got my trailer brake controller installed :)

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I bought a tekonsha P3 trailer brake controller for my truck. You literally just plug it in to the existing plug that's under the dash. The trailer is only like 4,000 pounds I think, but I'd say it makes a difference. It was set to max straight out of the box and I took a short 20mph drive down my street and back just to see what it would do on the max setting and the trailer pretty much stopped the truck at that setting. lol

I'm pretty sure the brakes would be toast if I left it like that, so I read the manual and it said to start off at 6 and that seems like a good setting. I only brake a little bit harder than I would if the trailer wasn't back there. It did say you're supposed to use that lever at the bottom to max out the brakes and set it just before the tires lockup, but I'm not about to go locking up my tires and end up with a flat spot or something. How many of you guys have a brake controller? Do you ever use that lever at the bottom? I don't see how one could have time to reach down and grab it if they're about to run into someone.
 
I've got the same one. I've never used the lever in normal operation. It's more to grab the trailer brakes a little to straighten you out from a jack knife as it starts like on the big trucks.
 
I have used the lever once to stop sway when i had a 16ft tt behind a ford escape. Not enough wheelbase.

I also use the lever to check the brakes before each trip. the prodigy brake controller is a good one, you made a wise choice.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I have used the lever once to stop sway when i had a 16ft tt behind a ford escape. Not enough wheelbase.

I also use the lever to check the brakes before each trip. the prodigy brake controller is a good one, you made a wise choice.


Yeah I just ordered it off the internet. $128.00 for the controller and wiring harness. The local trailer places wanted like $200.00
 
I sometimes use the lever right at the end of a stop, say 5 mph or less. Keeps the trailer nice and straight, and it's a little easier on your hitch assembly. Used that way you have plenty of time to place your hand on the controller.
 
Same model here .. The lever is useful in several ways first I usually use it just after I start moving to heat up the trailer brakes a bit. Second I now and then use it coming to a stop to check the trailer brakes to see how they are working and how much bite they have. And third I use it going down the highway if my camper starts to sway and it won't seem to stop! Just slide the control lever and it will make the camper go straight.
 
The P3 is also nice in that it ramps up the brake load and doesn't just slap them on and off. It's a smoother braking unit than the one I had before.

I use the squeeze bar mostly to test the brakes - have never had sway issues; I also use a friction bar if the run will be of any distance.

It is a very good idea to set the max to prevent from skidding the tires. In my experience, trailer brakes are not consistent like a car, and at different temps they act differently. And the thing is, if one starts to lock, you won't notice from the cab until you see the smoke in the rearview. So I do advise watching them, especially in the local roads after coming off the highway - that's when mine are more likely, and checking it then to dial back the limit. That gives a good starting point.

My last trailer would lock the wheels, usually preferring one over the other 3. I had to rewire it to get them to brake evenly. My current single axle will not, and I'm not sure if it's because there's more weight over that single axle than what the brakes can handle, or if the wiring has some resistance in this one as well.

-m
 
I like the setting to grab a bit more than the vehicles to keep things straight and I can feel them working while towing. Probably why the tow vehicles have original brakes even after 150k+.
I have the prodidigy in the 99 Ford controlling the brakes on a 14k lb. 5th wheel trailer. Works very well. Still like the Insight better because its readout is on the dash and the thumb control is where I can use it without reaching under the dash
 
I had one for several years and it was moved from one vehicle to another. These are great brake controllers.

I traded in my Silverado-and the only reason I didn't uninstall it is because of the great job my Son did in installing it-many yards of black tape!

I now have a factory controller in my Sierra and to be perfectly honest it doesn't work as well as the prodigy.

However- from what I read it's very difficult to bypass a factory controller and install an after market one.
 
Something to be aware of with the P3 is the fact that it is always learning how you stop to try and match the trailer braking to your braking style.

While this is good in theory, in practice it doesn't always work out the way one thinks.

For people like me who drive far more conservatively with a trailer than they do without, the P3 will be too aggressive with the trailer brakes because it has learned your driving style without the trailer.

The work around is to unhook the controller while not towing, or put it on a switch so you can turn it off while not towing so it doesn't learn your driving style while not towing.

