Thanks HB. Yea, don't really want to skimp, and thinking of the cost like that does make sense. The MaxBrake seems like a pretty cool setup. Question(s) for ya:
1. Bought travel trailer today, and will go back over to Ponchatoula next weekend to pick it up (went with car today so they couldn't pressure too bad
). While the sales person said they offer several different models (but couldn't offer a name / brand off the top of his head, was going to ask parts but they shut down by the time we decided on a trailer), the flat cost to buy / install was $125. 00 Any idea's on what they may be using?
2. Looking at the MaxBrake, the video and printed docs say no bleeding is needed other than at the sensor coming off the tee. Can this be right? I thought that anytime a brake line was broke open, bleeding had to be done? My fear is that if i try to do this myself, and i have air problems before next saturday, I'm gonna be screwed trying to bring the trailer back. Is it really that simple (i. e. either attach sensor to front or rear brake line via tee, and just bleed at sensor end?
Thanks.
The brake controller they are offering at that price installed is probably an on/off "ramp" type controller. It could be a worthless older Tekonsha inertia-based controller. I have one I'll give you for free if you promise not to pull your trailer with it.
Yes, it is true that no bleeding will be necessary. I can't explain why but my young mechanic friend transferred my Brakesmart from '01 to '06 then '06 to '08 w/o bleeding.
There are four types of brake controllers:
The cheapest, simplest is an electric/electric "ramp" type. It gets a signal from the brakelight switch and activates the brakes when the truck brakes are applied. The voltage "ramps" up quickly over time from minimum to maximum. If you view the electric brake signal on a horizontal graph the voltage begins low on the left side of the graph and quickly, over a period of seconds, as time moves from left to right on the graph the signal increases horizontally therefore the "ramp. " This controller provides little braking initially so the driver presses harder on the truck brakes and then the controller ramps up and overbrakes, skidding the trailer tires and forcing the driver to release the brakes. This controller is better than none at all but not much. Trailer braking is not proportional to truck braking.
The second is an inertia controller. It uses a tiny pendulum device that swings when truck brakes are applied then it applies brakes. Newer versions may use an electronic sensor but it is the same principle. It must sense deceleration first in order to activate the trailer brakes. The drawback is the tow vehicle must be capable of creating deceleration FIRST in order to start trailer braking. If you imagine a heavy trailer with a combined weight of more than 20,000 lbs. , this is not insignificant. I towed a heavy triple axle Airstream years ago w/a Ford F-250. The Ferd had front discs but didn't have adequate braking to slow the heavy rig by itself so it was basically unable to swing the pendulum. If I adjusted the gain higher then it would apply excess trailer braking. If you see a trailer lurching, skidding the trailer tires, you've seen one in action. I was using a Tekonsha inertia controller. Tekonsha is a respected company but the controller was utter junk. They replaced it free for me once, told me another time to run a heavy gauge ground wire from controller to battery, I did. I took the controller off. Tekonsha has a fancier version of the same controller now that reportedly works a little better but it is still a flawed concept and will never work very well. Some who have never experienced a better controller swear by them.
A third type is a Jordan. It uses mechanical cable linkage from brake pedal arm to the controller to simulate brake pedal action and attempt to modulate braking. I've not used one but wouldn't care to. Too much mechanical complexity IMO and a need for adjusting cable .
The ultimate is a BrakeSmart followed by a knock-off copy, the MaxBrake. They actually tap into the hydraulics and provide precise, proportioned braking on all trailers, everytime. If the driver calls for light braking, that is the result. If the driver calls for hard braking, he gets it. No surprises. You actually forget all about trailer braking, it just occurs w/o drama just like the truck. No tweaking or adjusting required and no lurching or sliding through intersections against the red light with the trailer pushing like w/ some of the inertia-based controllers.
Those who have pulled trailers for years using other controllers will testify that nothing compares to the hydraulic-electric controllers. Price doesn't matter once you've experienced the difference.
There is a fifth controller but every truck salesman, dealership service department employee and every RV dealer parts and service person will tell you they can't be used with disc brakes or anti-lock brakes. They are wrong. It is possible to use one of the old manual hydraulic-electric controllers from the '50s and '60s. Those controllers tapped into the hydraulic lines and used hydraulic pressure to swing a potentiometer/rheostat which provided the electric brake signal. Lawyers and anti-lock brakes killed them but they still work on late model GM/Ferd/Dodge trucks with anti-lock and disc brakes. I used one successfully on my '94 Ferd with anti-lock and disc brakes after I gave up on the Tekonsha inertia controller. I initially used the same old hydraulic controller on my '01 Dodge Ram 3500 w/4 wheel disc brakes. It worked great but I found that if I stepped on the brake pedal firmly the hydraulic line pressure was so much greater on a four wheel disc brake truck than on the old cars and trucks the controllers were designed for it harshly slammed the internal mechanicals in the controller so hard it began to damage it. That's when I bought the BrakeSmart. Now that I think about it, I may have bought the BrakeSmart in early 2003. That means I've been using it over six years, not five.
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