Smart stopping: choosing a brake controller question

[Learning to Farm]

Hi Folks,

So, I need to put a brake controller (7-pin) on my father-in-laws 2006 F-150 to haul a small bumper pull horse trailer.

I have the choice of a proportional brake controller which senses how quickly the tow vehicle is stopping and applies the same amount of braking power to the trailer or a time delayed (or solid state) brake controller which when you step on the vehicle brakes a predetermined amount of braking power is sent to the trailer and then there is a delay as the unit ramps up to full braking power.

I have been hauling for 15 years and always got the truck and trailer pre-wired. Is there a prefrence for hauling livestock?

Thanks,
Amy

 

[hawkeye08]

time based, use it if you have it, skip it if buying one.

proportional/inertia based, very good value for money, Tekonsha P2 meets most needs, P3 if you like digital display or need controller for electric over hydraulic brakes.

tied to tow vehicle brake system trailer brake controller (Maxbrake, factory integrated) great if you can afford them, most folks settle for proportional/inertia one.

etrailer.com has some instructions that can help with wiring, etc.

 

[pilot-werx]

Have the p3 in my tuck and really like it. Also have a Hayes g2 in my escalade. The Hayes is nice as it is very compact.

 

[MillWeld]

Hawkeye is right-on. I have the P3 on my Ram 1500 and I like it. e-trailer online demos are very helpful. I'm still playing catch-up.
Bob

 

[Diamondpilot]

As said before the Ford factory one is the best of the best. Max Brake is close behind.

Prodigy P3 is a good low cost option for most.

Chris

 

[mbrule]

Agree with everything above, except using the timer based one if you have it. My kid brother has one and at the least it is terrible and at the worst dangerous. Get a proportional one or one of the ones that ties into the brake system as mentioned above.

I have used proportion for years on car, dump, and camping trailers with great success. I now have a Ford integrated controller and have only used it once with a rented wood chipper, but it seems like it is going to be great!

My .02.....

 

[tlbuser]

maxbrake, smartbrake and the integrated controllers are the best on the market right now. They tap into the vehicles brake system with a sensor to determine how much brake current to apply to the trailer. The others just use an on/off signal from the vehicle and apply a predetermined amount of current to the trailer brakes.
So, it comes down to money. How much is it worth to you? How much is the cargo being hauled worth?

 

[mbrule]

maxbrake, smartbrake and the integrated controllers are the best on the market right now. They tap into the vehicles brake system with a sensor to determine how much brake current to apply to the trailer. The others just use an on/off signal from the vehicle and apply a predetermined amount of current to the trailer brakes.
So, it comes down to money. How much is it worth to you? How much is the cargo being hauled worth?

That is not entirely true, the proportional controllers (the one I have anyway) applies current proportionally to the brake pressure being applied, based on inertia and a pendulum effect, up to a predetermined maximum current.

The timed controller that my brother has applies a gradually increasing current up to a predetermined maximum over a period of time starting when the brake pedal is pressed.

 

[tlbuser]

That is not entirely true, the proportional controllers (the one I have anyway) applies current proportionally to the brake pressure being applied, based on inertia and a pendulum effect, up to a predetermined maximum current.

The timed controller that my brother has applies a gradually increasing current up to a predetermined maximum over a period of time starting when the brake pedal is pressed.

Right, either one gets an on/off signal from the tow vehicle then the box decides how much current to apply up to a predetermined level. So, yes it is true. Proportional controllers don't get an input other than on/off from the vehicle. They use an accelerometer type circuit rather than a time delay based.