Trailer brake tech, spinoff from Tow Rig thread

civicmindedex79 · Mar 7, 2014

leeman1790 said:
Then just cruising through a parking lot it hardly brakes at all.

This makes it worth the extra coin alone, much less the earlier mentioned safety.

patooyee · Apr 17, 2015

Bringing this back to the top because I want to rescind my Tekonsha P3 recommendation.

Lately my P3 has been giving me lots of issues. First it started giving me random braking. I could drive for 3 hours and have almost zero brakes and then, without changing any settings, it would start locking the tires up. Then an hour later it would go back to almost nothing. Now lately it has started flashing a red warning screen that says, "Short to battery, no brakes." It will flash it when there is no trailer hooked up or when there is one, doesn't matter. When it does this it will not let me exit the screen to adjust the brakes. But it will actually brake.

I'm pretty anal about my tow rig wiring. All of the connections are soldered and heat-shrunk and then neatly tied up using wire ties and OEM-style fabric tape. I hard-wired a mute button into my dash for the radar detector because I didn't like how their remote silencer button looked / mounted. So I go into this trouble shooting process feeling pretty confident about my install. I called their help line and got through to a tech guy who was immediately deliberately too nonchalant about it. He did his best to try to help me but I got this feeling like he was just tired of hearing about this issue and was just doing obligatory, generic trouble-shooting with me, going through the motions. He tells me to check all my connectors for dirt and moisture, etc. Blah blah blah. I've already done it once but do it all again. My next option is to start tearing apart OEM wire looms to find an abraded wire or something. He ends up transferring me through to a senior level tech who is giving me all the same generic info robotically, like he too is tired of dealing with this issue. He is able to give me some additional info though. The controller monitors the blue brake wire for voltage other than what it is giving it. Any delta of .3mV will trigger the code that I am seeing. He admits that the P3 has an issue though in that sometimes once it triggers a code it will not self-clear once the condition is cleared. To get it to clear they recommend unplugging it and plugging it back in. So basically they're saying it could be telling you there is a problem when there isn't. I'm thinking .3mV is a pretty fricken tiny amount of voltage, too. I mean, I can generate .3mV by rubbing my hands together in a dry room! So once I found this out and considered how nonchalant they were being with me I decided to Google it. It turns out that THOUSANDS of people are having this issue on all makes and models of trucks. People are calling Tekonsha and following the same nonchalant obligatory trouble-shooting prescribed by the tech guys and in so doing tearing their ****ing trucks apart! One guy removed the bed of the truck to get at some wires that were mounted between it and the cab just to check for abrasions! Virtually no one has solved their issue.

So now I'm not sure if I want to spend the time tearing my wiring harnesses apart looking for a ghost. I asked the tech guys if they had ever seen this before and they were like, "NO, NO! NEVER!" HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE! THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET ARE SAYING THEY'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT IT!

A) I feel like this is a known issue that Tekonsha does not want to address because it would be expensive for them.
B) .3mV is fricken miniscule. Why does that amount even matter? Why bother running a diagnostic test with such a small margin for success?
C) If you ARE going to trigger a code every time the controller sees +.3mV, you need to make damn sure that that code is going to go away once its back to 0mV.
D) It pisses me off that they would prefer I tear my entire truck apart searching for something that probably doesn't even exist than admit that their controller may have an issue that they know about.
E) It pisses me off that they would waste BOTH of our time jerking off when they know what the real problem is.

I'm going to go back over every accessible inch of my harness again tomorrow, put dielectric grease in all the connectors just to be safe. But if I don't find anything and it keeps acting up I'm going back to a dirt-simple controller that I know I can trust.

I've got to tow 12,000 lbs around this weekend in the rain. Who friggen knows if I'll have brakes or not now!

bbone · Apr 17, 2015

Where you headed?

paradisepwoffrd · Apr 17, 2015

Re:

I've got a prodigy but not the p3. All the programming and such made me think that something similar could happen to it. I've had 3-4 of them in multiple vehicles over the years with no issues but only time can tell. I really like the inertia controllers and even the cheap ones aren't so cheap anymore, so figured a few more $ for inertia control was worth it.

mac5005 · Apr 17, 2015

We run the tekonsha primus controller that seem to work great.

In total we have 4 of them and all operate identical to each other. A roller for the total Brake voltage, a button for levels of how quick the controller gets to that voltage and the emergency slider button.

Only time we have had trouble with one is when the trailer plug was full of muddy water, and that's self explanatory.

They aren't fancy and aren't too expensive, but still are inertia controlled.

I set my total voltage depending on the trailer and load.

Usually between 3.5-7v empty and 6-12v loaded.

The boost button is nice for slow in traffic around towns and parking lots turn it off to keep from jerking.

And then turn it to 1 for normal driving, 2 for highways and small hills and then 3 for the hills between gate city and harlan or fancy gap.

Just be sure to mount the inertia style controllers according to the instructions.
There is a range for the tilt up of the unit and a different range for the tilt side to side.

patooyee · Apr 17, 2015

bbone said:
Where you headed?

We are shutting down our Mobile store and I am towing my forklift over there this weekend to aid in the moving of the equipment.

patooyee · Apr 3, 2016

patooyee said:
Bringing this back to the top because I want to rescind my Tekonsha P3 recommendation.

