What kind of brake controller to use?

brokeass4runner

brokeass4runner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Charlotte
Care to share your experiences with different brake controllers?

Also what tires are you running on your single car haulers?
 
the Tekonsha Prodigy controller is the way to go...

can be found for <$100 if you shop around...

I "think" my tires are SuperCargo...couldn't pass up the deal from a guy I know that knows a guy that owns a shop (or something like that)...$200 for 5...trailer tires rated max ~1850lbs...

Greg
 
Prodigy, no doubt. Had mine for 2 years now and zero trouble.
 
just find one, i have had 5 or 6 different ones, the one i really liked was from advance, but they don't sell it anymore.

Try to find one with dual adjustments and a digital readout, but really it doesn't matter all it does is end some voltage to the rear of the vehicle to hit the brakes.
 
I've used the cheap ones and now have a prodigy. The prodigy is by far a better controller for long tows.

The biggest plus is the variable braking force it applies depending on how hard you stop.

Money well spent.
 
yota_wheeler said:
I've used the cheap ones and now have a prodigy. The prodigy is by far a better controller for long tows.
The biggest plus is the variable braking force it applies depending on how hard you stop.
Money well spent.
Click to expand...

Yep I have found them to be the best to.
Jon
 
Cperry said:
it doesn't matter all it does is end some voltage to the rear of the vehicle to hit the brakes.
Click to expand...

yeah, but the difference in a good controller and the cheap crap is how much voltage, and when it is sent (timing). World of difference if you've towed a lot.

You gotta adjust trailer brakes, too, they aren't self-adjusting, and a quick check every few hundred miles greatly improves perforamance.
 
Tekonsha Prodigy

Enough said!!
 
Tires? Go to rv.net, go into the forums, and search on "Carlisle".

You'll read enough there to keep you from ever using them.

GY Marathons are good, Maxxis 'sposed to be good and cheaper.

2 of mine are whatever the nearest tire place had when I had blowouts on 2 different occasions. :( You have to buy what they got. Once I use a spare (not that often) I don't like to run long w/o replacing it. I am a pessimist.
 
Like you, I tend to use forums like this one and pirate for advice. A did a lot of searching and the prodigy came away as the run away winner in terms of reputation. It's the only controller I've used but I'm happy with it. I paid about $120 but I wasn't able to search around, I needed it for an immediate install so I bought it from agri-supply, along with my chains, binders, etc.

I run goodyear marathons on the trailer. It's only been about 1k miles so it's a little early to issue any kind of review on them but I choose them as a result of a bunch of internet searches. So far they pull and brake just fine.

BTW, my brakes self adjust when I back up. I don't back up that much with a trailer so sometimes I do it on purpose just for so that they stay adjusted.
 
kaiser715 said:
Tires? Go to rv.net, go into the forums, and search on "Carlisle".

You'll read enough there to keep you from ever using them.
Click to expand...

OK I know they was a lot of people that had problems but even more that have not.
I'm on 3 years or so on mine and still doing fine. Have towed close to and at the limit of the weight on the tires and still look good and doing fine. Lot of trips 6 + hrs in the heat and at 70 plus MPH. Things I do is always check the preasure and keep it where it needs to be. I do not slide the tires like doing uturns and sharp turns. I have the brakes set up what I think is good and never run into lock up and flat spots.
On that I have watched people with campers and trailers do u turns at truck stops and on the road pull them off rims ( all brand of tires) Watched them hit a curb and bust them and so on.... That being said there is a lot more to a tire going bad then a brand. When the next camper show comes to your town go look at the GWR of the trailers and then look at the tires, Most will be at the limit or over when the trailer is loaded then add bad driving or bad road then they blow....
Point is I have had Carlisle tires on a lot of trailers and all worked fine. Maybe they had a bad lot of them who knows, maybe I have been lucky who knows. Some will say keep them and run them they will blow any day.... All I know is that when reading all the stuff I wanted to dump my new tires off and get a different brand but then said to my self I will wait tell the point I blow one then replace the set. If I looked at al the stuff about Dodges on the web I would not have got one or a Ford / Chevy I would hav just got a pair of shoes and walked. Lets say this if they "Carlisle" made 5 milion tires and 5000 blow out thats not many is it? Bad for the 5000 but its small numbers. Plus maybe the NTSB would have had a recall on them.
Who knows
Jon
 
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