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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 05:46 PM
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trailer brake controller

I'm wanting to buy/install a trailer break controller on my dads excursion. for Christmas
it is a V 10 gas excursion, don't know the year but can find out.

I'm wanting to know
1. what is a good brake controller?
2. where to buy for cheap?
3. how to install? is it simple plug and play or do i need to run wires or what, im pretty auto savvy but havent been around excursions, or trailer braking equipment.

it will be used on a dump trailer that hauls trash, brush and other heavy loads
and the trailer also hauls his bobcat
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 07:54 PM
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You can go with Prodigy or P3 brake controllers by Tekonsha. Check out etrailer.com. Excursions come with a harness for a brake controller. Some people may have misplaced it. You can get a custom harness for Excursions for maybe $15.
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by jh818
You can go with Prodigy or P3 brake controllers by Tekonsha. Check out etrailer.com. Excursions come with a harness for a brake controller. Some people may have misplaced it. You can get a custom harness for Excursions for maybe $15.
Only thing I can add to that is that you can find the Prodigy fairly cheap. I found one in really good shape on ebay about a year ago for $50 including shipping.
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 10:10 PM
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I can add to that. The prodigy is a good controller that cost a little more than others you'll find. DON'T GO CHEAP. A good controller is worth it.
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Rickx
I can add to that. The prodigy is a good controller that cost a little more than others you'll find. DON'T GO CHEAP. A good controller is worth it.
This. I started with a Voyager that can be adjusted a thousand ways, all of them wrong. Prodigy or P3, assuming you like your dad.

Mark
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 10:26 PM
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Once you install it, don't worry about it not shutting off after you turned off your engine. It goes off after 15 min. or so as long as you don't hit your brakes. It does this so that if your engine stalls, you still have electricity to power the controller to apply the brakes to the trailer manually.
 
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Old Nov 23, 2010 | 11:55 PM
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Get a Prodigy.

Buy it on Ebay.

Get a Ford dedicated plug for the unit and you're good to go.

Brown plug is the Ford dedicated plug from the Prodigy brake controller to the Excursion harness. The grey plug is the harness found behind the climate control unit, center of the dash, under the radio.

The picture is taken from the drivers side door.



Stewart
 
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Old Nov 24, 2010 | 08:12 AM
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thank you guys very much you made this really simple.
so if i understand everything correctly all i have to do is buy the prodigy and a true ford plug, and then plug it in and im pretty much done?
 
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Old Nov 24, 2010 | 08:56 AM
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Where are yall getting your ford plug from? Local or from online guys?
 
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Old Nov 24, 2010 | 11:18 AM
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They can be found on ebay, like this one... Prodigy Brake Control Wiring Harness - Ford Trucks - eBay (item 270235357880 end time Dec-22-10 20:38:27 PST)

Or you can go to your local trailer specialty shop and get one there. That's what I did, although they didn't have the specific Ford to Prodigy pigtail. So I cut the Ford end of the plug off of the pigtail I bought from the trailer place and spliced it onto the Prodigy pigtail that came with the brake controller.

This is how the Prodigy comes. You can see how easy it is to splice the Ford specific plug onto the end of the pigtail.



Stewart
 
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Old Nov 24, 2010 | 01:07 PM
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What's nice is if you have different vehicles, you get the harness for each specific vehicle and you can use the same controller when you switch cars. It's like a GPS unit can be taken from one car to the next.
 
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Old Nov 25, 2010 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by jh818
What's nice is if you have different vehicles, you get the harness for each specific vehicle and you can use the same controller when you switch cars. It's like a GPS unit can be taken from one car to the next.
I did that for a while but I found my last Prodigy for $50 including shipping so now I have one in both my trucks.
 
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Old Mar 10, 2011 | 06:42 PM
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i have a 2002 v10 and i just installed a tekonsha envoy i had in my 2004 expedition. plugged in and now will only work by squeezing the controller. wont activate when i press brakes, i seem to remember having to install a relay or fuse in the expedition. is there a relay or fuse that needs installed in the excursion for the brake control to see that i pressed the brake? Went to Ford and my local RV place and they had no idea, need so help here. thanks Steve
 
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Old Mar 10, 2011 | 09:33 PM
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Sounds like something wrong with the controller. My Prodigy just plugs right in and turns on when I apply the brakes.
 
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Old Mar 10, 2011 | 09:55 PM
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thats what I thought was just looking for some confirmation. I will take to my RV supplier and see if it has a warranty. By the way I also have a stuck hitch in my receiver but cant find a new reciever. Any idea who, other than Ford can sell me a new class V receiver?
 
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