That is just a totally uninformed comment. Nothing could be further from the truth. In slippery conditions is where the Jordan or any direct application will save your butt. The prodegy will not apply enough to keep you from jacknifing. The last thing in the world that you want to do on an icey road is stop with your truck brakes stronger than the trailer. And properly adjusted, the trailer does not lock up anyway. You darn sure would not run on ice with the same setting that you use on dry pavement. To get near lockup conditions you have to really lay into the pedal, if you are doing that on ice and and relying on the ABS to control you, please let me know if you are in this part of the country so that I can watch for you and stay away.

 

I agree with hauling first and formost. In any situation on icy roads what busniess do you have running at speeds that could cause you to have your trailer lockup? if you were any sensable person you would have shut er down long ago and run at a more managble speed for the given conditon.

 

With ABS you shouldn't be sliding. It should be a controlled slowing without the tires locking up, stopping as fast as possible. The Prodigy would sense the same controlled slowing and react without the brakes locking up for the fastest and safest stop.

 

Haulin_in_Dixie,

Whoo man, Chill out! Just because you don't agree with me doesn't mean you have to be rude.

As for being uninformed, that's your opinion. As far as your opinion, that's exactly what it is, your opinion.

Alabama, not much ice and snow there! I drive everyday in ice and snow 4 to 5 months out of the year. I also see by your signature that you are driving a 99 CTD. That means you only have anti lock on the rear wheels. This means that you haven't experienced a truck with ABS all the way around and a Prodigy. I think if you were to try one with ABS all the way around, you may see what I am talking about.

It's clear that your experiences with the Jordan have been different than mine, and my experiences with the Prodigy have been different than yours. I'm not saying I didn't like the Jordan, I just think there are other options that work just as well. I had the Jordan, I had to continually mess with it to make it work properly. This time I choose the Prodigy and my experiences have been very good. I have driven in icy and snowy conditions and have not had any of the problems you claim will happen. In fact, I have found it to work as I have stated in a previous post. In fact, on December 27, 2003 I towed my travel trailer to Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass in a snow storm and the Prodigy worked as stated!

As far as the jack-knifing you talk about, that is where the boost of the Prodigy comes into play. It applies more braking to the trailer compared to the vehicle.

Sorry we disagree, but let's be adults about it.

 

Nobody said anything about driving faster that conditions allow. However, You never know when emergency stops are needed.

I see that you drive a vehicle that doesn't have ABS on all four wheels. Oh, by the way, does the 1996 Ram have any anti-lock brakes? I'm not sure. I know about the 99 like Haulin_in_Dixie
has, because I use to have one. Please see my previous post to answer more of your concerns.

 

I am only answering your post because I am afraid that someone not experienced in the snow would try what you are suggesting. Number one, the boost on any controller in the snow will kill you. No good driver would use the ABS as you suggest. If that’s rude, I am sorry, but there are novices on here that may listen to that talk. The driver controls the brakes, with a very light and careful pedal. And yes, I got your message, loud and clear.

I might mention that Snoqualmie is not so bad in the snow unless you take the old road, then you have your hands full. It never ends till Seattle. Forth of July and Cabbage will give you a good driver test in the snow. Use your method on Cabbage and you will end up in the snow on the slope at the curve on the bottom. Saw one do a flip off there with his brakes smoking, and it was dry. Coming down the hill through the tunnel from Chelan can be exciting in the snow too. But then…. What do I know, I’m from Alabama.

I am not trying to be rude as you said, I am trying to get you to think a little, using ABS that way and boost on the trailer will kill you. There is no such thing as an emergency stop in snow or the 6 to 8 inches of hard pack that you get on your freeways, that stop is rather abrupt. I’ll give you something to do one day, drive east from where you are up to the pass, get on the westbound side and climb up on your truck and look over the 8-foot retaining wall. There is a mess of trucks down there, too steep to retrieve. That’s why they have the wall. That is what can happen if you don’t know how to drive in the snow.

I did it one time on the ice, flipped an 11,000 gallon LNG tanker, you have not jackknifed yet, I can tell, it gives you great respect for the snow. Bob, stay off those brakes in the snow, the computer can mess up easy, especially with ice on the rotors. Before you realize that you are in trouble, you will be looking at the side of your trailer. It happens that fast.

 

I'm with you. Good point.

 

Just for the record, FiverBob may live in Florida - - NOW. I have hauled in mucho snow and ice in Minnesota, Wisconsin, N and S Dakota and California. Donner Pass in California can be a killer, and it almost took me - - running a Prodigy. I also had some problems with my Prodigy in the Carolina's in the summer in rain. I have a friend who drives a F**D (mercy), has 6 speed and exhaust brake. He has commented on several occassions of incorrect braking action with his Prodigy on steep declines in lower gears when using the Ebrake. He had to back the controller off on decent, then bring it back up on the flat.

So, I guess that is why I am so sold on the Jordan. There is a whole different feeling to braking when you know YOU control the trailer brakes, not an electronic thingy that cannot see the road, feel the road, doesn't know what is behind it, doesn't know whether it is sunny or snowing. I brake the trailer just like I brake the truck, not relying on something to determine what the truck is doing. I make the trailer do what I want it to do.

Guys, a lot of this is personal driving style and what rings your bell. Jordan rings my bell. Course, come to think of it, I hear a lot of bells ringing. HHMMMM.

 

fiverbobinsunnyflorida can I have your fifth wheel please?

Scottyofthenorthreadyfora5thwheelthanksbob

 

For what it's worth, ABS doesn't mean SQUAT when you're driving on a 1/4" sheet of solid ice.....which is often the case here in the DFW area. You see, we don't get snow. We get sleet.....which melts during the day and the freezes over at night.....leaving a sheet of ice over the roads as smooth as glass. You don't want to be driving on it at all....ESPECIALLY with a trailer....but sometimes you have to. I like the idea of me controlling the brakes instead of a computer. I think I'll get a Jordan.

 

1/4 inch ?? I sat in a truck stop in Abelene watching the freeway. The only thing moving on the 10" of ice was the front wheel drive GM's. It think that was in the early 80's. We get the ice too here more than snow. Not of the last couple of years though.

On this whole thread, Scotty has the right idea

 

It is oftentimes more than a quarter inch....but a quarter inch is all that is necessary to send both truck and trailer spinning uncontrollably.

Don't think I've every seen 10" of ice before. About the most I've seen in the parts of Texas I've lived in was about 6" of snow/sleet. Usually not as thick on the roads though.

 

Yep you're right, I spent four days sitting in the truck that time, think it was a record. It was a pure mess. MOst ice I had ever seen. Started with wet snow and changed to rain, then dropped to 20 degrees or so.

 

If I went out the door and saw 10 inches of ice, I do believe i'd turn around and go back to bed.

 

I drove down to Phoenix on my normal route down I-25, across I-40 and down I-17. Its hard to avoid freezing rain when its not being forecast or mentioned anywhere. I ran straight into 4" of ice on the freeway in a matter of about 5 miles before I could get off the freeway and I was stuck at the Petro truck stop in Gallup for two days before the freeway opened up. They had an all you can eat steak deal on when I got there. For some reason they cancelled it shortly after I got there.....along with about 100 other folks.
I had a Tekonsha brake controller pulling my 53ft wedge that time.