Tekonsha Sentinel
 

My truck came with the Tekonsha Sentinel. What is the opinion on these brake controllers?

I just about totalled my previous rig with a Tekonsha Sentinel. Being an inertial-type controller, it will not generate any trailer braking until it senses a minimum level of deceleration of the truck/trailer combo - this deceleration has to be generated by the truck brakes. We ran into a sudden rainstorm and got into a situation where we had to make a rapid stop. The rear-only ABS-equipped 1996 3500 dually locked a right front before it could generate enough deceleration to bring on the trailer brakes. Instant jackknife if I hadn't totally released the brakes, nailed the throttle and driven around the situation.

I'd recommend the BrakeSmart or the Jordan Ultima 2020. Both apply trailer brakes in direct proportion to the application of the truck's brakes.

Rusty

Had a Sentinel, don't anymore. Mine spit fire at me and that was that.

I'm looking at the Jordan, but gotta wait for $$. Ultimate IMHO would be the Brakesmart.

Will say that until it went out, it did seem to work OK, but not great. Did not use it as a everyday unit. Just slow speeds around the farm and such and a trip now and then.

Ed

Sentinel - - nope. I hated the results with mine - - got a Prodigy. OK, until it brought my trailer up beside me on a rain slick road and would not stop right after topping a steep hill. Went to Jordan - - love it.

Brakesmart probably 1st (haven't used it)
Jordan 2nd
Prodigy a distant 3rd.

[director] By jove, he's finally got it Scotty! Tada!!!!

They are a very poor excuse for a controller. I had one in the 99 and the 93's. Too tempermental for the majority of people. The one out of the 99 is wired up layning on the bench and no way is it going in the 05.

You hush, boy - - I thought you were out in your RV trying to fix your BrakeDumb controller. :mad: [laugh]

Thanks for the input guys. I thought it might be the way I was adjusting it. It’s either shoving you through stops or locking up the trailer. I’ve managed to get along with it but do not like the way it handles.

The brakesmart as I understand it, works off the brake fluid pressure applied by the master cylinder. I could be wrong about that but if I am, I know you guys will educate me. So what happens if you break a line and loose all your fluid? I would think an all electric controller would be safer. At least you would still have trailer brakes.

If you lost the brake line that the pressure tap was in Yes the unit would not work correctly but there is still a manual over ride / panic button to apply trailer brakes. If You lost a line with a inertia type electric unit possibly the same problem of decreased braking and the need to hit the over ride. I have just installed and did a 6 hour round trip with the brake smart and like it much better than the previous inertia controllers i have had. Now for the jordan guy to chime in I guess if you lose a line the cable still applies the trailer brakes , I know its far fetched but if the cable broke/came off is there a manual overide button. And what if the trailer cord came unplugged and what if you lost electrical power there a countless other things to ko the brakes , Ive only ever broke one brake line 30 years ago , Most of us do inspect , think look at items like that. Jordan Owners seem very happy bunch as do brakesmart owners so it is a pesonal choice . Seems like jordan owners like simple(cable pretty straight forward no magic transmitter) . I like High tech gizmos so I got the brakesmart.

Consider this. Either brake controller should have a manual engagement switch on it, usually on the bottom. If you loose brake pressure in your line you may not have brakes for the turck anyway, so you would not be able to generate slowing inertia to make the electronic controller engage properly either. Granted though, if you have busted one brak line the other circuit, front or rear, will probably still be sound and work a little bit.

That said, I have a Tekonsha Prodigy and am very happy with it. I tow as much as about 11K with it and it has worked great. I like the fact that I can boost the output from it 3 different levels, depending on the load on the trailer. I cannot say about the Jordan because I have never used one. Maybe some day I will have an opportunity to compare them.

Chris

The hydraulic components in the BrakeSmart kit are very well made. A standard brass "T" like that found in other areas of the hydraulic system, the sensor looks like it is made of steel, and the extension hose is the same flexible rubber hose that the factory uses to supply the front wheel calipers on your truck. In other words those components are meant for this sort of service and pressure. I think you are far more likely to have a leak in the original DC factory components that are subject to road hazards and salt. Even if you do spring a leak you still have the other half of the trucks hydraulic system and the manual over ride on the controller. If you want the most predictable and smoothest trailer braking, then the BrakeSmart is the way to go. But you do pay a price for that in that it is almost 4 times the cost of the cheaper Tekonsha controllers. To me, it was worth every penny. To others it may not be.

Casey

finally! good for you Bob

Scotty

[whistle]

As mentioned, the Brakesmart has the same components for hook up as your factory brakes and it sees much less abuse then the hoses going out to the wheels.

On the other hand,
 

I have run Tekonsha's on my last three trucks and on my sons truck with no adverse effects. I pull up to 26,000 pounds on ocasion too. However, all of this reading is getting me a little nervous.
(now looking around for something made of real wood to knock on, oh yeah, my head. Knock knock) Ouch, maybe a little too hard on the knocking there.

The over-ride on the Jordan is a nice big red push button on the front of the unit - - very easy to hit in an emergency.

One thing I really like on the Jordan compared to my Prodigy is the readout is the current being drawn by the magnets. Voltage means nothing in reality - - you can have voltage across an open circuit - - you can't have current in an open circuit. So you can be lulled into thinking all is OK on the Prodigy, have a broken wire to one brake, and be stopping on three brakes instead of four and never know it. The Jordan will show you how much current your total brake circuit will pull at full "throttle". Each magnet should pull 2.5 to 3 amps. My trailer pulls 11.7 amps max - -meaning all four of my magnets are pulling current.

I’ve been looking at the Jordan and Brakesmart. Big price difference but what’s a couple hundred dollars when your butt is on the line! I am impressed by the technology of the Brakesmart. Seems to me the line pressure would be a more consistent and accurate indicator of braking power needed than pedal travel. In addition, the feature that corrects for fade is a big plus on the Brakesmart.

Noticed this in the tech fac’s on the Braksmart web site. Set EGT Cutoff Temperature: An EGT and Turbo boost module is in the works and will be available soon. This function will allow the user to set the maximum temperature at which the exhaust gas will reach before an alarm is set off.

Anyone have any info on this feature such as when it will be available, how much, how will it connect up to read the temps etc.