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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 09:57 AM
  #16  
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Steina
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Icecold -

Check to make sure your Prodigy's mounting angle is 0-70 degrees; maybe you've got it close to vertical. If it's OK, you may need to play with the settings. Mine will definitely lock up the trailer brakes if I set it to do that.

Steve
 
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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 10:11 AM
  #17  
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Floundered
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Originally Posted by icecold
anyone have issues with their Prodigy unit???
mine will not apply enough braking to the trailer.
Could easily be a poorly crimped, loose, or corroded connection along the line somewhere eating up some precious voltage that belongs at the trailer brakes. If you're not able to measure the voltage along the line while someone overrides the controller for max output (while parked!), then any hitch dealer will have no problem checking it out for you. Note that you need current flowing to the brakes to check it properly, otherwise the evil voltage drop won't be happening.

I don't know if constant max power will harm the controller or the brakes, so without knowing otherwise only override the controller at the moment you are measuring the voltage.
 
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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 10:28 AM
  #18  
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i'm also thinking it may be an issue with a factory plug along the way.this is the first time i ever used a factory harness and the first time i have ever had issues.

the controller is seeing the trailer as in the c on the display.and some braking is present.just not enough to do any good.it wont lock up the wheels under a new tandom axle aluminum trailer with no load.pressing the lever over with the gain set to max
the unit is mounted in the cubby so angle shouldent be an issue??
i'm going to try another unit this afternoon and if the results are the same i'll temp up 1 wire at a time to the trailer to see where the issues are
thanks
pete
 
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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 12:32 PM
  #19  
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Yeah, I can vouch for the brake misadustment. I have a Voyager (same company as the prodigy, but a lesser model because I tow infrequently and relatively light loads) and for the longest time it wouldn't brake correctly. My dad and I finally thought it was just broken, so when he called Tekonsha aout it the first thing they asked was if he had set it properly. After a few minutes of trouble shooting, the guy finally said to re-adjust it according to the instructions, and call back if we still had problems. After that, there were no problems at all, and we didn't have to call back. So yeah, they are a lot more difficult to set than i first thought, so I finally gave in and read the manual. (I actually keep a copy of the quick-start instructions in the glove box )
 
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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 12:53 PM
  #20  
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It's also a good idea to write down the setting for each of your trailer setups, so that you can quickly check if the setting is correct (via override lever) before taking off. Kids, pets, and changing trailer weights are all good reasons to check the adjustment before driving away.

The X is so heavy that you might not notice the incorrect setting until your discs warp or until the trailer skids to a stop.
 
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Old Jan 15, 2007 | 02:32 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Floundered
The X is so heavy that you might not notice the incorrect setting until your discs warp or until the trailer skids to a stop.
That almost happened to me... Before I got my trailer brakes adjusted properly, I was towing probably 3000 lbs (including trailer) on a 7x16 enclosed trailer in city traffic and all of the sudden the car in front of me stopped dead to avoid some other idiot and I slammed on my brakes and with the brakes all the way on, the X+trailer just kind of slowly coasted closer to the other car... I didn't hit it, but it was close. I looked at the brake power indicator, and even though I had full brakes on, it was barely turning red... After that, I got my brakes set up real fast

Isaac
 
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 03:47 PM
  #22  
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Downriver Thunder
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Any update, find anything?
 
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Old Jan 30, 2007 | 09:06 AM
  #23  
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I'm sure all you need to do is up the gain adjustment. It's the little thumb turn wheel on the unit. You can turn that thing up to lock up almost any condition brakes. They's have to be really worn and really out of adjustment NOT to get them to lock up. If they are that bad, they aren't workinging anyway.
 
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Old Jan 30, 2007 | 03:43 PM
  #24  
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It is also possible that on a brand new trailer the breaks are not broken in enough to be able to lock up. New breaks require a lot more pressure than a properly broken in break.
 
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