As to the setting, I like to set the trailer brakes such that they stop the full weight of the trailer and stopping while towing takes the same or less braking effort than not towing. Minor adjustments while towing are usually needed to compensate for cold and warm brakes. I usually have to adjust mine up a couple clicks to start and then back it down again when they warm up after the first stop or two. Usually take it down another click or two if I'm towing in town as they warmer they get the better they work.

I use the slide to drag the brakes after hooking up so they don't jerk me out of the seat and lock up at the first stop.

4,000 lbs is more than enough to justify trailer brakes and is enough to make them mandatory in nearly every state. If you consider that a vehicles brakes are designed to work up to the GVWR of the vehicle (almost verbatim from the ford owners manual), unless you are driving a one-and-a-quarter dually, your vehicle probably doesn't have 4,000 lbs of cargo capacity to stop the trailer.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
It did say you're supposed to use that lever at the bottom to max out the brakes and set it just before the tires lockup, but I'm not about to go locking up my tires and end up with a flat spot or something. How many of you guys have a brake controller? Do you ever use that lever at the bottom? I don't see how one could have time to reach down and grab it if they're about to run into someone.


I have their older version. The IQ.
I set it up just like they say in the manual. You don't lock up the wheels and drag them for 100's of feet. Just push it until you just start to hear them scratching.
With my open car trailer I have to reset it loaded vs empty.If I leave it at the loaded value it will lock up the breaks.
With it set up right I have never had the need to reach down and hit the lever. Even it FULL STOP situations everything stayed under control.
 
Originally Posted By: meborder
Something to be aware of with the P3 is the fact that it is always learning how you stop to try and match the trailer braking to your braking style.

While this is good in theory, in practice it doesn't always work out the way one thinks.

For people like me who drive far more conservatively with a trailer than they do without, the P3 will be too aggressive with the trailer brakes because it has learned your driving style without the trailer.

The work around is to unhook the controller while not towing, or put it on a switch so you can turn it off while not towing so it doesn't learn your driving style while not towing.

As to the setting, I like to set the trailer brakes such that they stop the full weight of the trailer and stopping while towing takes the same or less braking effort than not towing. Minor adjustments while towing are usually needed to compensate for cold and warm brakes. I usually have to adjust mine up a couple clicks to start and then back it down again when they warm up after the first stop or two. Usually take it down another click or two if I'm towing in town as they warmer they get the better they work.

I use the slide to drag the brakes after hooking up so they don't jerk me out of the seat and lock up at the first stop.

4,000 lbs is more than enough to justify trailer brakes and is enough to make them mandatory in nearly every state. If you consider that a vehicles brakes are designed to work up to the GVWR of the vehicle (almost verbatim from the ford owners manual), unless you are driving a one-and-a-quarter dually, your vehicle probably doesn't have 4,000 lbs of cargo capacity to stop the trailer.


So I can just max out the setting and see if they lockup going like 5mph? Then back off? I have it set to 7.5 now and I find that it only goes up to like 2.5 when driving around, maybe 3.5 if I'm harder on the brakes.
 
^^^ yes, exactly. it will give you a procedure in the manual. Drive 5-10 mph, squeeze the bar. If they lock, lower the max. repeat. It's a great safety measure. You don't want your trailer to lock and sway in a panic stop.
 
I set mine so that they don't lock up on a gravel road. I drive about 25 mph and hit the slider letting the trailer stop the truck without hitting the vehicle brakes at all.

I have found that setting them just below the locking threshold on gravel is about the right setting for just about all conditions. I've never found them to feel inadequate when set that way, and often I end up turning it down a bit from there.

I've found this greatly reduced tire lock at intersections which have sand or gravel on them as well.

As to seeing low numbers on the controller while driving, it is just telling you that you don't drive like an idiot with your trailer
smile.gif
you can set it to max, and if you don't ever stop hard you will only ever see low numbers displayed on the controller. What you are trying to accomplish is that the trailer brakes won't lock in a hard stop. Should the need arise to stop in a hurry, you want the trailer wheels to keep rolling so that it doesn't try to pass you when you stop.

If they are set right, you will occasionally lock them up on pavements that are really slick or covered in sand/rock. It happens. As long as I'm not locking them all I don't worry much about it. They generally don't lock up for more than a second before you realise it and can let up for a second to correct. They are just trailer tires. You want them set tight enough to work.
 
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