Butzdiesel

What controller do you guys recommend and does the truck come from factory with a plug-in? It came factory with a tow kit and has both the round and flat plug-ins at the rear of the truck.

Jeff in TD

If it has the factory tow package, there will be a connector up by the parking brake, blue I believe, to connect to a brake controller.

If money is no object, IMHO the Brakesmart is the best one out there.

If you are towing not too heavy or too frequently, I think the Technocia Prodegy performs well for the money. The Jordan Ultima would be another option worth considering, but I don't know if they are currently available.

stumpjumper

we have the prodigy and it works well. trailer weighs in at just under 10k.
the brake control plugin is right next to the parking brake and is blue in color. i have an '05 as well.

Butzdiesel

Thanks guys, i ordered the Tekonsha P3. Im only towing a single cab drag truck with a 20-25ft trailer. Might have to upgrade once we get the 40ft trailer and the pulling truck built.

roughstock

I too just order the P3 and cant wait to get installed. and airbags too.
I couldn't justify brakesmart yet. Maybe on new truck. My old Tekonsha is shot. Either full braking or none, and at low speed stops, they grab and throw you into the dash.
I ve heard good things about P3.
Let me know how you get along.

tslewisz

Just want to add a couple of things. First, you can get a plug-in pigtail with the Prodigy that plugs right into your truck - no soldering or crimping. Second, if anyone didn't know, there are aftermarket pigtails with MUCH heavier wires (colored to match up to a controller, unlike the OEM) that might be worth a look.

Colo_River_Ram

I just upgraded from the Prodigy to the P-3 as I have a 42 GN with an electric/hydraulic actuator..Love it's programmability and ability to change it's indicator colors to match the vehicles dash lights. The only drawback I found to the factory harness was it was only 3' long and I needed longer as I mounted the controller in the Cubby.

sal09

we have drawtites on all our trucks and they last forever i like they way that they are easily adjustable. they're nice brake controllers and i think that they're worth the money

1-2-3

I've got the Drawtite Activator 2 and I have used a Prodigy and I prefer the Drawtite.

southwestwheel

Just got the new Odyssey II in and you Prodigy and P3 lovers may want to take a second look. This is a nice control. Graphical display, pressure sensor, four memory settings, quick connect, sleek design, polarity protection, 360 degree mounting, just to name a few features.

The best control we have tested is still the MaxBrake.

tslewisz

Nice to hear about some products other than those from Cequent.

roughstock

I installed the P3 in about 5 minutes. It is great. Love the features, stopping power is smooth. I should have done this last year.

stealman1

I have a drawtite activator II. I dont like it. It either locks up the trailer wheels or does not brake enough. Im always fooling with the amount of brake force. If I am on the freeway I need to turn it up to get much braking and if I leave it at that setting when I am going slow the wheels lock up. Piece of ****!
Will a proportional brake controller solve this? Or do I need to step up to a brake smart? That is alot of money.

Jeff in TD

I believe the Drawtite II is a timer based controller.

I had a different brand of timer based controller, and you are experiencing their main drawback, that it only takes a reading from the brake switch, and applies the same brake force when you are easing up to a stop in town, or trying to panic stop at freeway speed. You end up trying to change settings all the time every time you change speed.

I think if you got a good deceleration proportional type, like the Technocia P3 or Prodegy, you would see a night and day difference in performance.

One that reads brake application directly, like the Brakesmart, would be better yet, but as you pointed out they are expensive. When I got mine, I remember thinking that I had no clue that electric drums were capable of that kind of performance... Smooth braking in every situation, like the trailer brakes are working seamlessly with the truck, kind of like the truck's front and rear brakes work seamlessly with each other when not towing...

Anyway, bottom line, you would see a huge improvement with the Technocia, and my prediction is that if you get one, you will kick yourself for not getting one sooner.

IMHO the Brakesmart is a bit smoother and more directly linked to what your foot is doing on the brake pedal, but there is a diminishing return as you go up in price... IE the Brakesmart costs several times more than a Technocia...

stealman1

So are you saying that the proportional controllers are way better than the time delay? And the Brake smart is better than the proportional controllers, but not a lot. Best money spent for a every day joe is the proportional. From searching the net, I think I like the Valley Odesey II.