Something is wrong with your controller or installation. The controller takes two inputs:
1. The brake pedal being pressed turns on the tow vehicles brake lights. This tells the controller whether you are braking or not.
2. The inertia of slowing down is sensed internally by the controller. The harder you brake the more forward force is "felt" by the controller.
We have an Impulse made by Hopkins Mfg. Corp (aka Hoppy). It's a "time delay" type controller and doesn't sense inertia. In some respect I like this idea better as our tow vehicle is a little marginal and since I like to brake as slowly as possible the inertia type I think would put more strain on the TV brakes. I also wonder about long down grades where you're "riding the brakes" to maintain a constant speed. No speed change means no input to the interia sensor, right? That means you be relying heavily on the TV brakes on grades, the very situation Scott reports.
I'll have to live with it for a while. Hopefully the trailer brakes get less grabby with a little wear. Fortunately the control is easy to reach and dialing it in isn't too bad. The digital readout makes it easy to hit the right setting. A little adjustment of the brake light switch may also be in order. Right now you can depress the brake a little before the TV brakes actually engage. I looked to see if there was an adjustment on the time delay but couldn't find any info.
We have an Impulse made by Hopkins Mfg. Corp (aka Hoppy). It's a "time delay" type controller and doesn't sense inertia. In some respect I like this idea better as our tow vehicle is a little marginal and since I like to brake as slowly as possible the inertia type I think would put more strain on the TV brakes. I also wonder about long down grades where you're "riding the brakes" to maintain a constant speed. No speed change means no input to the interia sensor, right? That means you be relying heavily on the TV brakes on grades, the very situation Scott reports.
I'll have to live with it for a while. Hopefully the trailer brakes get less grabby with a little wear. Fortunately the control is easy to reach and dialing it in isn't too bad. The digital readout makes it easy to hit the right setting. A little adjustment of the brake light switch may also be in order. Right now you can depress the brake a little before the TV brakes actually engage. I looked to see if there was an adjustment on the time delay but couldn't find any info.
I also have one of these junkers. I set it at 35% for city, and 70% for highway, with the CONSTANT irritation that I will be running into a problem that require re-adjustment . . but I'm already involved in fast double-clutching my way down the gears with appropriate braking and steering inputs. That Hoppy is a liability by design, I'd need a third hand and a second set of eyes on stalks to get it right.
I was going to buy BRAKESMART when I was in Weatherford, TX having Roger Williams Airstream install my Hensley hitch, but Dave Tidmore got me intrigued by what he said he'd been testing in controllers, so I decided to wait. Even talked to one of the Dr. Performance shop guys who had pulled up behind the dealership to work on another vehicle. Wish now I'd gotten it then.
I had long admired the Jordan (still do, and have taken Andy Thomson's positive comments about it to heart) but it still ain't in production.
My trailer isn't going anywhere for a while, but, if it does, then I'll get a Prodigy or P3 for the mean time.
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2004.0 DODGE 2500 Cummins 305/555; 6-manual, 7,400-lbs; 19 mpg city; 22-25 hwy; 13-15 towing. All miles at 1,700-1,900 rpm.
Sold: 1983 Silver Streak3411 Supreme; 6,860# (8,000 GVWR)
Classified section, vintage kin http://www.airstreamclassifieds.com/...p?product=6935
Many people here use the Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller. A few use other brands/models, but this seems to be the most popular unit.
Installation is a snap. The truck is pre-wired for trailer brakes. It comes with a wire pigtail that can be soldered to the corresponding pigtail that comes with the brake controller. The assembled pigtail pair plugs into the controller and truck. Alternatively, you can purchase a pre-made cable when you buy the controller so it will just plug-and-play.
Mounting the unit is very easy... there is an exposed metal panel on the lower left side of the dash, by the drivers left knee. Just drill two small holes and screw the mounting bracket to this panel.
With a pre-assembled cable the entire job should take about 10 minutes. If you decide to merge the two pigtails, perhaps 30 minutes total.
Anyone familiar with trailer brakes can install this for you!
For a transmission temperature gauge... I bought a Norskog digital unit.
It was a minor pain to install. A metal plug on the side of the transmission is replaced with a temperature sending unit, a new wire is run from it to the gauge, a switched hot lead must be found and run to the gauge, and mount the gauge.
