Electric Brake Controller for Trailer....

[RSanch111]

Well, having bought my first enclosed trailer...for moving stuff....in an enclosed manner..... I didn't know that you needed a separate "brake controller" to work the electric brakes on the trailer. I thought the trailer plug-in handled all that....

Anyway...I just installed a Predator DX-2 inertial-type controller. Not the most expensive, but the trailer store guy says they sell a lot of them with few complaints.

Anyone use one of these before and how has it held up????

Now it's out into the snow again to install the E-track.

 

[Squarebutt]

I'm not familiar with that model, but I've had a brake controller in my last two pickups. Sometimes they plug right in to the fuse box if you have the towing package. Sometimes there is more wiring to do. There is an adjustment dial on them to give less or more electric power to the trailer brakes depending on load. Never had a problem with either of them, and I pulled a heavy 18' box trailer all over the country.

 

[sandmansans]

Well, having bought my first enclosed trailer...for moving stuff....in an enclosed manner..... I didn't know that you needed a separate "brake controller" to work the electric brakes on the trailer. I thought the trailer plug-in handled all that....

Anyway...I just installed a Predator DX-2 inertial-type controller. Not the most expensive, but the trailer store guy says they sell a lot of them with few complaints.

Anyone use one of these before and how has it held up????

Now it's out into the snow again to install the E-track.

Yea you usually do, unless if your vehicle has an integrated brake controller. You would know as it would have a manual activate button for the brake as well as an adjustment dial.


What kind of enclosed do you have? Is it a single axle? And what kind of plug set up is it? Is it a 7 pin or 4 pin? If it's a single axle it's most likely a 4 pin and doesn't have electric brakes. If dual axle than most likely 7 and has brakes.

 

[ACORN]

Never used that brand but I have used others. Never had a problem. The ones like your are a lot simpler to install than the old ones where you had to tap into the hydraulic brakes.

 

[sandmansans]

Biggest piece of advice with electric brakes is to always adjust with every load. You do this with the dial on the controller. Obviously a fully loaded trailer you would need a more aggressive setting, but if you leave it there when unloaded you will be finding yourself locking up.

 

[RSanch111]

Thanks for the advice on setting for each load. I probably would have forgotten that! It's a Pace, 16' low hauler, two axle, 7 way plug. I had to go to a second trailer place to get a harness adapter that fit the Dodge. Other than that it was an easy install. We'll see how it works tomorrow! Thanks again.

 

[LostintheOzone]

If you get on the brakes hard and you see those trailer tires smoking dial it down a little.

Old truckers never die, they just get a new Peterbuilt.

 

[Mule Packer]

I pull a fully loaded 16-foot stock trailer on a regular basis filled with four horses/mules and gear, and I've tried a variety of trailer brakes.

The problem with most of the inertia type brakes is that they are either fully on or fully off. Sure, you can adjust them according to your load, but what I mean is, they aren't like the brakes on your vehicle where you can apply pressure gradually and they will respond accordingly...or, conversely, if you stomp on them, they will slam on.

I finally found some trailer brakes that actually work like the brakes on your truck or car. Gradual pressure on your break pedal gives you gradual pressure on your trailer brakes. They are made by Takonsha. If you're pulling heavy loads...and I'm not talking about pulling a duck boat, riding lawn mower, or an ATV....I'm talking about heavy loads...they are the only way to go.

Of course, that's just my point of view after pulling heavy loads for about thirty stinkin' years.

 

[sandmansans]

I pull a fully loaded 16-foot stock trailer on a regular basis filled with four horses/mules and gear, and I've tried a variety of trailer brakes.

The problem with most of the inertia type brakes is that they are either fully on or fully off. Sure, you can adjust them according to your load, but what I mean is, they aren't like the brakes on your vehicle where you can apply pressure gradually and they will respond accordingly...or, conversely, if stomp on them, they will slam on.

I finally found some trailer brakes that actually work like the brakes on your truck or car. Gradual pressure on your break pedal gives you gradual pressure on your trailer brakes. They are made by Takonsha. If you're pulling heavy loads...and I'm not talking about pulling a duck boat, riding lawn mower, or an ATV....I'm talking about heavy loads...they are the only way to go.

Of course, that's just my point of view after pulling heavy loads for about thirty stinkin' years.

Yea those are the tekonsha proportional ones right? If I'm not mistaken don't they need adjustment as well?

 

[RSanch111]

I pull a fully loaded 16-foot stock trailer on a regular basis filled with four horses/mules and gear, and I've tried a variety of trailer brakes.

The problem with most of the inertia type brakes is that they are either fully on or fully off. Sure, you can adjust them according to your load, but what I mean is, they aren't like the brakes on your vehicle where you can apply pressure gradually and they will respond accordingly...or, conversely, if stomp on them, they will slam on.

I finally found some trailer brakes that actually work like the brakes on your truck or car. Gradual pressure on your break pedal gives you gradual pressure on your trailer brakes. They are made by Takonsha. If you're pulling heavy loads...and I'm not talking about pulling a duck boat, riding lawn mower, or an ATV....I'm talking about heavy loads...they are the only way to go.

Of course, that's just my point of view after pulling heavy loads for about thirty stinkin' years.

Are you talking about JUST the brake controller or is it a whole brake system that includes the drums, magnets, etc??? I saw the Tekonsha controller, but nobody around here had it and I needed it in a hurry. The (cheaper) unit I have, the predator, also is proportional, I think, because the more deceleration it senses through the pendulum, the more power is applied to the trailer brakes. I can see the power increase or decrease via the LED readout on the controller based on how hard I apply the brakes.

