Jordan 2020Brake Controller Install

[Dkevdog]

Jordan was a very helpful guy on the phone. It's a rare thing these days to get customer service. I ordered his controller, got it today, it'll go in this weekend. Anybody have any tips on the installation of this unique controller? Any do's or don'ts would be helpful. I usually manage to find the don'ts the hard way .



Kev

 

[lhend50]

I put one in a couple of months ago it is very easy. The hardest part for me was finding a place to mount it where I could see it. I have gauges on the lower right and it is hard to see on the lower left. It works great.

 

[klenger]

Here is a picture of how I mounted my controller. When you adjust the cable, the instructions say to push the brake pedel all the way down for 1 inch (as I remember) of travel in the cable. You will find that you can keep applying more pressure to the brake pedel and get more and more travel. It's hard to know how far you would normally push the pedel in a panic stop. I adjusted mine so that there was 1 inch of travel with moderate pressure. If I kept pushing, it would go 1 1/2 or more. This is not a problem as the Jordan controller has a spring loaded mechanism that prevents damage to the internal workings if the brake system looses pressure and the pedel goes to the floor. I attached the cable to the pedel fairly high up on, just below where it makes a bend. Connecting the cable at an angle reduces the cable travel vs pedel travel to maintain the 1 inch cable travel. Clear as mud? Take your time ... it's worth the trouble and you'll be happy with the results. After using the Jordan controller, you will discover that any other type of controller is a compromise trying to simulate what the Jordan unit does perfectly.

 

[RustyJC]

Kev,



Be careful! The new Ultima 2020's require 2" to 2-1/4" of travel. I received one of the first batch of these new ones - hope to get it installed this weekend. The instruction manual still says 1" to 1-1/8" travel, but there is a supplement sheet in the plastic bag with the spring-loaded gizwhopper that says that figure is now 2" to 2-1/4". Frankly, with the 4 wheel discs, I'm wondering if I can get 2" of travel on the brake pedal arm - this thing doesn't have nearly the brake pedal travel of my previous 1996 dually with rear drums!



Rusty

 

[Dkevdog]

Rusty- Thanks for the heads up on the supplement- I've only read the original sheet that called for the 1" plus of travel. Hopefully will get to it this afternoon/tomorrow morning and will pull a short city trip to the beach Sun to see how it goes. Anybody need a used (3 times) Drawtite Activator II controller?? I'll have one shortly!



Kev

 

[klenger]

I don't think it would matter if you can't get the full 2" of travel as this can be compensated for by setting the sensivity higher (within reason), as long as you can get enough current to get the desired braking actionl. I think that this would actually make the installation easier as I had to fiddle with the cable adjustment to get it down to 1 inch.

 

[Sandmann]

Jordan Install

Here's how I installed my controller.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=589847&a=4880909&f=0



Ron

 

[John]

I installed my Jordan Research Ultima 2020 trailer brake controller directly under the centerline of the steering column, towards the top of the knee bolster. Although I can't read the digital display while driving (unless I raise the steering wheel position), I do have excellent knee bolster protection in the event of a crash, as well as access to the manual brake button (without stretching to reach it). Besides, once you have tuned the brake controller gain it isn't necessary to view the readout.



I had one of the very first Ultima 2020s on my Ram (1. 5"-1 3/4" brake pedal stroke setup requirement) which was superseded by a later version (with 1"-1 1/8" brake pedal stroke requirement). This is the version Mr. Jordan sent me when I sent my unit in for a warranty repair (May/June of this year). I was also told they had to change the pedal setup stroke requirement again to accommodate the newer GM trucks (to I believe 2"-2 1/4"). Of the two I setup, the 1"-1 1/8" travel was the hardest to hit accurately.



One nice feature they added since the purchase of my first Ultima 2020 unit... a slot so the cable can be disengaged from the units brake pedal actuation assembly, that way if you are not towing all the time wear is reduced inside the controller.



All in all, a very high quality trailer brake controller backed by a company that provides excellent customer service. BTW, my second Ultima 2020 was out of the warranty period when Mr. Jordan replaced my unit (with a whole new kit).