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Got a question...

bruiser

bruiser

New member
For you folks that pull campers etc. with your cage: What type of electric brake controller do you have? There are timed, inertial, proportional (air over hydraulic) which I won't need. Brands are Tekonsha, Brake Force, Dexter etc. I'm looking to save some money. My truck is wired for towing and I have the OE harness to go between the fuse box and controller. My towing up to now has been with lightweight trailers that don't need the extra braking. My new enclosed trailer will have dual axles with electric brakes and breakaway. The dealer wants 175.00 for the controller installed. Does that sound about right???
 
bruiser said:
For you folks that pull campers etc. with your cage: What type of electric brake controller do you have? There are timed, inertial, proportional (air over hydraulic) which I won't need. Brands are Tekonsha, Brake Force, Dexter etc. I'm looking to save some money. My truck is wired for towing and I have the OE harness to go between the fuse box and controller. My towing up to now has been with lightweight trailers that don't need the extra braking. My new enclosed trailer will have dual axles with electric brakes and breakaway. The dealer wants 175.00 for the controller installed. Does that sound about right???
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That's a fair price installed. Make sure it has manual control capability. That way if you ever have need or reason to brake only the trailer you can. IE: on black ice and such.
 
I don't pull a camper, but I do pull trailers with electric brakes. I installed a Reese Brakeman Compact controller on the F-150. It is plugged into the OEM connector with a factory harness (or maybe a Hopkins or Reese version). It works just fine. It has delay and intensity controls, a manual control button, and a light to show when (and how strongly) it is working. I bought this one at a farm supply store. I don't remember what it cost, but it wasn't nearly $175. I installed it myself...mount the bracket, attach the controller, then plug-n-play. I have a different controller in my F-100, but I don't remember which one. It is probably obsolete anyway. I think it was a Hopkins or a Tekonsha. To be honest, I have never found a big difference in controllers. I guess my needs are minimal. Just get one that you will be able to mount where it is convenient, see when mounted, and reach the manual control readily.
 
He said $175 installed? That pretty much sounds as if it's in the ballpark. By the time they get done crawling around up under the dash to hook it up... :thumbup:
 
Pretty much all it's going to be is plugging in the harness to the fuse/relay box,hooking the wires to the controller and mounting the controller,then testing. Everything else is already there since the truck came tow ready anyway. He's saying about 1.5 to 2 hours total.
 
Question: Since the truck is pretty much set up to just have stuff plugged in and it'll be ready; would you feel comfortable just buying the controller and tackling it yourself?
I've got to admit that even I managed to install one of those myself on a 2000 Silverado 2500HD... ;)
 
I used Tekonsha Prodidgy in my rigs for yrs. My current rig has a break controler built in. What rig u puttin it in? Some are plug and play, and take only 1/2 hr to put in.

I have two Tek's I'm not using, willing to sell one cheap if you pay shipping.. $25.00+ shipping...You can go on their site and get the adapter for your rig.
 
Bob Denman said:
Question: Since the truck is pretty much set up to just have stuff plugged in and it'll be ready; would you feel comfortable just buying the controller and tackling it yourself?
I've got to admit that even I managed to install one of those myself on a 2000 Silverado 2500HD... ;)
Click to expand...

Mine is a 2004 Silverado 1500. I'm sure it wouldn't be much of an issue.
 
:2thumbs: Go For It! :2thumbs:
Invite some buddies over so that they can drink some "hydraulic sandwiches" :cheers: and offer bad advice while you ignore them, and pop it into place! :thumbup:
As I recall; the scariest part of the install was drilling mounting holes for the unit... :shocked:
 
IMO, I think $175.00 is high for an a controller/installation. My controller was less than a hundred installed, but I bought it at the same place/time as my trailer so that might be why.



Bruiser.............there are many choices for controllers out there. IMO make sure it has a progressive braking adjustment as well as the sensitivity adjustment.

Alot of cheap controllers just have one sensitivity adjustment, but you also want the progressive braking adjustment as well. It's tough to explain but.......... this adjustment is like a time delay until the braking reaches full potential of your sensitivity adjustment. It makes for a much, much smoother braking. :thumbup: I believe this system is what Scotty is refering to as well.




Granted...... my truck towed the space shuttle, so other Non-Toyota trucks most likely will feel the weight/trailer regardless of the controller. :roflblack:
 
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Thanks Randy. That's what I'm looking for. The cost I quoted is from the dealer where we are getting our trailer, that's why I feel it's a bit high too. I've done more checking and I'm going to order the Activator.

My truck hasn't pulled the Shuttle, but it did stay at a Holiday Inn. :roflblack:
 
I have the Prodogy 2 but there is a 3 out I believe. By far the best break controller I have ever used. It costs 2-3 times as much as the cheepos but set it up once and forget about it. The old ones would have to be fiddled with all the time.
 
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