Brake Controller (1 Viewer)

[TrekboxX]

In a sway situation or emergency, you need immmediate access to that feature.

This. And also why I’d be hesitant to run the Redarc. The little knob seems harder to find quickly and it seems you have to switch it to manual braking mode before it would work. Is this correct?

I’ve pulled lots of trailers and my muscle memory searches for the slider by my right knee when the trailer starts acting up.

 

[ramangain]

In an emergency, you'll stomp on the brake pedal anyways, and the trailer brakes will activate as normal. Same thing for sway; foot off the gas, usually on to the brakes to get things under control.

Personally, I have yet to get into a situation where separate access to the trailer brakes was required, much less instinctive. In fact, when adjusting the trailer brakes for even braking performance, it is nice to be able to activate the brakes from the phone while actually working on the brakes!

 

[CharlieS]

@ramangain If the trailer is swaying, sometimes manual application of trailer brakes alone (not the brake pedal on the vehicle) is enough to straighten things out.

 

[CharlieS]

This. And also why I’d be hesitant to run the Redarc. The little knob seems harder to find quickly and it seems you have to switch it to manual braking mode before it would work. Is this correct?

I’ve pulled lots of trailers and my muscle memory searches for the slider by my right knee when the trailer starts acting up.

Nope, just push the knob in. I have the same experience with tekonsha, etc controller, and the redarc is just as convenient. The knob is right there by my right knee, and easy to push in. The redarc has the benefit of not being something sticking out that I smash my knee on.

 

[TeCKis300]

In an emergency, you'll stomp on the brake pedal anyways, and the trailer brakes will activate as normal. Same thing for sway; foot off the gas, usually on to the brakes to get things under control.

Personally, I have yet to get into a situation where separate access to the trailer brakes was required, much less instinctive. In fact, when adjusting the trailer brakes for even braking performance, it is nice to be able to activate the brakes from the phone while actually working on the brakes!

It may be instinctive to do that, but this intuition should be broken. If we're not talking about a need to immediately stop, and we're talking about a trailer stability and sway situation, then braking normally can very likely make the situation worse.

 

[TrekboxX]

Nope, just push the knob in. I have the same experience with tekonsha, etc controller, and the redarc is just as convenient. The knob is right there by my right knee, and easy to push in. The redarc has the benefit of not being something sticking out that I smash my knee on.

Ah, so the push is what adds braking voltage? How much does it move? With the slider’s 1.5-2” of travel you can really modulate the trailer brakes. This is helpful in a pucker sway situation where you will “grab” at the slider, but it takes quite a movement to jab the trailer brakes.

I’m not knocking the redarc- I have no experience with it. But I have towed all my life including some very heavy loads. @ramangain - yes, stomping the pedal when the trailer is really unsettled can get you in a bad situation fast. Actually, easing on the gas is a better option(unless your boost is set high) but the best option is trailer only braking.

 

[ramangain]

I'm revisiting this topic for a simple reason. Has ANYONE used the Curt BT Echo TBC on a 16+ 200 series yet?

I'm looking at pictures of the location and orientation of the OEM 7 pin plug and using the Curt BT Echo looks dubious at best?

 

[TeCKis300]

^I don't see any problem using that brake controller. They're pretty generic and should work okay. You'll want to verify that the 7-pin is powered without a brake controller installed at the dash (I believe it is).

Only caveats I have is that I'd be a little weary of hanging this style of brake controller off the 7-pin receptacle. It's not the most stable way to mount things and could hang down further than is ideal. Possibly even interfering with chains in a tight turn. I do see it has a strap to keep the cover/latch engaged so it doesn't fall out. Also, this looks to use a phone which means it doesn't have a always accessible user interface (if the controller or plug fall out), nor emergency trailer brake actuation function which I think is important particularly for a larger trailer.

 

[ramangain]

It works flawlessly on my LX 470, but before I switch to a 200 series I need to see what can be ported over or is useless between platforms for towing.

 

[Eighteen11R]

^I don't see any problem using that brake controller. They're pretty generic and should work okay. You'll want to verify that the 7-pin is powered without a brake controller installed at the dash (I believe it is).

Only caveats I have is that I'd be a little weary of hanging this style of brake controller off the 7-pin receptacle. It's not the most stable way to mount things and could hang down further than is ideal. Possibly even interfering with chains in a tight turn. I do see it has a strap to keep the cover/latch engaged so it doesn't fall out. Also, this looks to use a phone which means it doesn't have a always accessible user interface (if the controller or plug fall out), nor emergency trailer brake actuation function which I think is important particularly for a larger trailer.

It works excellently on my 470 as well. The system advises of a weak connection at the plug. The manual braking system works beautifully for me. It's a very large orange ball on the screen and depending on how sensitively you set the system up, it responds just like the old box style system did without having to contort to get to the slide actuator. Just a touch of the button. Not sure where your data points are coming from @TeCKis300 ?

 

[TeCKis300]

It works excellently on my 470 as well. The system advises of a weak connection at the plug. The manual braking system works beautifully for me. It's a very large orange ball on the screen and depending on how sensitively you set the system up, it responds just like the old box style system did without having to contort to get to the slide actuator. Just a touch of the button. Not sure where your data points are coming from @TeCKis300 ?

I have no experience with that controller so my input is probably worth less than 1 cent.

- I've had the 7-pin connection not fully seat before so I'm just weary hanging another doodad off of it.
- Never used a BT style controller on my phone, and I often have the phone screen with music or maps. I'm just assuming in a case of emergency, the right screen may not be up?

 

[Eighteen11R]

Roger. If you are plugged in, you have immediate access with a touch of the screen.
My 470 has a NAV screen and my wife and daughter handle the music from their phones.

 

[ramangain]

The Curt works via gyroscope. I wonder how effective it is when not installed in a "normal" orientation.

 

[Eighteen11R]

The Curt works via gyroscope. I wonder how effective it is when not installed in a "normal" orientation.

Not sure. I've aways had it upright in my OWL and RamMount X-Grip...

 

[ramangain]

The gyroscope is inside of the hardware