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tslanier · 06-05-2006, 08:36 PM

Just purchased my first AS and need to get a brake controller installed. The dealer suggested Prodigy? I would appreciate feedback.

rebel beck · 06-05-2006, 09:20 PM

You will get a lot of advice on this, we just had the prodigy installed about 2 months ago and we love it. It's so easy the guy that put it on for us did all the set up and we have not had to do anything. I bought it new off of ebay and saved about $40.

Killo1 · 06-05-2006, 09:49 PM

PRODIGY. My buddy got a cheaper one not to long ago and I would say mine is much easier to dial in and I think overall a more quality product.b

CanoeStream · 06-05-2006, 09:58 PM

Hello Stewart -- I've had a Prodigy for nearly 3 years. Prodigy is fairly top of the line for electronic inertial brake controllers. It has always worked well for me but has to be mounted fairly close to level. It is easy to calibrate for the stopping characteristics of individual trailers and then doesn't drift. You'll want it within the driver's reach. At Rjay's ($99) I don't see a Lincoln pigtail to plug into your tow vehicle but your Lincoln dealer may have one. It doesn't gobble up RV tech time to install one, so that part is reasonable. Otherwise it is actually fairly easy to do if you have the tools and inclination. Just never practice pulling the breakaway switch wire with your 7-pin connector attached to the tow vehicle -- it'll fry the Prodigy.

Prodigy has worked for me but I'm considering changing. Many Forums members speak highly of the Jordan as seen at www.bestbrakecontroller.com -- it isn't sensitive to a tilted installation.

Kistler · 06-06-2006, 08:08 AM

Another plus for the Prodigy is that it is non-invasive .... does't connect to brake lines....AND if I can do the plug-ins any idiot can

There is a plug-in behind the one the dealer uses to "read" the electronic stuff about systems....just buy the pig-tail.

bryanl · 06-06-2006, 08:48 AM

The Prodigy gets very good reviews from nearly everyone who uses it. It is easy to install and 'just works' - Prodigy owners just seem satisfied and don't seem to get into defensive ownership or an excess of zeal about their brake controllers.

There are two other camps that seem to me to be a bit defensive and with a lot of zeal. Those who think hydraulic pressure is the ticket to control favor the Brakesmart and those who think pedal position is the ticket favor the Jordan. There is a lot to be said for each of these but there is also something to be said for a non-intrusive simpler system such as the Prodigy, especially when it works well.

All of these modern brake controllers, including the Prodigy, have to be a bit smarter than just sensing brake need to be able to anticipate that need and to adjust braking as appropriate for the trailer. Perhaps the best solution is what Ford is doing with an integral trailer brake controller in some of its pickups. That can use many more inputs than an add-on and accomodate such things as ABS and vehcile demands.

silverback · 06-06-2006, 09:05 AM

I've been using a Prodigy since 2003. On two trucks and now three Airstreams. I had one go south and it was replaced under warranty. Now that I'm using a Hensley hitch I've come to appreciate the Prodigy even more because of the boost feature (I don't have the manual in front of me so I can't give you much of an explanation for boost except that it causes the trailer to brake faster). The Hensley has a tendency to push your tow vehicle during braking. It felt like the truck was pulling to the left. I upped the boost setting on the Prodigy one level and the pushing sensation has disappeared.
Go for it,
Ken

ZoominC6 · 06-06-2006, 09:18 AM

After trying the rest, we bought the best online and saved some $$. Our vote is for Prodigy as well. Hands free unit, no fuss, plug in and play. Go for it.

wbrownrr · 06-06-2006, 09:56 AM

Prodigy..... easy to install and set up... smooth, reliable stops. It's a good match for our tow vehicle/Airstream combo.

SilverRanger · 06-06-2006, 10:02 AM

I have only used one other electronic brake controller before the Prodigy, and there is no comparison.

J Goertzen · 06-12-2006, 09:24 AM

Howdy Folks. I have a 2006 Ford F150, super crew,4wd as a TV for a 22' International (2003) CCD. what kind of brake controller would you recomend (professionaly installed), where best to install it on the dash area , and same with a transmission temp guage??? I want to roll outa here!!! (but safely). Anyone reading this from the Santa Rosa/Napa California area, who would you recomend for doing this installation?? As always, thanks ahead of time for everyone's great and appreciated help, Jim

peegreen · 06-12-2006, 09:46 AM

I have a Tekonsha Prodigy and am very pleased with its performance. If you purchase one, get the Ford connector and then it's plug and play. It will connect to a plug under the dash, super simple to install. Mount the unit so you can easily reach the adjustments and manual brake override. This is a DIY installation.

bhayden · 06-12-2006, 09:47 AM

We had an Impulse made by Hopkins Mfg. Corp installed on our 2000 GMC Safari van. The unit was relatively inexpensive at about $300 installed. After getting that installed it was obvious the brakes on our new (to us) Argosy 24 needed attention. Four new backing plate assemblies and $700 later the trailer now stops.

My beef, other than the brake job costing way more than what seems reasonable is that the controller requires a lot of adjustment even though the trailer weight is constant. At low speed the trailer jerks the van to a stop with the lightest touch of the brakes but at highway speed, especially on a down grade I have to dial it up. The range is from 20% at low speed to 30-35% coming down mtn passes. This just seems too twitchy. Maybe it'll moderate as the trailer brakes wear in?

Some controllers cost twice as much as others. Maybe you get what you pay for? I don't understand electric brakes. It seems like the only adjustment is the resistance of the controller so the same braking effort goes to the trailer if you stand on the brakes as if you just touch the pedal. Since drum brakes are self energizing the effect is multiplied. Oh for the old hydraulic coupling (not surge brakes) on my old '72 Dodge and horse trailer ;-)

dmac · 06-12-2006, 09:49 AM

I have the same truck, although 2005.

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!

dmac · 06-12-2006, 10:02 AM

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.

Killo1 · 06-12-2006, 10:04 AM

Prodigy works great for me.

scottanlily · 06-12-2006, 11:55 PM

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

dmac · 06-13-2006, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhayden

...the controller requires a lot of adjustment even though the trailer weight is constant...It seems like the only adjustment is the resistance of the controller so the same braking effort goes to the trailer if you stand on the brakes as if you just touch the pedal...

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.

A microporcessor looks at the force, and time since braking started, and computes the voltage to be applied to the trailer brakes at any given moment in time. Different voltage = different amount of trailer braking. You can "tune" the baseline for this with a rheostat, and with the Prodigy you can tweek the programming a bit with a button that puts three different force/time/voltage curves into play. A properly set up system works very well.

dmac · 06-13-2006, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottanlily

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.

bhayden · 06-13-2006, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmac

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.