brake controller

[HBarlow]

SRehberg:



I agree with you about the Tekonsha Voyager. I used one for several years. Tekonsha gave me a free replacement once and told me to run a large ground wire direct from the battery to the controller when I called them another time. The replacement controller was equally as bad as the original and the direct ground made no difference.



I was pulling a heavy 34' Airstream at the time. It is my belief that the Voyager may have provided adequate braking for someone pulling a relatively light trailer because the towing vehicle could easily create deceleration required to swing the pendulum forward and intitiate braking. In my case, the trailer was so heavy that applying the truck brakes didn't immediately create deceleration. If I set the pendulum and gain high enough to create braking, it would overbrake when moving slowly. It was a nightmare of bucking and jumping or running through traffic lights that suddenly turned red! The Tekonsha provided a fine ornament for the bottom of a dumpster.



I think Tekonsha is a good company. They were just marketing a lousy product at the time.



I have been using a Hayes-Lemmerz inertial controller for a couple years now. It is a great improvement over the Voyager but is still just a compromise compared to a controller that senses brakeline pressure rather than inertia.



I'm planning to go to Dallas in the next couple of weeks to buy and have installed one of the new BrakeSmart controllers. If I do, I'll post my impressions here.



Harvey

 

[SRehberg]

Harvey, I know what you mean by lack of braking. It seems like I just keep cranking up the gain, and not much goes on. At slow speed it wants to grab. The Voyager is getting ready to take a voyage similar to yours! I would like to hear your experience with the new one you plan on installing down in Dallas(?); it might seem pricey, but if it worked good, it would be worth every cent. I plan on trying this older hydraulic/electric unit, it can't be any worse than this piece of junk I paid to have installed.

 

[HBarlow]

SRehberg:



You'll be pleased with your braking performance if you install your old K-H controller.



About three years ago, not long after I junked the Tekonsha Voyager and installed my old K-H brake controller on my previous Ford F-250, I was on my way to an Airstream Rally in Maryland outside of Washington, DC. I was pulling a trailer, traveling briskly through Columbus, OH, following to closely in congested rush hour traffic when a bobtail truck suddenly stopped in front of me. I experienced a moment of panic as I jumped on the brakes. My subconscious mind, accustomed to the poor and unreliable braking of the Tekonsha, was saying to me, "you're going to hit that truck. " To my surprise and enormous relief my truck and trailer braked to a quick, controlled stop well short of the rear of the truck in front of me. I know with absolute certainty that had I not replaced the erratic Tekonsha I would have been involved in a serious accident.



Harvey

 

[SRehberg]

I'm convinced enough I plan on putting it on to give it a go. Your experience sure confirms what I have worried about..... the ability to smack the vehicle in front. I don't ever remember worrying about the stopping with the old controller, but perhaps my memory is selective. Anyway, it will be going on real soon and I will give it a test. Now I just have to find the fitting to go onto the master cylinder with the SAE and metric threads. I'm sure something can be found.

 

[HBarlow]

SRehberg:



Try NAPA p/n 7921. That is the p/n provided to me by the friendly folks at BrakeSmart in Dallas. NAPA charged me $5. 88 for it. If your NAPA counter guy is friendly he can look the part up in his computer and tell you the dimensions and you can make an educated guess whether it will fit your truck.



Harvey

 

[SRehberg]

Harvey,

Thanks for the p/n; I'll check my approx. size, then go over to Napa tomorrow for the part. That will sure help, otherwise I'd be guessing some. I'll let you know how it goes. I sure am looking forward to some better control.



Steve

 

[HBarlow]

For two years and 82,000 miles, I've wanted to install my old Kelsey-Hayes hydraulic-electric brake controller on my 2001. 5 Dodge Ram with four wheel disc brakes and ABS. Until this thread showed up with the info about the company in Dallas, TX that is now manufacturing the new hydraulic-electronic brake controller I was unable to determine what tee fitting to use. I never got far enough into the idea to simply remove the brake lines at the master cylinder to determine what size to look for because I wasn't sure the truck's braking system was compatible with the old brake controller.



After the posts about Brake Smart in Dallas appeared in this thread I made about a 98% committment to go over to Dallas, buy one, and have it installed. Several weeks ago, after reading more posts in this thread, I called Brake Smart, the company that makes the new controller, and asked what tee fitting they used. The helpful company spokesman advised me what fitting to use and where to get the tee fitting for my Dodge Ram application.



