Tekonsha Prodigy or Jordan Ultima

[Radshooter]

Looking to upgrade from my Tekonsha Voyager. It is 5 years old and was never very impressed with it. I would really like the Brakesmart, but it is out of our budget right now. The Prodigy and Jordan seem to be the best alternatives from what I have read on the internet. I was wondering what you guys ran or could recommend based on your experiences. If I went with the Prodigy, could I simply unplug the Voyager and plug in the Prodigy since they are both Tekonsha?

The truck is in my sig, and the trailer is a fiver. A '99 Travel Supreme Express with 3 single axles. Our GCVW rolling down the road is right around 25k lbs.

Thanks for your input.



Steve



PS. . I wanted to make this a poll to make voting easier but couldn't figure out how to do it. :{ Any hints???

 

[jfrow2]

From a posting on SunnyBrook Talk by Russell, the group brake controller expert:



"I've used:

1) Kelsey Hayes pendulum type: 13K miles. Installed by the dealer when I initially purchased my first pop-up. Worked OK with a pop-up, but was jerky when I changed to a travel trailer. Required adjustment of gain from city to highway.



2) Prodigy: 14K miles. I installed it after almost having an accident with the Kelsey Hayes. Easy install. Relatively smooth. Big improvement over the Kelsey Hayes.



3) Jordan: 7K miles. I debated Jordan members online who said the Jordan was better than the Prodigy. I installed it to prove the Jordan guys wrong. I was wrong. The Jordan was smoother than the Prodigy. Installation a bit more involved, but not difficult.



4) BrakeSmart: 8K miles. I read about this controller and it sounded appealing, true proportional braking based on brake fluid pressure. I installed it with the agreement that if it was not better than the Jordan, I could return it for a full refund. It is smoother than the Jordan. The BrakeSmart is the most sophisticated (and most expensive) brake controller on the market.



5) Sens-a-Brake: I'm currently testing a new brake controller on the US market, the Sens-a-Brake. It uses a pressure sensing pad attached to the brake pedal. Looks like a good concept. I'm working out the installation issues on American vehicles. Should be able to report back soon. It should be on the same level as the Jordan.



Advise:

If you want the best brake controller on the market, buy a BrakeSmart.

If you want a very good brake controller and the price of the BrakeSmart is too steep, install a Jordan.

If you have very limited installation skills, buy a Prodigy.

The jury is still out on the Sens-a-Brake.

In my humble opinion all pendulum type and time delay type controllers are junk and should not be used for towing large, heavy trailers. "



I am in complete agreement with Russell. I had the Voyager and Sentinel and did not find either satisfactory. I then installed a Jordan which was a vast improvement and I am very happy with it. If and when I buy a new controller it will be a Brakesmart.

 

[HeavyHauler]

Definitely go with the Prodigy. That's pretty much the standard controller now and lots of serious towers consider it the first upgrade on their new trucks. If you already have the wiring harness from Tekonsha installed on your truck you should just be able to unplug the Voyager and plug in the new one. Otherwise, you'll have to re-splice all the connections. If you don't have it, I recommend the "plug & play" harness from Tekonsha.



By the way, there used to be a seller on amazon.com that sold the brand new Prodigy with the updated software for somewher around $87. Just do a search for it on amazon and see if it's still there.



Don't pay full price for one, you can do some serious searching on the net and find a really good deal. eBay also used to have some good deals on them, less than $100.



Good luck.

 

[RRoton]

Before you rule out the BRAKESMART, do some research.



IMO it is well worth the extra money

 

[Briman]

My Jordan works really, really well. Got it in a group buy in '03 for 120 bones.

 

[johnrv4]

I've got a Prodigy in my '97, and a Jordan in my '01. Both of them work great, so I can't really recommend one over the other. The Jordan took a little more time to install, but that was no big deal. One nice feature the Prodigy has is a slip-in pocket that would have allowed me to use it in both trucks by easily swapping it between each one. Got my Prodigy from Amazon for $87 like HeavyHauler posted, and got my Jordan for $100 from a group purchase. I'm happy with both of them.

 

[Radshooter]

I made a decision!!

Thanks everyone for all your input. I really don't think I would go wrong with either of them. I decided on the Prodigy for a couple of reasons. 1) It will be a direct replacement for the Voyager. No re-wiring required. Just unplug one and plug the other in. 2) A very nice fellow TDR member sent me a PM and offered me a deal on a new-still-in-the-box Prodigy that was just too good to pass up Oo. Whats more, I won't even have to pay shipping to get it Turns out he lives 40 miles from where I will be spending Christmas this year. Not only do I get a great deal on the controller, but I get to meet another TDR member



Having said all this however... I am starting to save pennies for the Brakesmart system. Who knows... . in a few years... ... .....



Thanks again. .

Steve

 

[OTRPU]

I carry my Prodigy for a spare, it's the best Tekonsha I used and have used a bunch of them. I'm certain the Jordan would be as good if not better. But towing all day everyday, I couldn't afford not to have Brakesmart. If I had never towed with one and was a weekender I don't know if I'd pop for one. But now. . . I doubt I'll ever have anything else.



Cheers,

Steve J