Brake controllers

[riotwarrior]

Well the big blue ox has had all the craptastic wiring removed.

Now that all the scotch loks or wire taps are gone from my tail light harness I installed an adapter plug that fits between the stock plugs and allows for a flat four wire trailer plug.I am going to remove that 4 wire plug and use a trailer wiring terminal box to creat a nice clean install.

I will then install 7 wire plug wired from the junction box as well as a in box one for 5th wheels.Now with all that I need wire from Bat + and trailer brake controller both simple for me.

Where I struggle is what controller.I am considering a Hopkins Agility controler for 1 ~ 4 axle control.

http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.c...ers/agility_plug-in_simple_brake_control.html

Anyone have any experience with said units?Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading.

 

[laserjock]

Al, most people used to recommend the prodigy controllers. I don't have first hand experience with them but when I was asking, they were recommended by several. If you are going to tow very much, I would stay away from the time delay type controllers and go with an inertia type. The one I have in my half ton is a time delay model which has the benefit of being very cheap and getting the job done but it is tough to adjust it to find a happy medium. For normal stopping situations it does pretty good. For other situations, it can be a bit dodgy. In a panic stop, there is a delay that seems like an eternity before the trailer brakes take ahold because of the delay. In traffic where you are drifting along riding the brake it gets annoying because the trailer brakes are inconsistent because every time you let off, you have to go through the delay cycle. So you either have to keep adjusting it back and forth or live with the trailer jerking the truck.

That's the best advice I can give you. I'll be watching for other recommendations as I too will be doing this in the not too distant future I hope.

 

[riotwarrior]

Al, most people used to recommend the prodigy controllers. I don't have first hand experience with them but when I was asking, they were recommended by several. If you are going to tow very much, I would stay away from the time delay type controllers and go with an inertia type. The one I have in my half ton is a time delay model which has the benefit of being very cheap and getting the job done but it is tough to adjust it to find a happy medium. For normal stopping situations it does pretty good. For other situations, it can be a bit dodgy. In a panic stop, there is a delay that seems like an eternity before the trailer brakes take ahold because of the delay. In traffic where you are drifting along riding the brake it gets annoying because the trailer brakes are inconsistent because every time you let off, you have to go through the delay cycle. So you either have to keep adjusting it back and forth or live with the trailer jerking the truck.

That's the best advice I can give you. I'll be watching for other recommendations as I too will be doing this in the not too distant future I hope.

Thanks...I editied and added a link...it is an inertia type controler. I have an old REESE Brakeman controler for 1 ~ 2 axles that may get tossed in for short term.

Do not know how much if any towing will happen but I would much prefer to be capable of doing it.

Thanks for the help...

 

[Cruiseomatic]

Tekonsha P3. Hands down. Works beautifully.
https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/90195.html

Had one on my Silverado 1500. In Houston traffic, It was able to send enough power to stop a 6.5K lbs. trailer VERY quickly and NOT lock up the wheels. The reviews speak for themselves.

 

[Clb]

I think I used etrailer.com for the reasearch???
I ended up with an old jordan( out of production now) it runs the gain off the brake pedal.
The top dollar units have some nice features.

 

[jwalterus]

I have one of the old Kelsey Hayes hydraulic units in my truck (plumbs into the front brake lines with a t fitting)
adjusts to the pedal pressure, wonderful piece of older technology, I've had everything from a 4k little trailer to a gooseneck with an IH 7788 combine on it without any issues or having to touch the gain knob (and yes, the truck's tongue was hanging out when I finished with the gooseneck )
if the KH unit ever fails, I've got another one to throw into the truck

 

[Clb]

^^^ them rock, had several!

 

[The Warden]

Just out of curiosity, why did the hydraulic brake controllers fall out of favor?

I have an old Tekonsha hydraulic controller in my '84 and have been very happy with it. However, I need to get a brake controller for my '91 and I was strongly cautioned to stay away from hydraulic controllers. IIRC the reason was to keep the truck's brake system as simple as possible, but is there another reason? A big part of me wants to just move the hydraulic controller to the '91, but I want to be as safe as possible. I'm hoping this will be a one-time purchase, and safety is absolutely critical, so I'm not afraid to spend the $$ for a good quality new controller. I just want what will work best and can be flexible to multiple trailer types.

Reading the information on the Prodigy P3 controller Cruiseomatic linked to, it sounds like the Prodigy controller uses an inertia sensor to sense rate of deceleration. What if you have a manual transmission and an exhaust brake and are utilizing compression braking and don't want the trailer brakes activated (i.e. saving them and don't want to burn them out)? Is it intelligent enough to know the difference?

I understand that there's an ease-of-install issue, but I wonder if it would be practical to have a controller that could register how much the arm on the brake pedal travels, and apply braking power to the trailer based on brake pedal position? Basically the same principle as the hydraulic unit works, but without tapping into the brake hydraulic system?

 

[Cruiseomatic]

I think the hydraulic units fell out is because of safety concerns and ease of install. Yes, The P3 is inertia controlled. For stick shifts, What you could do which is what I did on my silverado, Install a switch between controller and brake switch. When you want it, switch it "on" and the brake switch sends current to it. "Off", The controller doesn't know anything. Now if you're thinking of switching 12VDC on and off, No. It has settings that once it loses power, Forgets them. That's why I switched brake power instead. This trick also works when you're not towing and it'll make the P3 last longer because it will stay on for 20 minutes after last brake press for "instant on" type response. But basically, It only activates when the pedal is pressed. Otherwise, It does nothing.

 

[Shadetreemechanic]

On your install, you might consider leaving the flat 4 plug and buying the trailer portion as well. Wire the trailer portion into your 7 way trailer outlet. I did that and have found several occasions where I was towing a small trailer with a 4 way plug and could simply disconnect from the back of my 7 way and plug into the 4 way. Its one less adapter I need to keep up with.

 

[Cruiseomatic]

Something like this?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...lCWYVZplJjJoQ2odG7hnItEbNFxJtkl87zxoCmK_w_wcB
I had one. Works good.