy works very well for me. I wanted only an accelerometer based model (not timing), and this one had great reviews. etrailer.com had the best price at the time I bought mine.

Mr. Adventure · 01-22-2011, 02:18 PM

If you need any further encouragement, I had a small number of memorable Adventures at the hands of the Tekonsha Voyager a decade+ ago. The Prodigy is much better and much safer, whether your tow vehicle is a Ford Pinto or a dump truck (the Pinto, if you could get it moving, might not be able to quickly generate enough deceleration to wake up the Voyager to activate the trailer brakes properly, and the dump truck on a long slow downhill grade would have the trailer overbraking until the trailer brakes burned out from trying to stop a dump truck).

scrubjaysnest · 01-23-2011, 04:41 PM

Just ordered a new P3.......my old Reese TD controller

will be out the door before the next camping trip

01-27-2011, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

Just ordered a new P3.......my old Reese TD controller

will be out the door before the next camping trip

Are you sure you need a controller on the 08 Dodge?

my 08 GMC came with a factory brake controller as part of the towing package that is noticeably better than a Prodigy.

For the 05, the Prodigy or a knockoff is the way I would go, and did.

scrubjaysnest · 01-27-2011, 03:55 PM

Dodge didn't include a brake controller on our 1500 so for our trip last year I just put the TD controller from old S10 in. The P3 should be in a day or two from now. The Dodge tow package has been a bit of a disappointment. The charge wire is only a 16 gauge. I just verified this yesterday.