I guess the ultimate brake controller would have a digital accelerometer in it, as opposed to a physical pendulum. We used to use accelerometers to determine drag factor of roadways, acceleration and deceleration factors and other things when doing traffic crash investigations. They just sit on your dashboard, you hit the brakes and it gives you the number you're looking for. All digital with no moving parts as far as I can tell. Great technology.

 

[sandmansans]

Are you talking about JUST the brake controller or is it a whole brake system that includes the drums, magnets, etc??? I saw the Tekonsha controller, but nobody around here had it and I needed it in a hurry. The (cheaper) unit I have, the predator, also is proportional, I think, because the more deceleration it senses through the pendulum, the more power is applied to the trailer brakes. I can see the power increase or decrease via the LED readout on the controller based on how hard I apply the brakes.

I guess the ultimate brake controller would have a digital accelerometer in it, as opposed to a physical pendulum. We used to use accelerometers to determine drag factor of roadways, acceleration and deceleration factors and other things when doing traffic crash investigations. They just sit on your dashboard, you hit the brakes and it gives you the number you're looking for. All digital with no moving parts as far as I can tell. Great technology.

It works with the same system, so no need to purchase new drums etc. The ability is within the controller itself. Tekonsha isn't the only one that has the ability to apply proportional braking. But even still with a proportional controller you do have to adjust the setting. Too aggressive and the trailer locks up and pulls the car..not enough the trailer pushed u forward. And if I'm not mistaken that is what the proportional controllers have, that is why there is no need to level them. They work digitally


Edit:
As an added note, electric brakes in general always need the adjustment to find tune as they don't operate in the fluid hydralic matter real brakes do. If I'm not mistaken, pedal input truly doesn't dictate the amount of brake pressure on electric brakes. I.e. hydraulic brakes touch brake light, stop light. But hit hard stop hard.
With electric it's either off or on. The brakes don't recognizing that your smoothly coming to a stop at say a stop sign, v.s making a hard stop. The controller does that

 

[paplinker]

I have a 16' single axle with trailer brakes.

I drive some steep mountain roads and the brake controller comes in real handy. Found that the digital ones work better for me as i can remember what number works best for what i'm hauling. Two four wheelers are at 4. Four machines is at 6...etc

Many new ones have gradual braking that really save on the brakes getting hot.

 

[RSanch111]

Thanks for all the advice. Got the Predator controller for $89.00. It worked very well. Dialed in the loaded trailer at a "5" barely knew it was back there while stopping.

 

[sandmansans]

Thanks for all the advice. Got the Predator controller for $89.00. It worked very well. Dialed in the loaded trailer at a "5" barely knew it was back there while stopping.

Good to hear, just remember to adjust for load and weather conditions too.

 

[finesse_r]

I had one in my Silverado for my car hauler, but I sold the Silverado, and I don't have one in my F-150. So I will be looking to sell my car hauler next year when I find time to mess with it. Without that separate controller, you only have the truck brakes stopping that heavy load. Mine was pretty simple, and worked very well.

 

[Kinman]

I used to haul a 19ft boat with a Toyota Highlander, I had the Highlander equipped with everything it needed for towing and everything was within the ratings. I can't stress how important trailer brakes are when your hauling something that can possibly get you into trouble. With the system I had installed I could adjust it for everything I hauled, most of them are very adjustable and if your driving around town you might want it to kick a little harder right at the beginning, instead of holding off a little. It gives you options too, you can brake just the trailer if its a little slick, like a semi-rig.
I borrowed a small U-Haul trailer once to haul firewood behind a '67 Bronco, we loaded that trailer to the top when it started snowing. On the way down the mountain the snow was starting to stick, I was taking it easy but eventually I had to put the brakes on...the trailer wanted to race me down the hill. Everytime I took my foot off the throttle the trailer would start to come around on me, by the time we hit the straight at the bottom of the grade I bet we were doing 60mph. I swore I would never operate a vehicle smaller than what I was towing. The Highlander surprised me with its power, its just a smaller vehicle, but with trailer brakes it never presented a problem in the years I've towed trailers. We had a folding tent trailer and I even hooked the trailer brakes up on that, why not...it saves wear and tear on the tow vehicle as well as provides much safer braking.

 

[BC38]

I've never used one of the proportional units, but I didn't like the "on or off" action of the non-proportional electric brakes when I borrowed my buddies trailer with electric brakes.

I have a tongue-mounted hydraulic unit on my 20' flatbed. It is totally mechanical, and totally proportional and requires no adjustment. When you apply the brakes on your vehicle the weight of the trailer pushing on the tongue is what applies pressure to the hydraulic cylinder to activate the brakes.

The harder you brake the more pressure the weight of the trailer puts on the hydraulic cylinder and the harder it applies the brakes on the trailer.

The only thing I have to do is grease the sliding part of the tongue once in a while. Easy peasy....

 

[sandmansans]

I've never used one of the proportional units, but I didn't like the "on or off" action of the non-proportional electric brakes when I borrowed my buddies trailer with electric brakes.

I have a tongue-mounted hydraulic unit on my 20' flatbed. It is totally mechanical, and totally proportional and requires no adjustment. When you apply the brakes on your vehicle the weight of the trailer pushing on the tongue is what applies pressure to the hydraulic cylinder to activate the brakes.

The harder you brake the more pressure the weight of the trailer puts on the hydraulic cylinder and the harder it applies the brakes on the trailer.

The only thing I have to do is grease the sliding part of the tongue once in a while. Easy peasy....

Yea surge brakes.