Someone who knows what they are doing could do this in a half-hour, but routing the new wire and finding the proper hot lead took me much longer.
You could have a truck accesories place install this.
It is nice to have - the digital gauge is supposed to be very accurate (within a couple percent) so you can see even small changes in temperature due to outside temperature, hills, speed, gear selection, etc.
My prodigy seems to need the gain set higher on the down grades and it needs to be dialed back at regular level roads ,its not twitchy or grabby and works really good ,but that down grade thing bugs me.It is an inertia type controller ,you would think it would work better downhill on grades .It is mounted "level "under the dash .Any ideas on that downhill business??
My prodigy seems to need the gain set higher on the down grades and it needs to be dialed back at regular level roads ,its not twitchy or grabby and works really good ,but that down grade thing bugs me.It is an inertia type controller ,you would think it would work better downhill on grades .It is mounted "level "under the dash .Any ideas on that downhill business??
Scott
The grade should not matter to a Prodigy. Once set, I never need to mess with my Prodigy's setup. Exactly what are you experiencing?
Perhaps it's just the normal additional stopping force that is required going down hill?
Prodigy can tolerate 0 - 70 degree mounting angle, but not a negative angle, so a slight positive angle may be advisable to ensure it is not slightly negative. It must be mounted aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tow vehicle, and cannot be tilted side-to-side.
I have a 2005 F-250 with the Tow/Haul package and factory trailer braking package. As I understand it, the built in trailer brake system is manufactured by Tekonsha and is different in that there is a sensor in the master cylinder that controls the trailer's brakes. The added benefit is that when the anti-lock brake system activates, the trailer brake controler will also pulse the trailer's brakes to prevent them from skidding. It ties the two brake systems together making them work in harmony. (Sounds good anyway.) The system worked great on the voyage home. Anyway, my point was supposed to be that I would recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy since Ford selected Tekonsha to manufacture their built in system and the truck is already pre-wired for that brand.
As far as transmission temp guages, sorry I can't help you their. My F-250 came with one from the factory.
My present truck has one standard, but when I towed a large pop-up with a Cherokee, I used Auto Meter's Ultra-Lite Pro Comp temp gauge with a pillar mount. Worked very well for me, and not too hard to install.
Here's a pic showing it while heading up Wolf Creek Pass.
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Cheers, Dave "Finish." AIR #4188 1994 34' Limited / 2002 Chevy 3500 CC 4x4 D/A Equal-i-zer Hitch / Jordan Ultima 2020
Your description of your brake controller seems to define the problem you are having! Your simpler controller has no idea how hard you are braking, so therefore you are having to adjust it manually. This does not seem like a good solution to me.
Regarding your question about braking down a long grade with an inertia based controller... remember that the inertia controller "knows" that your foot is on the brake because of the brake light circuit, it also "knows" how long you have been applying the brakes (just like your time based unit), and it has the additional information that you are braking lightly. Overall, it works!
Its Prodigy for me. Has worked great for 10,000 miles during our recent 27 state journey. I have a 2005 F250 and a 25 Safari FB SE, and as previously mentioned, Prodigy makes a direct connect harness for the Fords which took me about 15 minutes to install. It worked perfect right out of the box.
Reading the thread with interest. The trans gauge issue got me to thinking....
Is the factory gauge calibrated? I am thinking it should be more or less right on... but then if you don't ask, you might not really know...
I have some serious grades getting back up to the house (7300ft) and 2 sections are over 12% - one is actually 15%. The tranny really hates those sections..... Temps DO come up. My wonder is where they really actually go...?
Does anyone know of a larger trans cooler that would be a bolt on situation. Have an 01 2500 HD Burb with factory tow set up.
What I described is that on a decent long steep grade ,apply the brakes and the rig slows ,but raise the gain on the controller to increase the power to the trailer brakes ,seems the pendulem does not see the slowing as significant enough as the voltage numbers on the readout do not show a big increase as on a normal stop on the road .bhaydens idea sounds right at least by what is happening .My local rv guy said set it and forget it as you have ,but I think somthing is wrong in the unit,works great all other times .The brakes are appling on the down grade but not enough .I have not used the boost settings yet .
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