I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question but I believe you gentlemen are very wise, I have received great advice here in the past so I am asking for your input please.


I have an F350 V10 that I use to pull a couple of 32 foot trailers with. The trailers both have tandem axles and one of them has dual tandems. The dual tandem trailer is used to haul a small dozer around.


My question is I need an electronic trailer brake control unit. I would appreciate any recommendations on which brand I should purchase and why. I have gone through 2 different brand, I can't remember their names, and neither one lasted very long. Thank you very much for your input.

 

I installed a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 on Rusty and it seems to work well. I picked it because it doesn't have to be mounted level, and the reviews were good.

 

There are a few different styles of brake controller. Getting the right one (or at least not getting the wrong one) is probably more important than getting a good brand / model.

The common type you REALLY don't want with heavy trailers is the kind that work on a timer. As soon as the brake light goes on the voltage to the trailer brakes starts increasing at a constant rate until it reaches a preset max. You can adjust how fast that rate is, and how high the voltage will get. But the result is either that it comes on too fast for a gradual slowdown (and the trailer tires end up skidding while you barely have the trucks brakes on at all), or else they come on too slow for a panic stop. This type is BARELY acceptable with a light trailer. The only thing it has going for it is that it's cheap.

The other common type uses an accelerometer. The Tekonsha Prodigy that Gary recommended is likely one of these. These sense how quickly you are slowing down and apply the trailer brakes proportionally. This type is easy to install and generally works well, but they do have the possibility of getting into a feedback loop problem (the harder they apply the trailer brakes the more you slow down, the more you slow down the harder they apply the trailer brakes). Again, they generally work well, but some of these work better than others, so specific recommendations here will help.

There used to be a style that put a pressure transducer in a hydraulic line and gave a signal to the trailer brakes that was proportional to that. This is more-or-less the type that Ford uses in their integrated controllers on the newer trucks, and is generally considered to be the best. But the only brand I was aware of is no longer sold.

And I have a controller that uses a cable connected to the brake pedal that applies the trailer brakes proportional to how far you push the brake pedal. I like that one, but I don't know if it's still available.

Of the four types, only the timer ones should be avoided. And the accelerometer ones are the most common of the other three.

 

Think when ABS came out the hydraulic type controller went out. Older cars & trucks I used them in and they worked.


I now have a Prodigy accelerometer type in my (Dodge Durango) truck I use to pull my open deck car trailer and it works great.
I bought it thru Etrailer Trailer Hitches & Vehicle Accessories (800)298-8924
Dave ----

 

Another vote for the Prodigy P3. Very easy to customize the power based on number of brakes and trailer load.