Best brand / type brake control to buy?

[Glock Guru]

Still waiting on my new 06' CTD, but I can still get my accessories



What brand and model of trailer brake box do you guys recommend?



I would like a box that is plug and play that I can install my self.



I will pull both a goose neck (small to avarage size) and a Conventional trailer (6. 5' x 20')





Thanks for your help in advance





-Troy

 

[JRMora]

I like my Prodigy. Once it's set up, I don't have to keep fiddling with it. It's easy to set, too.



Juan

 

[Grizzly]

I would say a BrakeSmart, but they are spendy.

 

[MLevenson]

I guess how much towing you are going to do? I think if you do a lot of towing the Brakesmart is the way to go, however I don't like the $435 price tag so I will be getting a prodigy from Ebay for the price of $100ish

 

[Glock Guru]

Well I am out no the $450 unit, I don't care if that thing can cook breakfast! The $100-$125 sounds good to me. I have been told good things about the Tekonsha products, so I guess I will start looking on Ebay for a Prodigy and a harness for "DA-RAM"





Thanks for the help.



-Troy

 

[nps]

Jordan Ultima works like a Brakesmart for about $100. Prodigy is a good unit too.

 

[JGrosso]

I have the Prodgy, works great, and have had no problems. You can purchase it with the Dodge Ram Wiring harness so you don't even have to wire it, just plug it in and go (if you have the trailer towing package on the truck, most of the new trucks come that way. )

 

[J D Moore]

Consider the Jordan, I am a very satisfied user.

Jim

 

[mlandis2]

I wanted to try Brakesmart on this truck and like it very much... . but it is $$$$. It might be a little easier to justify if they would ever release the boost and EGT interfaces as they have been saying for how long now.



I was a Jordan user on my previous ride and would recommend that one too.



Neither are as simple to set up as the Prodigy, IMHO, but not tough either.

 

[TowPro]

Another vote for the Jordan. I have 2 friends who switched as well. And yes they work with the 06 adjustable pedels, just be sure to tell him you need the special bracket!

 

[klenger]

I wanted to try Brakesmart on this truck and like it very much... . but it is $$$$. It might be a little easier to justify if they would ever release the boost and EGT interfaces as they have been saying for how long now.

Has anyone heard if Dr Performance has made any commitment to actually doing this?

 

[GWBourne]

LOVE my brakesmart. i have to admit, as others may, that i have had to adjust it though. every time i hook a different trailer to it. otherwise its set it and forget it. mainly because my goose is 3 braking axles and the rest tend to be one or two, and my goose is 19+k lbs

Grant

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Prodigy is a good unit, unless you're hauling liquids. We tow trailers everyday at work using Prodigy controllers. All work great except when pulling our water trailer. While stopping, when the liquid is splashing around, the controller will lock up and release the brakes constantly. This creates terrible situations. A spokesperson, for Prodigy, said this is a characteristic of this controller.

 

[Glock Guru]

Thanks for all the input on the brake boxes. For the limited amount of towing I will be doing I have decided to go with the Prodigy unit. BTW the plug-n-play harness part number for the 06' 3500 Ram CTD is #3020 as per the Tekonsha tech guy if you are using the Prodigy unit. (may be the same part number for all the Rams for all I know). Again thanks for all the input.





-Troy

 

[MMoroney]

I have used a Draw Tite/Reese Activator III brake controller in both Dodges. I like them because they have a detachable remote handheld unit and they have consistent braking from one stop to the next. When I'm not towing, the control can be stored in the console, leaving a small box under the dash. I've towed plenty of goosenecks up to a 36 ft triple-axle, with no brake issues. Mike



Oh, and the Activator III is only $100-125.

 

[WardJ]

Just bought the Jordan, based on what I read on this and several other forums.

 

[RustyJC]

The best? The BrakeSmart.



The best for the money? The Jordan Ultima 2020.



The best inertial controller (a fundamentally flawed design concept)? The Tekonsha Prodigy.



Rusty

 

[MLevenson]

The best? The BrakeSmart.



The best for the money? The Jordan Ultima 2020.



The best inertial controller (a fundamentally flawed design concept)? The Tekonsha Prodigy.



Rusty

Explain the Flawed design concept... . please

 

[RustyJC]

A true proportional controller (examples - BrakeSmart and Jordan) directly measures the braking effort the driver is applying to the truck (the BrakeSmart via hydraulic pressure in the brake system; the Jordan via brake pedal position) and generates a proportional braking output which is sent to the trailer brakes. If you push the pedal harder, you get more trailer brakes - every time.



An inertial controller has no direct connection to the truck's braking system. The only way it knows what's happening is (1. ) the brake light wire is telling it that the brakes are being applied and (2. ) its internal accelerometer is measuring the truck's rate of deceleration in an attempt to determine how hard the truck's brakes are being applied. In other words, the truck has to be decelerating before the accelerometer can determine how much trailer braking to provide. What happens on a slick surface when the truck cannot generate enough deceleration without locking a wheel to give the accelerometer the input it's seeking? One can find himself with locked truck brakes and no trailer brakes - instant jack knife (it happened to me on a previous truck and 5th wheel with a Tekonsha Sentinel inertial controller). For further illustration, see a previous poster's comments on using an inertial controller when hauling liquids - as the load shifts back and forth, the controller will sense the increasing and decreasing rates of deceleration and vary the trailer braking effort.



To overcome this critical deficiency, the Prodigy sends out a "boost" signal when it senses brake light activation, but that boost signal is purely artificial depending on what the operator has set in the controller. It has nothing to do with actual truck braking effort being applied.



Rusty

 

[dbgator]

I just bought the Jordon Controller. Great Customer Service, I talked with Jordon himself with questions. I don't know of to many other businesses that you can call and talk with the owner when you have questions.