Comments on Trailer Brake Controllers?

[Shimon]

I've had a Prodigy and a Voyager and a Jordan and I think the best of all is the Jordan...by far. It's got the best feel and no weird electronics to get flaky on you in certain situations like wet downhill conditions. I tow a pretty heavy travel trailer with my 85 F250 and the Jordan has eased my mind. Hooking it up isn't as easy as just plugging in some wires however. It does take a little more effort. Good luck.

 

[boomer4snow]

I have a Husky, a Stihl, and a Jordan Ultima. I liked the fact if for some reason the tow vehicle would lose its braking system (engine die, ABS gremlins etc..) I would still have proportional braking. I think the Prodigy is also a very nice product, but haven't used one, you probably will be happy with either one.

 

[wushaw]

I had a Jordan on a 3500 I recently sold and it worked great, I have a POS draw tite activator in my Pete 385 that you can't tell if it's working or not mainly due to the truck weighing in at 17,000lbs and my tractor and trailer may weigh in at 5,000lbs, I just have it to help stabilize the trailer under braking.

 

[RayH]

When I was shopping for a controller, the only controller I found to be better than the Tekonsha Prodigy is the Draw Tite Intella Stop. Its exactly the same controller, made by the same company and all, but it was slightly cheaper. I got it for about $80+$6 shipping. the install went well and easy but I havent had a chance to use it yet.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( When I was shopping for a controller, the only controller I found to be better than the Tekonsha Prodigy is the Draw Tite Intella Stop. Its exactly the same controller, made by the same company and all, but it was slightly cheaper. I got it for about $80+$6 shipping. the install went well and easy but I havent had a chance to use it yet. )</font>

I've been using that same Draw-Tite controller for the better part of 4 years now. ZERO problems, and good, smooth operation. No problem with recommending it to anyone.

I use it on a Dodge 2500 4WD diesel, pulling a 30'/14,000 GVWR gooseneck that usually has a full load. Stops good, and no abnormalities with the brakes.

 

[tjkadar]

If you can get a Brakesmart controller, they are the best on the market at the moment. That being said, a Prodigy is a good controller with the Jordan being just a bit better.

 

[FarmGeek]

I used a Tekonsha Prodigy in my F-150 for three years with great results. It got me out of trouble a few times when I had my trailer load unbalanced /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. I've learned not to do that anymore. I've not had the pleasure to use the others referred to in this thread so my opinion is for the Prodigy only.

The only thing I found better is my new F-250 with integrated controller. It ROCKS! That is the one reason I bought the Ford (that, and it was the cheapest /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif). I have to keep looking back to see if the trailer is still attached cuz stopping is smooth as silk if I'm dragging the Bobcat or just a pile of junk.

Oh yeah, I've got a Stihl and a Husky. Husky cuts faster but the Stihl starts first.

 

[skipmarcy]

I've used the Tekonsha Voyager on my '93 Nissan 4x4, in my Ford LN600 dump truck and my 2000 F250 Super Duty and have had no failures and good braking. I haul my tractor several times a week commercially - gross trailer weight is usually 10k - 11k and it works great. I also have an Anderson dump trailer 6 ton gross and it performs just fine too at all varying loads. The adjustments on the Voyager are touchy - not the easiest to adjust while going down the road, but the controller is reasonably forgiving and I haven't had any problems. Of course when I install one I solder all connections and use heat shrink etc. - and looming to protect wires etc. Of course properly serviced brakes on your trailer(s) make a difference too. My F250 had the factory wiring and only had to buy the harness & relays for that install.

 

[_RaT_]

Stihl or Husky... It depends on the model. For the arborist saws used in tree limbing, my opinion is that there is no saw that is comparable to the Stihl. For the bigger saws, it gets arguable quickly. Both have many merits. I have the Prodigy brake controller. It works fine. When I sell my truck, it will come out and go in my new truck.

 

[dieselsmith]

Draw-tite activator 2 and a Stihl. Draw-tite really stands behind their product, I had a problem and they sent a new one out asap- no charge, even free shipping!