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trailer brake controller

GM Guy said:
IMO this was the only place where the use of scotch-loks was actually OK, being inside, and up far enough it shouldnt get any slop off boots, so I gritted my teeth and used a scotch lok. most of my trucks have allready had a scotch lok to the tap thanks to the PO, only had to "ruin" or "scar for life" one trucks' wire. :)
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I'm with you on this - I hate to molest a factory harness in any fashion. I used one, though, and that was about 10 years ago on mine. No issues, to date.
 
The brake controller on my truck does not seem to be working correctly.

The hand control seems to work fine. I can't tell anything is happening with the brakes applied.

The red light comes on when I hit the brakes, but you can not feel the trailer tug at the truck with the gain set all the way up.

Reading back through this I saw some references to auto leveling. programing and functions.

I am having trouble remembering the last brake controller I bought. It definitely did not have any programming or functions.

I think the controller in one of the vehicles was bought in the 90's

I really liked my controllers that were mounted on the shifter handle. There was no reaching for hand control.

I just want a good working controller that I can set and forget. One that will last as long as the others I have had.

Obviously, I have to adjust for heavier loads.

I only remember having one go bad previously.

Have the recommended brake controllers changed any in the past few years?
 
This is the brake controller I have in my Amazon cart.

Do I want any of the harness extensions?

I did not see a slider for hand operation. I am assuming there is a button you push?

How does a button work compared to the old sliders? I am thinking I would like the slider better.

This is going on the 1994 K3500. I might be hauling a heavy load on occasion.

If this is the controller I end up with, I will hopefully be ordering another for the 1991 International 4700 in the near future. I think I robbed the controller out of that truck for the 98 Suburban or one of the other trucks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P17NXQ/?tag=jhdiesel-20
 
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Twisted Steel Performance said:
@jrsavoie you might want to read the reviews for the P3 first here.. http://www.tekonsha.com/products/br...proportional/TzaIxkVx1cI5XOy!osRB55TR19SXShj4

The P2 has much better reviews http://www.tekonsha.com/products/br...-proportional/TzaIxkVx1cI5XOy!osRB52uqDvaehMa!

And it looks like the finger control is their, the lever is on the bottom front...

I have been using the prodigy for years but it has been discontinued ...
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Would I want to order any of the harnesses with the P2 for installation in the 1994 K3500?

Does it come with mounting hardware and a short harness to tie into my existing harness?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YIACG8/?tag=jhdiesel-20
 
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Are there any brake controllers out there that do not have a pendulum or that can be mounted out of level like the old ones I had?

All the old controllers I had - only had a gain knob and a slider. You could mount them any which way.

When did they come out with this pendulum stuff? I bought most of mt controllers between 1985 and 1995
 
IMO the shifter mounted controller sounds like a strange idea that might work OK with a self leveling controller like the P3, but on one that is manually leveled could be potentially hazardous.

I have had my P3s for a collective 30,000 miles so far and I think I have actually needed to manually activate brakes once other than testing.

IMO they work well enough no manual input is needed. I think rather than have it shifter mounted and be fumbling with it, just mount it securely to the dash, dial it in to your liking, and go with it. They do a good job, I trust mine fully, including ice and snow.

The P3 is like the Allison 1000 of brake controllers. I cant really bitch about it, and I try hard to find fault in it. :)
 
Highly recommend Draw-Tite 20191. I installed this trailer brake controller on my 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 (Classic). This controller was easy to install once I bought the quick connect wiring harness that's sold separately by Tekonsha (I used harness #3015-P for my truck). This harness eliminates the need to splice any wires together and it keeps the install quick and clean! The programming/set-up was a piece of cake and the controller works great! This controller is actually made by Tekonsha and it's marked Tekonsha Primus IQ on the rear of the brake controller (Labeled Draw-Tite on front). This is a good thing in my opinion as the Tekonsha Primus IQ is priced at $85 where this controller was purchased for under $60.
 
GM Guy said:
IMO the shifter mounted controller sounds like a strange idea that might work OK with a self leveling controller like the P3, but on one that is manually leveled could be potentially hazardous.

