So... I love my Brakesmart. Flawless since install 5 years ago, still is doing great.

My Mom is getting ready to get a little 4k trailer to pull with her halfton, and I was going to do the right thing and install one. But... Brakesmart is dead. Maxbrake is dead. What the hell are we supposed to buy?? ;P

Just get a P3 and cross your fingers? Or did these companies die out now that all the new trucks come with built in proportional controllers?

/sigh

Any thoughts?

 

Good question.

 

Yeah. Major bummer.

 

Kelsey 81740B NOS or used.

There's one on eBay right now. They used to be pretty easy to get, not any more since the modern ones went out of business.

There must be Mafia involvement in the brake controller business. The pendulum controllers are downright suicidal in icy weather, and mediocre in control at best. MaxBrake and BrakeSmart used hydraulic sensing.

The old mechanical Kelsey/Hayes use hydraulic pressure directly to drive a rheostat control. There's a spring adjust to synchronize the braking action for varying loads and conditions. It's all done with the one lever. Takes a bit of playing to get the hang of that, but you can set it up so it doesn't break away on ice if you lightly apply the brakes, or you can precisely control the trailer brakes with the lever. The original controllers had a longer lever, much better than the thumb press crap on modern controllers. They were limited to 12 amps or so.

Sooner or later someone will put up a DIY diagram for an electronic, hydraulic controller. Problem is the sensor is about a $150 item. The rest, including the processor, would be inexpensive commodity stuff. It could get pretty sophisticated with a basic stamp, or Arduino processor.

 

Wasn't it incompatibility with proportional valves that ended the fluid driven plunger/spring type controllers?

I really hope someone purchases the rights to Brakesmart or Maxbrake and starts producing them.

 

No, they work with proportional valves OK. They only take about 1/100 the volume of a brake cylinder to operate. It's ABS that did them in.

I'm thinkin' first gen. (look at my signature) Front brake circuit is plain push to stop.

 

The way I understand it is if you tap off of the master cylinder BEFORE the ABS system, then you have just straight hydraulic pressure. That is assuming that the master cylinder is not integrated with the ABS system (like my 2nd gen).

 

If there was a way to get the schematics to the maxbrake... Imagine the possibilities... I regret not getting one a couple years ago before they went out of business.

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Yeah, I just hope my Brakesmart lasts forever, or at least until someone else markets a brake controller based on a solid state pressure transducer.

I remember when I first towed after installing that thing, and thinking I had no idea electric drums were capable of such smooth, powerful braking. The truck and 5th wheel stop as easily as the pickup would with a load in the bed, whether easing up to a stop sign in town or doing a hard stop from freeway speed.

The truck and trailer brakes really work seamlessly together, the way the front and rear brakes of the truck do when not towing.

Really a big loss that something with this kind of performance is no longer on the market.

 

I have a Brakesmart sitting on the shelf. However, when I picked it up I told the guy that I would get the hydralic sensor myself so he didn't have to take his off. My bad.... Sure would like to install it....

 

Me thinks I need to drift by Jordan's house and get him to design us another controller as good as the one he sold the rights to and they did not produce it. It was really to reduce competition. I love my Jordan unit - - simple, easy to install and no problems. Surely someone can come up with something that will not infringe on patent rights.
Bob

 

If someone can code I'll attempt a design of an Arduino based unit. Sounds like the best and safest way is to use a hydraulic sensor tied into the master cylinder. I designed and built a pinewood derby track timer for my brother (got to see them use it for the first time a couple weeks ago), so surely this couldn't be any more difficult. With a few folks collaborating, i'm sure we can come up with a cost efficient and reliable controller... Maybe even make it open source for others to expand and improve on.

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Never mind on a DIY kit. There is a lot that goes into a controller. Not that it couldn't be done, but parts are expensive (hydraulic sensor).

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I have a Jordan 2020 like FiverBob that I've used for nearly 8 years now and still working fine. No hydraulic connections and smoother than anything else I've ever had. I wonder how long the patent lasts and if Jordan has regretted selling out. Sure would be great if someone would start producing one like it again.

 

All your heavy duties for however many years past have had the built in brake controller. I know Ford has had them for 3-4 or more? Not sure about the 250s/2500's. On the lighter side 1500/150 models most just use them to ride around in and the load capability of them?? A smaller market of people who need it equals less sales obviously so I could see how killing the 3500 and up market with built in controllers might put some companies out of business.


At least that's my take on it. I used the pendulum type for over 10 years. Get it set up correctly and adjusted for your load and I could feel the trailer pulling when I slowed down.