Just thought some might be interested in my impressions of the BrakeSmart controller:

For the last two years I have used the Prodigy controller and found it to be one of the best on the market. However, while it was the best of the decelerometer/pendulum type controllers, I found that it did not function equally well under all conditions. Recently I installed a BrakeSmart unit and gave it a test on a 300 mile vacation. The installation was straight forward and I simply followed the instructions after getting past a bit of paranoia over tapping into the brake hydraulics. Once installed I stuck with the default settings as recommended by fellow DTR member Ken Lenger. As soon as I moved the trailer I noted the difference from my Prodigy. No grabbing, no nothing. On the interstate it was a smooth as silk. It was as though my 18,000 pound fiver was not even there. Totally transparent. I was simply amazed at the control that I had over the trailer brakes. Not to belittle the Prodigy, it was a great unit, but this BrakeSmart is light years ahead.

FWIW. Casey

 

Casey. I'm from Windsor too and saw one of the set-up you have. Very nice.
I was at an accident scene where the truck and emergency trailer were. Quite impressive.
I"m a mechanic for the public works for the City of Windsor so I got to see the trailer quite a bit at the shop when you guys first got it.

 

casey, iam currently using a jordan controller towing a 38' mountain aire fifth wheel. i also have the electric over hydraulic disc brakes. i am not pleased with the jordan for this application because of the significant lag time between truck and trailer when applying the brakes. does the brakesmart controller eliminate the lag time?

 

Hambone, I have the BrakeSmart with the E over H brakes on my trailer and to answer you no it doesn't get rid of all the lag as there is a bit of time needed for the unit on the trailer to build up pressure. It is way better than any other controller I have used with this setup but like I said it still has a little delay in it. The BrakeSmart has some features to help with this delay but it doesn't get rid of it totally. Good Luck

 

mac guyver thanks for the heads up on the brakesmart.i will probably try this controller because the one i am using just does not activate the trailer brakes soon enough. it is down right pucker time in a panic stop.

does anyone with the electric over hydraulic brake system know of a better controller than the brakesmart for this application?

thanks

 

Well Ham I have the Electric over Hydraulic on my trailer and this one has a few features to help with just what you are seeing. Like I said still a little dealy but not near as bad as it was with the Jordan I was using. Which Electric/Hydraulic unit do you have?

 

mcgyver. i have the carlisle unit.these disc brakes are supposed to be the latest greatest but without the right controller they are anything but.

 

I hear ya Ham, I have the Master Brake Elecdraulic unit on my Travel Supreme. I am not sure if this controller will work for you, Give them a call and they will help you out. The one and only bad thing is that it is a bit pricey but again ya gets what ya pays for with this one. Like I said there is still a very short delay but that comes from the actual unit itself not the controller. The pump has to come on and build up pressure before it does anything. Good Luck and let us know how it turns out!!!!

 

the problem with the hyd. brakes in the towed unit ,is the Lag time it takes for the motor to go leineer and squeeze on the master cyl.. Right now the only way to get past that is air brakes or perhaps air over hyd.

 

I was in the MORryde factory this summer while they were installing hydrallic brakes on many trailers. Several had the Brakesmart controller. None of them were happy with it due to the programming that increases the trailer braking the longer you hold on the brakes (programmed for drum brakes). It ended up sliding the trailer brakes. One went back to his Jordan and seemed happier with it, but the lag time was still there.

 

But thumper, show me a controller for air operated from a hydraulic system. Been looking.

 

Bob mine does not do this, they are fully porportional to the amount of pedal pressure that you apply and not time based in any way. If they were that way any time you were going down a long hill and were just slightly riding the brakes they would lock up. On top of that my unit has the optional ABS module so it will never lack up the brakes.Sorry but I think someone gave you some bad info on this one. As my Brakesmart manual does not say anything about this type of control. Cheers

 

I've been looking at these things myself, and I read somewhere that when set for electric drums, the unit determines when the brakes are heating up and increases voltage accordingly to compensate for fade and maintain the same proportion of trailer braking force to tow vehicle hydrolic pressure...

Could this be what he was talking about?

 

Mac,
I obviously do not have written or personal experience on this, only the discussion while at MORryde, which was the first time I ever met personally anyone using the BrakeSmart. I was told the BrakeSmart keeps increasing the voltage to the brakes the longer they are applied (for drum brakes) to compensate for the fade that occurs in drums. Supposedly they had figured out how much pressure over time would cause fade and tried to compensate for it. But, the antithesis of that statement that confused me was that the BrakeSmart will recognize the hydraulic pump when you install it on such an application. If it that smart you would assume they would kill that feature of the unit when used with hydraulic/disk brakes. And, I again am making an assumption here that all hydraulics are disk - - am I wrong? I had not heard of hydraulic drums on RV trailers.

Anyhuuuu, BrakeSmart does sound very interesting. I don't know if I could stand it if my brakes worked any better than with my Jordan.

Oooopppps, just noticed Jeff's post - - that is exactly what I was referring to, Jeff.

 

Actually the at approximately 6 volts the Brakesmart starts to monitor current (amps). As the magnets heat up and the resistance to current flow through them increases, then the computer increase voltage to maintain the required current as determined by the hydraulic pressure and thereby the braking force is maintained. It really cannot compensate for brake fade due to brake lining heat. The whole process is transparent however as you never notice any difference in the braking force at a specific pedal pressure. There website has a pretty good explanation although I had to read it a couple of times to fully understand it.

Casey