I went to my local NAPA store and ordered NAPA p/n 7921 "towed trailer tee fitting. " It cost about $6.



Further encouraged by my recent dialogue on this thread with Steve Rehberg, I decided to install the old-fashioned controller in my truck.



I know, 10,000 RV parts managers, service managers, and salesmen, and another 30,000 trailer owners will tell you it can't be done. "The old fashioned hydraulic-electric brake controllers are incompatible with modern ABS equipped trucks" they will all tell you. Well, I'm here to tell you that opinion could be described as the substance discharged by males of the bovine species after dining on grass.



I installed my Kelsey-Hayes controller today in my Dodge Ram. I removed the front of two brake lines on the master cylinder, replaced the line with the NAPA #7921 tee, and reattached the brake line. I routed a six foot length of NAPA brake line through the firewall and connected it to the tee fitting and the brake controller. I wired it with the black lead of the controller to 12v dc constant hot, red wire to the brake light switch, and blue to the trailer brakes through a "screen door spring" adjustable brake resistor on the firewall. I ran an additional white wire to ground the controller. I don't need the adjustable brake resistor when pulling my Avion but will when I pull my utility flat bed trailer which has brakes on only one axle.



After completing the installation I tested the brake signal at the seven pin factory female plug on the back of the truck. It worked as intended so I took the truck on a test drive to make sure I had not introduced a problem. I had normal truck brakes, set no codes, and lighted no dash lights.



I then hooked up to my 8,500# Avion TT and pulled it on a five mile test drive. The first thing I did was test the trailer brakes using the manual override lever on the controller. Wow!!! I can lock the trailer brakes with ease. I made several gentle stops and then deliberately braked late at an intersection using moderately hard braking. The truck and trailer made a smooth controlled stop as if I had nothing behind me.



The controller provides perfectly matched and modulated truck and trailer brakes as demanded by the driver. No bucking or overrunning suddenly changing red lights and no continual fiddling with the stupid pendulum adjuster and gain control on the intertia brake controller. I must have adjusted the pendulum lever and gain control one thousand times over the years I've used the inertia controllers but never learned to enjoy it.



I did not make a panic stop to attempt to get into ABS braking mode but I've never activated the ABS mode in 82,000 miles of driving this truck. I don't know how the system will react if I brake hard on slippery pavement and activate the ABS feature with the trailer in-tow. My guess is if I ever do that I'll have ABS trailer brakes as well as on the truck, not necessarily a bad thing. (On second thought, I think the preceding line is incorrect. The tee fitting is installed before the ABS hardware so I don't think trailer brakes will be affected by ABS activation. )



This post is not to criticize any other member's choice of brake controller or persuade anyone to install a Kelsey hydraulic-electric controller. My post is simply to tell those of you who once towed with the complete comfort provided by the old-fashioned controller that tapped into the hydraulic braking system of your truck, the K-H controller IS COMPATIBLE with ABS brakes and IT CAN BE DONE.



I accept no responsibility and I'm sure that TDR admin accepts no responsibility if you tap into your Dodge Ram's brake system to install one of the old brake controllers as I have and run over a school bus. I'm simply telling members of my own personal experience. You can tap into the hydraulic braking system of your Dodge Ram and use one of the old tried and true hydraulic brake controllers if you choose.



Harvey

 

[SRehberg]

Way to go Harvey! The results sound really good for braking; I too have adjusted the pendalum till I was blue in the face, with less than desireable results.



I went down to Napa last week to get the fitting, but when they brought it out, the male end that would screw into the master cylinder, was way to small. I measured the one that is there, so now I need to go down again for another go at it, or I should just call the Brake Smart people. The lines coming out of the master cylinder are very short, so I will probably need to replace the one I tap into, adding a loop in the line so I can connect it back to its original location. The valve for signaling a pressure differential, sits just below and alongside the master... is this where yours is? This makes the lines very short from the master, so the need for a longer one.



The fitting on the master cylinder appears to be approx. 9/16". Does this sound about the same as the one on your truck?



The "door spring" you mentioned, was it needed at all with the four wheel setup? Sure like the sounds of the stopping ability.



Soon as I can get a fitting, the Voyager hits the can, and the old one gets mounted. Thanks for the great info for everyones benefit.