When I apply the brakes the trailer brakes seem to jerk and the controller led varies as much as 3 numbers(5 to 2 to 5 to2 etc) making it a very jerky stop. Any ideas or is the unit toast.It is 2.5 yrs old.

 

Do you mean Prodigy??

If so what does it do when you are not moving but with the brake pedal pressed? What do you have the boost set to? What is the max manual level set to?

 

Welcome to Prodigy. This unit applies an initial surge braking to your system to get the braking process starting. This initial surge is adjustable, but always there. It is applied the moment your brake lights are activated even though you may not have depressed the brake pedal sufficiently to activate the truck brakes. This surge is a percentage of total braking as set by you. It is more comfortable to back off the surge braking when entering city traffic or coming into a campground - - or pulling in to buy fuel - - places where you will be trying to slow down gently.

Bob

 

I have two Prodigy controllers and you can turn the initial surge off. The button on the top of the controller controls this feature. It will show B1, B2, or B3 if you have it turned on. The higher the number the higher the initial brake surge when you first apply the brakes. The surge is timed so if you keep your foot on the brakes it will time out. If this sounds like your issue check to see what you have it set at. If the brakes seem to be too strong as you complete your stop you may have it adjusted too strong - the **** on the side adjusts this. If all used to work fine with and the setting didn't get changed and your trailer weight hasn't changed I would take a look at the brakes on the trailer before replacing the controller.

 

Bingo. Couldn't have said it better.

 

It sounds like the old problem of the brake wires being routed through the axle tubes. If so, there is a bare spot on a wire grounding to the axle. Since the controller is a chopper circuit this short will not blow a fuse, but it does cause havoc with the brakes. Run new wires across to the other side of the axle on the outside ans secure with plastic wire ties.

 

I have that same brake controller and had a thought. Make sure it's securely mounted. It senses your braking force with an accelerometer. If the unit is loose and can shift then it'll screw up the sensor and you'll get strange braking behavior. Mine was fixed right up by tightening two mounting screws.

 

I've had it for three years and it has never done it quite like this before.It works fine if I use the manual lever. Checked the wires and they are good.

 

This is the exact problem I currently have. If I jiggle those wires the brakes work as normal untill I hit some bumps then the Prodigy starts flashing "oL" during braking and "SH" during idle. When the brakes only work sometimes it is VERY annoying.
Time for me to run some new wires.

 

Not to hi-jack the thread, but I towed today for the first time any distance.
I74 from Holly Ridge almost to Asheville.
The trailer dealer set it up and it didn't feel right, so before I started out, i decided to adjust it per the book.
When I did the "drive 25mph and apply the lever to the left all the way" to see if it would lock up the wheels and adjust from there.

Well, I set it as high as possible and on B3 and never could get the brakes to lock. Even tried it periodically on the trip and nada....

Any suggestions?

 

Trailer brakes need adjusting?

 

I wouldn't have thought so being brand new...but you know how that goes.....That's all I can think of.

 

New drum brakes need to be broke in to work correctly. I suspect that there is not full contact and that as there wear in it will get better (once adjusted).

 

The Dexter axle/brake manual says that it may not be able to lock the brakes on all trailers. That is right out of pages 12-13 of their manual. You can view it on line or at this link:

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/1080235/f/...anual_2-08.pdf

pcm