ive read lots of different threads about which controllers people prefer,and how they liked A better than B that they had before.

got me to thinking and now im wondering simply "why".

what makes one controller better than another? simply that some are smarter and brake the trailer more similarly to how the truck is braking? or something else?

so dont tell me what brand you run,tell me what exactly makes it good/bad or the best :)

Some of the cheapest brake controllers out there use a ramp/time (I think thats what its called) setup where you hit the brakes, and the longer you are on the pedal, the harder the trailer brakes come on. A very basic, and non adjustable setup really. Inertia based controllers, which sense how hard the vehicle is decelerating work much better, but have to be "leveled" which is just another adjustment to make, and changes with different vehicles loads. The fancier inertia types are self leveling, such as the Tekonsha Prodigy (which is what I run) So you just set the power you want to the trailer brakes, and go.
The 2 controllers considered to be top of the line are the Brakesmart, which are expensive, and usually have a long back order and the Jordan Ultima 2020. The Brakesmart uses a sensor placed in the master cylinder to sense how hard the brake pedal is being used. A great idea, and very well proportioned to how the vehicle is stopping. The other controller that uses this type of idea is the Jordan, which uses a cable attached to the brake pedal, so it measures how hard the brakes are being pressed, just in another way.

I feel that the best bang for the buck controller is the Tekonsha Prodigy (or its identical competitors unit). For $100, and being plug and play you really cant go wrong. Short of spending $400 for the brakesmart, its about the best you can do IMO.

Great explanation of the different types of controllers. I have one of the cheap ones that is time based. When driving in the mountains a long descent requires that you release the brakes from time to time because brakes on the trailer come on too hard after a period of time. The cheap one sits on a shelf now and I have a Prodigy in my tow rig as does my wife in her tow rig.

Gus

texascadillac42 did a good job of explaining the differences in the the way that they operate.

Something else to consider about the Prodigy vs (Jordan and Brakesmart.) The Prodigy has to be able to "feel" (via the accelerometer) that the tow rig is slowing. Yes, it has a trigger, I know that. It applies the brakes proportionally based on how fast you're slowing down. Why is this an issue? Think about slick and icy roads.

I have the Jordan Ultima and I like it very much. Very easy to adjust the amount of braking depending on trailer load and it's very proportional to the brake pedal regardless of vehicle speed. I towed my trailer through the Colorado mountain passes and didn't have a single issue with braking on the hills with the incline affecting the controller.

indeed an excellent explanation from texascadillac42. many thanx to you and the rest of ya for the info. :)

i have a cheap controller now that does the time thing,and its ok,but looks like as our trailers get bigger ill definately be lookin into something else.

thanx again,guys :)

Just like anything else...You get what you pay for.. if you tow less than 1000 miles a year it may not be worth the extra expense for a XXXXX brand. Some guys can deal with a little jerkiness on the way to the trail head.

One other thing to consider, if you have an older truck without ABS brakes, you can use an older style brake controller that taps into the brake line near the master cylinder. I have no idea if you can even buy them anymore, but the one we used to have on our old '89 Suburban seemed to work well. The big downside is that you have to run the brake line into the cab, but you do get nice, proportional braking.

Pete

I wonder what's in the new Fords with the factory controller option?

Basically its a complicated version of the Brakesmart system. There is a sensor in the master cylinder to measure how much brake pedal force there is. It interacts with the Ford computer on several levels to make smooth steady stops in proportion to how much braking force the truck is having applied to it. We have that option on our 2005 F250, and it works very well.

One other thing to consider, if you have an older truck without ABS brakes, you can use an older style brake controller that taps into the brake line near the master cylinder. I have no idea if you can even buy them anymore, but the one we used to have on our old '89 Suburban seemed to work well. The big downside is that you have to run the brake line into the cab, but you do get nice, proportional braking.

Pete
I have a few of these laying around, and plan on replacing my voyager with one.
As for the ABS thing, I've read quite posts on TDS by people that have put them superduys, and had no issues with the abs.

I have a few of these laying around, and plan on replacing my voyager with one.
As for the ABS thing, I've read quite posts on TDS by people that have put them superduys, and had no issues with the abs.


I've been looking for one of these for a while but haven't run across one recently. I plan on installing one as well after I find one.

I am planning on installing mine on the front brake line since I only have rear wheel ABS. I'm not real familiar with the superduty ABS systems, but if they are anything like the GM ABS systems (with the pulsating pedal) I would think they might work kind of funny.

I wonder what's in the new Fords with the factory controller option?

I've heard that it is the brakesmart system that has some additional interaction with the ford ecu. Unfortunately I have not been able to confirm this 100%.

The best place I've found for the old hydro style is on ebay, I bought 3 of them a few years back, for around 5-7 bucks each.

I'm really looking forward to finaly pulling with mine after it's installed.
I've used timer based ones in the past, and they always feel like you have a damn toggle hooked to the brake circut.

Inertia ones work alot better(like the voyager I have now, and my ol' man has)
However, the pendulem(I know a prodigy fixes this) plays hell on long downhill grades, when you have to ride the brakes ever so slightly. They also don't work as well going uphill, in a panic stop situation.

Another issue with ALL inertia based units(that I'm awear of) is they don't work in reverse, Anyone who has ever gone down a hill backwards with a trailer on knows what I'm talking about.

As was mentioned above, ice/rainy conditions suck with a inertia controller, you step on the brakes, and the trailer pushes the truck down the road, just like with those worthless deathtraps commonly known as surge brakes.

Anyone who has ever driven a truck/trailer with airbrakes knows how seemless trailer brakes CAN be made to work, and IMHO, you need a controller directly linked to your right foot to achieve that.

don't forget that most controlers have the good old manual lever you can hit to activate the brakes. The smartest controller in the world can't make up for a little knowledge..

BTW: the prodogy has a backup mode. Have to hold a button and cycle the boost button a few times..

I am planning on installing mine on the front brake line since I only have rear wheel ABS. I'm not real familiar with the superduty ABS systems, but if they are anything like the GM ABS systems (with the pulsating pedal) I would think they might work kind of funny.

I've often wondered why that wouldn't work on a truck with rear-only ABS, like my Dodge. And in the 6 years I've had my truck, I can only remember the ABS kicking in a few times.

Pete

I've heard that it is the brakesmart system that has some additional interaction with the ford ecu. Unfortunately I have not been able to confirm this 100%.


While I dont have any proof to show for it, Im 100% sure that the Brakesmart system DOES NOT interact with the Ford ECU. Obviously the Ford factory brake controller does, but I can pretty much guarantee that the Brakesmart is a standalone unit that doesnt interact with anything else on the vehicle.

I would not think that any electric brake system would not work in reverse. The way the brakes apply in the drum it needs to be moveing foward to rotate the assembly to increase the force between the shoe and drum. The magents just pull the lever toward the rotating mass (drum) then it applys force to move the shoe.
If you have disc brakes on the trailer they might work, I have never seen them.

While I dont have any proof to show for it, Im 100% sure that the Brakesmart system DOES NOT interact with the Ford ECU. Obviously the Ford factory brake controller does, but I can pretty much guarantee that the Brakesmart is a standalone unit that doesnt interact with anything else on the vehicle.


I didn't inference that the brakesmart system did interact with the ford ECU. What I said was that I believe that ford contracted with brakesmart to build a modified version of their system that will interact with the factory ECU and they offer it as a factory option.

Unless Ford is changing the TBC system for the 08 model year, the 05-07 Ford factory controller was made in conjunction with Tekonsha.