Brake Control box for my '67 Overlander

[Carrara68]

I am getting my '67 Overlander ready for travel, just purchased her. I am in need of a control box for my tow vehicle. I have a 2006 Dodge Sprinter. Will any box work with my magnetic brakes, is one any better than another? I am looking at a Reese unit that seems to get good reviews, does this make sense?

[overlander64]

Greetings Carrara68!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Overlander ownership!

Originally Posted by Carrara68

I am getting my '67 Overlander ready for travel, just purchased her. I am in need of a control box for my tow vehicle. I have a 2006 Dodge Sprinter. Will any box work with my magnetic brakes, is one any better than another? I am looking at a Reese unit that seems to get good reviews, does this make sense?

There are essentially three broad types of electric trailer brake controllers:

• Time/Ramp: This is the simplest form of controller and increases the amount of stopping power applied to trailer brakes based on the time that the driver's foot remains on the brake pedal.
• Pendulum/Inertial: This is probably the most common type in use today. An internal pendulum senses rate of deceleration and increases trailer brake application based upon that rate of deceleration.
• Directly Proportional: The oldest of this type tapped into the tow vehicle's hydraulic brake system to sense braking power being applied and proportionately applied the trailer brakes. These fell into disfavor when ABS braking systems came out that couldn't support the additional amount of brake fluid displaced by these devices. New technology has been applied and there are new controllers of this type available today . . . some utilize a modernized tap into the tow vehicle's brake system while others utilize a mechanical linkage to the tow vehicle's brake pedal.

The most often mentioned brake controller here on the Forums tends to be the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 or the Tekonsha Prodigy P3. As with most Forums members, I have my favorite, but it is a Hayes Lemmerz Model. My favorite brake controller is the Hayes-Lemmerz Energize XPC. I prefer the Hayes-Lemmerz model because it has a manual remote control on a coiled cable so it is possible to properly mount the controller without worrying about having it within reach . . . the remote can be placed close to the driver for quick access (I drape the emergency button over the transmission shift lever so that it is always near my right hand).

Good luck with your selection!

Kevin

[polarlyse]

I went back and forth a few months ago wanting to replace the Tekonsha that I had been using. It worked OK but seemed to be jerking during low speed light braking. It also seemed to be slow to release the brakes when pulling away. I mulled over the Maxbrake and Directlink. Both of these are at the higher end of costs and are in the $250 range. I finally went with the direct link. Bought directly from Airstream and am on the road using it for the first time. We're on the way home from a 5 wk trip. It worked nicely and met my every expectation and I would recommend it highly. I have heard nothing but positive comments from Maxbrake users so I'm sure that would be an equally good choice.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings Carrara68!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Overlander ownership!




There are essentially three broad types of electric trailer brake controllers:

• Time/Ramp: This is the simplest form of controller and increases the amount of stopping power applied to trailer brakes based on the time that the driver's foot remains on the brake pedal.
• Pendulum/Inertial: This is probably the most common type in use today. An internal pendulum senses rate of deceleration and increases trailer brake application based upon that rate of deceleration.

• Directly Proportional: The oldest of this type tapped into the tow vehicle's hydraulic brake system to sense braking power being applied and proportionately applied the trailer brakes. These fell into disfavor when ABS braking systems came out that couldn't support the additional amount of brake fluid displaced by these devices. New technology has been applied and there are new controllers of this type available today . . . some utilize a modernized tap into the tow vehicle's brake system while others utilize a mechanical linkage to the tow vehicle's brake pedal.

Kevin

You missed one type.
Electronic Proportional:There is also Directlink which plugs into a vehicle OBD2 port for electronic proportional braking and I believe (all the ones I know of or at least most of) the new OEM brake controllers also use this same electronic signal (but bypass the OBD2 port).