brake controller

[fernandol]

I will be towing an Adventure Trailer Horizon http://adventuretrailers.com/horizon.html with my 80 series and need to get a brake controller.

Any suggestions??
I was going to get one from international tools but figure there should be some better options.

Regards

Fernando

 

[Grim Reaper]

Kelsey Hayes Hydraulic (very hard to find anymore because of anti lock brakes). It actually taps into the hydraulic line so it mimics the brake peddle. The Jordan Ultima uses a cable on the brake pedal to effectively do the same. They are the best on the market.

http://www.bestbrakecontroller.com/

They are proactive controllers. they mimic the brake peddle on the tow vehicle EXACTLY.

The rest are reactive controllers that use some sort of inertia sensor that reacts AFTER the tow vehicle activates its brakes. They can be tricked. If you loose partial brakes on the tow vehicle then the tow vehicle can't produce enough change in inertia to get the control to kick on the trailer brakes. With. The Jordan the brakes on the trailer would work regardless.
Same deal with slick surface. the tow vehicle would lock and the trailer would start pushing it til it jackknifes.

The best of the reactives is probably the Tekonsha Prodigy.

 

[fernandol]

The jordan looks good but it is out of stock and I'm leaving for North Carolina in a week


Maybe I will get the cheapo one from northern tools for now and get the Jordan when ever it is available again.

Thanks

Fernando

 

[spressomon]

The Prodigy on my Horizon works perfecto. You can program the amount of boost going to the trailer along with complete manual control.

 

[Lars]

Tekonsha Prodigy.

Probably the most popular controller out there right now.

 

[fernandol]

Ok, I got the Prodigy.

Thanks to everyone for your input

Regards

Fernando

 

[SouthwestWheel]

Kelsey Hayes Hydraulic (very hard to find anymore because of anti lock brakes). It actually taps into the hydraulic line so it mimics the brake peddle. The Jordan Ultima uses a cable on the brake pedal to effectively do the same. They are the best on the market.

http://www.bestbrakecontroller.com/

They are proactive controllers. they mimic the brake peddle on the tow vehicle EXACTLY.

The rest are reactive controllers that use some sort of inertia sensor that reacts AFTER the tow vehicle activates its brakes. They can be tricked. If you loose partial brakes on the tow vehicle then the tow vehicle can't produce enough change in inertia to get the control to kick on the trailer brakes. With. The Jordan the brakes on the trailer would work regardless.
Same deal with slick surface. the tow vehicle would lock and the trailer would start pushing it til it jackknifes.

The best of the reactives is probably the Tekonsha Prodigy.

Just had to comment on this. The Prodigy is a very popular and very good control. But, we just got in a new hydraulic over electric control that is outstanding. It ties into your master cylinder and calibrates to your brake pedal. Take a look and tell us what you think http://www.brakecontroller.com/maxbrake.htm

 

[jwebb]

Seeking wiring harness for 2003 LC

Hi All-

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with my question.

I have a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser, on which I have installed a tow hitch. (The vehicle did not come with a factory-installed trailer tow package).

My question is this:
I am now seeking a wiring harness to connect the OEM 7-pin connector (located under the dash of the car above the brake pedal) to an electric brake controller module.


Does Toyota or another parts manufacturer make a wiring harness that is compatible with this connector? Where can I buy this wiring harness and is there a part number available?


Can any brake controller be used? The brake controller I have has a 4-pin connector on it.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Jennifer

 

[John E Davies]

Take a look and tell us what you think http://www.brakecontroller.com/maxbrake.htm

That looks like a fine design in a dorky case, but IMHO it's overpriced by at least $150. The bottom line is that it does EXACTLY what the Jordan does but uses a hydraulic pressure sensor rather than a cable to the brake pedal. I don't care for the Jordan's cable hookup, but the soon to be released (if you believe them) new version with remote display will hopefully be more elegant.

I've used a Jordan for many years on all sorts of terrain and I can't imagine anything surpassing it for ease of use and transparency. I like that when I slam on the brakes I get instant 100% trailer braking with no built-in delay, yet if I barely touch the pedal going down a long gravel grade, all I get is a trickle of current to the trailer. It's a great unit, and a heck of a lot less cash than the MaxBrake unit.

 

[John E Davies]

Hi All-

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with my question.

I have a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser, on which I have installed a tow hitch. (The vehicle did not come with a factory-installed trailer tow package).

My question is this:
I am now seeking a wiring harness to connect the OEM 7-pin connector (located under the dash of the car above the brake pedal) to an electric brake controller module.

Does Toyota or another parts manufacturer make a wiring harness that is compatible with this connector? Where can I buy this wiring harness and is there a part number available?

Can any brake controller be used? The brake controller I have has a 4-pin connector on it.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer. This probably belongs in a different forum, but I can answer your question. Tekonsha makes adapters for factory wire harnesses They do list a cable that fits "all" Toyota trucks but it doesn't specifically list the LC. You should probably email them for confirmation.

http://www.tekonsha.com/bch3040.html

This cable will only work with Tekonsha models as described on the website. If you have something other than a Tekonsha you need to contact that manufacturer. Or you could cut the Tekonsha connector off and splice the wires.

This chart shows the Toyota wire color codes for the factory connector:
http://www.tekonsha.com/files/BC_Wire_Harness_Chart.pdf

Etrailer.com should have the cable.

John Davies
Spokane WA

 

[jwebb]

Thank you!

Thank you, John!

 

[SouthwestWheel]

That looks like a fine design in a dorky case, but IMHO it's overpriced by at least $150. The bottom line is that it does EXACTLY what the Jordan does but uses a hydraulic pressure sensor rather than a cable to the brake pedal. I don't care for the Jordan's cable hookup, but the soon to be released (if you believe them) new version with remote display will hopefully be more elegant.

I've used a Jordan for many years on all sorts of terrain and I can't imagine anything surpassing it for ease of use and transparency. I like that when I slam on the brakes I get instant 100% trailer braking with no built-in delay, yet if I barely touch the pedal going down a long gravel grade, all I get is a trickle of current to the trailer. It's a great unit, and a heck of a lot less cash than the MaxBrake unit.

Actually the MaxBrake has a delay mechanism, it is the knob on the right. It does not have a gain adjustment because it does not need it. Besides I thought the Jordan was the title holder of fine design in a dorky case.

 

[John E Davies]

Actually the MaxBrake has a delay mechanism, it is the knob on the right. It does not have a gain adjustment because it does not need it. Besides I thought the Jordan was the title holder of fine design in a dorky case.

I agree the Jordan is dorky - the new design should help that. For $250 the MB should be elegant.

I can't imagine using the MaxBrake without some sort of manual gain control. My trailer is so light when nearly empty that I have to dial the current to 0.4 amps to prevent lockup on gravel. How would I do that with the MB? Sure I could just not use a controller at all, but that would be a stupid solution when the Jordan works so great.

If I load a ton of petrified wood in it, I can crank up the current in less than 5 seconds - no worries.

No factory "self calibration" can possibly choose the perfect current setting IMHO - it will always be a compromise aimed at the average heavily loaded travel trailer.

John Davies
Spokane WA