I have had my P3s for a collective 30,000 miles so far and I think I have actually needed to manually activate brakes once other than testing.

IMO they work well enough no manual input is needed. I think rather than have it shifter mounted and be fumbling with it, just mount it securely to the dash, dial it in to your liking, and go with it. They do a good job, I trust mine fully, including ice and snow.

The P3 is like the Allison 1000 of brake controllers. I cant really bitch about it, and I try hard to find fault in it. :)
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The old controllers I am used to, did not need to be leveled
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
I have a P2, and have been through 3 of them in 2 years. My next controller will be a tekonsha voyager. They're basic as can be, simple to adjust, and just work.
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Tekonsha Voyager, is the one I have had on my truck for about 12 years or so, never a problem one with it. Simple adjustment dial on the right side to adjust how much braking is going to the trailer brakes. I can usually tell by the color of the light, how orange or red it is as to how much braking I am sending to the trailer brakes, based on which trailer and load I am pulling. The light is green if everything is working and it changes colors when you apply the brakes. Of course I have to back the braking way off on an empty equipment trailer.
 
BIGR said:
Tekonsha Voyager, is the one I have had on my truck for about 12 years or so, never a problem one with it. Simple adjustment dial on the right side to adjust how much braking is going to the trailer brakes. I can usually tell by the color of the light, how orange or red it is as to how much braking I am sending to the trailer brakes, based on which trailer and load I am pulling. The light is green if everything is working and it changes colors when you apply the brakes. Of course I have to back the braking way off on an empty equipment trailer.
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That sounds like the controllers I am used to.

Does your controller have to be level?
 
jrsavoie said:
That sounds like the controllers I am used to.

Does your controller have to be level?
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Yes, it has to be leveled after installation. I mounted mine right under my steering wheel, under the dash, there was already a few screws and holes there, maybe I had to drill just one hole.
 
Mine is similar, I don't remember the model. Can be mounted in any position but has a wheel on left side that has to be aligned vertical.
 
The only controllers I know of that didn't have to be leveled were the OLD ones that hooked into your hydraulic brake system. All they had was a manual lever and a gain knob. I've got a Tekonsha somewhere from the 80's, and even it has a level adjustment on it underneath.
 
smokymtn65 said:
Mine is similar, I don't remember the model. Can be mounted in any position but has a wheel on left side that has to be aligned vertical.
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Yes the wheel on the left side on mine, brake intensity adjuster wheel is on the right side of controller.


Per the Voyager Manual:


Leveling the Sensor

After the brake control has been securely mounted
the level adjustment must be set.

1. Connect trailer to tow vehicle, Bi-Colored
Light should glow GREEN.

2. Set power knob to maximum by fully
rotating clockwise.

3. Depress tow vehicle’s brake pedal and hold.

4. Rotate the Level Knob counter-clockwise
(towards the back of the control) until the
Bi-Colored Light starts to change colors
from GREEN to RED.

5. Carefully rotate the Level Knob clockwise
(towards the front of the control) until a
shade of ORANGE is visible.
Bi-Colored Light should show:
• DIM ORANGE for a typical setting.
• BRIGHT ORANGE for an aggressive setting.
• DIM RED for a more aggressive setting.

6. Release brake pedal.
 
The new P2's come with blue LED which I find distracting at night. Other that that it is working well for me. Just gave away my first P2 (with much nicer red LED) as it predated the ability to handle EoH.

IIRC, the P2 is mountable in just about any orientation and comes with a short wire harness for tapping into the truck. Doubt that the P3 is any different.

Have seen good recent comments about the P3 as it allows for adjusting the display colors, stores settings for multiple trailers, and IIRC has a troubleshooting mode which will display voltage in the vehicle.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
The only controllers I know of that didn't have to be leveled were the OLD ones that hooked into your hydraulic brake system. All they had was a manual lever and a gain knob. I've got a Tekonsha somewhere from the 80's, and even it has a level adjustment on it underneath.
Click to expand...
That's the way my old electric controllers were. Manual lever and gain knob. They came on at whatever pressure you set them at. There was nothing to level and no knob on the side to indicate what position the controller was in.

I'll have to look around and see if I still have one
 
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