electric brake controllers?

[aczlan]

When you say "swap some wiring", what exactly do you mean? Say there are 4 wires going into my existing unit, will those be sufficient to hook up the new unit, or will I have to locate additional wires from under the dash?
My Tahoe came with the tow package, but for whatever reason, it did not have the plug for the controller.

Yes, if you have an existing (working) controller and want to upgrade, you will just need to connect the new one to the correct wires under the dash.

Aaron Z

 

[saltbranch]

MaxBrake - Hydraulic over Electric Variable Brake Controller is a very good unit. Yes, it does cost about 3x more, but does safe and cheap have to be interchangeable? I get a laugh out of how alot of these posters say to use nothing but grade 70 chain, only ratchet binders will work, brakes on both axles, bigger tow vehicle, blah blah. Then when it comes to the actual control mechanism, "any old cheap controller will work just fine."

Never have seen these before, looks nice. I put a P3 in our F650 at work about a year ago. Truck pulls a 48' drop deck with 2-15k axles, by far the best controller to date we have had. It has worked great. Definetly keeping this one in mind for the future that truck.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Never have seen these before, looks nice. I put a P3 in our F650 at work about a year ago. Truck pulls a 48' drop deck with 2-15k axles, by far the best controller to date we have had. It has worked great. Definetly keeping this one in mind for the future that truck.

No comparison in the two. I have about 10 years of towing with a P3 and have used the Max Brake and installed a few. The only thing that beats them is the factory units like the one I have on my 06 F-350.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

carl.. you can either splice the 4 wires.. or hit a store and grab the pigtail that goes from thecontroller to your truck .. either way is easy...

 

[CurlyDave]

I have had two Tekonsha P3s (still have one on my F-150) and I put a MaxBrake on the F-250.

There is no comparison. The MaxBrake is the best controller I have ever used. Yup, it sure is pricey, but my life is worth more than the money for the controller.

I will still tow with the F-150, but only for short distances, with light loads, and at lower speeds. Anything heavier than 4-5000 lbs now gets towed by the F-250.

 

[meburdick]

MaxBrake - Hydraulic over Electric Variable Brake Controller is a very good unit. Yes, it does cost about 3x more, but does safe and cheap have to be interchangeable? I get a laugh out of how alot of these posters say to use nothing but grade 70 chain, only ratchet binders will work, brakes on both axles, bigger tow vehicle, blah blah. Then when it comes to the actual control mechanism, "any old cheap controller will work just fine."

I looked at this site. The product, from a functionality perspective, appears to do a lot and to do it in a smart and safe way.

Two reasons I won't buy one...

1) I simply don't haul enough, or for long enough distances, to warrant the major jump in price. It's the law of diminishing returns. The controller that I have (let's call it $125) works very well and is considered a "step up" from the basic, 'timed' units. Thousands of people use this specific controller with excellent results, and don't haul enough to increase my safety margin by what can only be considered a small percentage.

2) It's ugly and big. Mounting it inside the cab will not leave a result that's eye-appealing. And, again, I don't haul that much. So, it needs to not "muck up" the cabin the rest of the time.

Adding a correction to a previous post of mine - the P3 is not a "timed" controller. It is a full proportional braking controller that applies braking force based on vehicle deceleration rate. You set the max braking force based on the load on the trailer and off you go (stop vehicle, apply trailer brake with boost lever, try to drive away - set the max brake power to where the wheels will "almost" lock on pavement). Remembers five different settings that can be tied to different trailers, or trailers with different loads.

 

[Carl Bert]

I looked at this site. The product, from a functionality perspective, appears to do a lot and to do it in a smart and safe way.

Two reasons I won't buy one...

1) I simply don't haul enough, or for long enough distances, to warrant the major jump in price. It's the law of diminishing returns. The controller that I have (let's call it $125) works very well and is considered a "step up" from the basic, 'timed' units. Thousands of people use this specific controller with excellent results, and don't haul enough to increase my safety margin by what can only be considered a small percentage.

2) It's ugly and big. Mounting it inside the cab will not leave a result that's eye-appealing. And, again, I don't haul that much. So, it needs to not "muck up" the cabin the rest of the time.

Adding a correction to a previous post of mine - the P3 is not a "timed" controller. It is a full proportional braking controller that applies braking force based on vehicle deceleration rate. You set the max braking force based on the load on the trailer and off you go (stop vehicle, apply trailer brake with boost lever, try to drive away - set the max brake power to where the wheels will "almost" lock on pavement). Remembers five different settings that can be tied to different trailers, or trailers with different loads.

Ok I bought the P3, hope I didn't make a mistake. Should I have bought the Max for 3x the price, I guess I'll find out. Just like you, I don't use the trailer much. I am looking for a dump trailer, but it will mostly be used for light loads like mulch.

The big and ugly factor didn't have any part in my decision. I am more concerned with how well it works over appearance. Though I do understand.

 

[Soundguy]

the big$ one will work a lil better.

if you don't haul every day, nor max loads.. the p3 should be fine.

 

[jeffsw6]

why wouldn't you want the additional braking control from the trailer when you're backing up?

Because it makes it a pain in the *** to maneuver your trailer, that's why!

It's usually counter-productive to have your trailer brakes activating when reversing. Your truck should easily be able to handle all the braking needs for reversing which you probably do at no more than 10 MPH. If it can't, how are you going to stop your rig if it's going forward down the highway at 60 MPH and the trailer brakes stop working?

 

[Soundguy]

i agree.. I was trying to back my trailer into a loading bay and the shop yard was gravel, and the bay was 1' wider than the trailer. stepping on the brakes made the brakes grab more int he gravel on one sid ethen the other making me go in crooked till I realized I still had brakes dialed in on my drawtight. once I zero'd brakes I got in in 1 try like normal. for a moment I thought I had forgotten how to back a trailer.. was kinda embarrising witht eh guys at the loading dock wondering why I couldn't get the trailer in like i did all the time..