brake controllers

red dodge2

red dodge2

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Feb 12, 2008
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i seem to be having troubles with my drawtite II brake controller. i pull my 30ft gooseneck with my 01 dodge and the controller isnt very consistant. sometimes it wont grab enough so i adjust it up higher and then it wants to lock the brakes up, and im only adjusting it .5 at a time. also when applying the brakes it has at least a 4-5 sec delay before the trailer brakes will apply. the also will become very aggressive when in slow moving traffic having to apply brakes alot it will grab like it wanting to lock up. it usually run the controller on 2.5-3. sometimes it have to take it to 3.5. just wondering if there was a better controller out there to fix my problem. thanks.
 
Short of the hydraulic over electric controllers the prodigy P2 and P3 are hard to beat. They sense the level of deceleration, not just a timer like cheap units.
 
I have an automatic tekonsha..

never had any problems with it, and controls up to three axle trailers.. it came with my truck... and never seen any need to replace it.... not sure if this is one of the first prodigys... but it works... plus when my dad did gooseneck hitches and brake controllers for gp, all he would use was tekonsha... if I do replace it though, going with the newest tekonsha prodigy brake controller.. my dad has one on his truck and its pretty sweet...
 
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Maxbrake

works off of actual brake pressure you apply to the truck, not a timer or accelerometer.
 
AH64ID said:
Short of the hydraulic over electric controllers the prodigy P2 and P3 are hard to beat. They sense the level of deceleration, not just a timer like cheap units.
Click to expand...

I second this information.
 
The best I've ever had is the Prodigy. One thing you might want to check first is all your connections in the plugs. If you have a lose connection, temperature, humidity, etc will affect the amount of current your loose connection will pass. Also, crawl under your trailer and make sure you don't have those penny ante scotchlocks that most trailer manufactures insist on using on your brake connections. If so, remove them and burn them. Replace with a crimped butt spice and heat shrink cover. Put a tad of grease on the barrel before you cover and shrink. This will keep water out...permanently.

Cover your bases that you can do for free first. If that doesn't make it more consistent, then look at controllers. $.02 I've yet to see any trailer with wiring that wasn't anything but the cheapest way to do things. Most of the time, I rewire trailers as soon as I buy them. Elec brake OEM's normally recommend 10-12 awg wire to reduce voltage drop. Most trailers are wired with 14-16. Temperature affects voltage drop even worse when you have too small of a conductor. That might be your only problem.
 
Brakesmart I have is awesome! Of course I don't think they available anymore. :(
 
My P2 has been excellent, but my max brake blows it out of the water. The max brake is a lot more money, so unless you tow heavy and often the additional cost is hard to justify.
 
I had the same problems with a draw tite controller, the prodigy I bought to replace it cured them all.
 
4x4dually said:
The best I've ever had is the Prodigy. One thing you might want to check first is all your connections in the plugs. If you have a lose connection, temperature, humidity, etc will affect the amount of current your loose connection will pass. Also, crawl under your trailer and make sure you don't have those penny ante scotchlocks that most trailer manufactures insist on using on your brake connections. If so, remove them and burn them. Replace with a crimped butt spice and heat shrink cover. Put a tad of grease on the barrel before you cover and shrink. This will keep water out...permanently.

Cover your bases that you can do for free first. If that doesn't make it more consistent, then look at controllers. $.02 I've yet to see any trailer with wiring that wasn't anything but the cheapest way to do things. Most of the time, I rewire trailers as soon as I buy them. Elec brake OEM's normally recommend 10-12 awg wire to reduce voltage drop. Most trailers are wired with 14-16. Temperature affects voltage drop even worse when you have too small of a conductor. That might be your only problem.
Click to expand...

His last brake controller worked awesome... It was great, so great in fact, it's still sitting on one of my shelves. Lol
 
I was plated for and pulled 36k with my truck and used the prodigy p2. Three axle trailer and never had an issue with it. Great brake box for the money.
 
You need to adjust the slider on the left side of the brake controller...it's kinda sensitive so small adjustments will make quite a difference.

Read about SYNC CONTROL in this link. That should solve your problem.

http://www.hitchpro.com/application/support/instructions/N5500.pdf

You may have to readjust it for varying loads (weight) or different trailers since most of them react differently.

I've used the Activator II on every truck I've owned since 1998 and had good sucess with them.
 
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Once you adjust the sync control then you'll only have to adjust the brake strength to accommodate the weight of the loaded trailer.
 
I have to p 3's and 1 p-2 prodigiou tekonosha on my 3 diesel they all work flawless I've never had problems with any of them
 
Hmm I'm in the opposite boat..I never had luck with the tekonshas. The activator II is great other than my angle it's setting or it's getting old enough the numbers look a little fuzzy
 
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