Lately my P3 has been giving me lots of issues. First it started giving me random braking. I could drive for 3 hours and have almost zero brakes and then, without changing any settings, it would start locking the tires up. Then an hour later it would go back to almost nothing. Now lately it has started flashing a red warning screen that says, "Short to battery, no brakes." It will flash it when there is no trailer hooked up or when there is one, doesn't matter. When it does this it will not let me exit the screen to adjust the brakes. But it will actually brake.

I'm pretty anal about my tow rig wiring. All of the connections are soldered and heat-shrunk and then neatly tied up using wire ties and OEM-style fabric tape. I hard-wired a mute button into my dash for the radar detector because I didn't like how their remote silencer button looked / mounted. So I go into this trouble shooting process feeling pretty confident about my install. I called their help line and got through to a tech guy who was immediately deliberately too nonchalant about it. He did his best to try to help me but I got this feeling like he was just tired of hearing about this issue and was just doing obligatory, generic trouble-shooting with me, going through the motions. He tells me to check all my connectors for dirt and moisture, etc. Blah blah blah. I've already done it once but do it all again. My next option is to start tearing apart OEM wire looms to find an abraded wire or something. He ends up transferring me through to a senior level tech who is giving me all the same generic info robotically, like he too is tired of dealing with this issue. He is able to give me some additional info though. The controller monitors the blue brake wire for voltage other than what it is giving it. Any delta of .3mV will trigger the code that I am seeing. He admits that the P3 has an issue though in that sometimes once it triggers a code it will not self-clear once the condition is cleared. To get it to clear they recommend unplugging it and plugging it back in. So basically they're saying it could be telling you there is a problem when there isn't. I'm thinking .3mV is a pretty fricken tiny amount of voltage, too. I mean, I can generate .3mV by rubbing my hands together in a dry room! So once I found this out and considered how nonchalant they were being with me I decided to Google it. It turns out that THOUSANDS of people are having this issue on all makes and models of trucks. People are calling Tekonsha and following the same nonchalant obligatory trouble-shooting prescribed by the tech guys and in so doing tearing their ****ing trucks apart! One guy removed the bed of the truck to get at some wires that were mounted between it and the cab just to check for abrasions! Virtually no one has solved their issue.

So now I'm not sure if I want to spend the time tearing my wiring harnesses apart looking for a ghost. I asked the tech guys if they had ever seen this before and they were like, "NO, NO! NEVER!" HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE! THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET ARE SAYING THEY'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT IT!

A) I feel like this is a known issue that Tekonsha does not want to address because it would be expensive for them.
B) .3mV is fricken miniscule. Why does that amount even matter? Why bother running a diagnostic test with such a small margin for success?
C) If you ARE going to trigger a code every time the controller sees +.3mV, you need to make damn sure that that code is going to go away once its back to 0mV.
D) It pisses me off that they would prefer I tear my entire truck apart searching for something that probably doesn't even exist than admit that their controller may have an issue that they know about.
E) It pisses me off that they would waste BOTH of our time jerking off when they know what the real problem is.

I'm going to go back over every accessible inch of my harness again tomorrow, put dielectric grease in all the connectors just to be safe. But if I don't find anything and it keeps acting up I'm going back to a dirt-simple controller that I know I can trust.

I've got to tow 12,000 lbs around this weekend in the rain. Who friggen knows if I'll have brakes or not now!

Since this came back up I'll update.

I replaced my P3 with a Hayes G2, supposedly the direct competitor of the P3 with a great reputation. I kept having the same warning issue with it. So then I completely re-wired my entire trailer front to back. I did find a wiring issue with one of the brakes and fixed it. The problem went away with the G2 but continued with the P3. The G2 is completely weak-sauce, too. I can't get it to ever apply max brakes, I don't feel safe at all with it. Often I end up having to do all braking with the truck because the controller thinks I don't need any. I'm now of the opinion that the inertia controllers are just putting too much of the decision making power in a microchip. I yearn for a simple timed controller again, will be going back to one soon. They're annoying when you are creeping up to a light and they slam the brakes on 100%, but at least you know you're going to get the braking power eventually. The P3 and G2 both leave me wondering. Right now I have them both installed with one pig tail hanging loose so I can switch back and forth. I'll get tired of one, switch to the other, get tired of it, switch back.

karatejosh · Apr 3, 2016

Re:

I'm having a problem with my p3 where randomly it will apply maximum voltage as soon. As I touch the pedal then 1 min later it will be fine for the next few hours it random and I can't find any shorts anyone ever have this problem

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

patooyee · Apr 3, 2016

Re:

karatejosh said:
I'm having a problem with my p3 where randomly it will apply maximum voltage as soon. As I touch the pedal then 1 min later it will be fine for the next few hours it random and I can't find any shorts anyone ever have this problem

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Yes, mine did / does that. It's very rare though. And it will happen mid-braking. Like coasting up to a light touching the brakes lightly it will just randomly slam all power at once. It freaks me out so I let off the pedal and then as soon as I hit it again it won't do it for another few weeks. It happened with the first P3 I had, too. It's how I know that I'm never getting nearly max braking out of either controller. Because if that is 100% all I normally ever get is about 20% of that, even during emergency stops. If it weren't for that glitch I wouldn't even know my brakes were screwed up. I would probably just think that 20% is max or my trailer brakes just suck.

I really hate my P3.

Zjman · Apr 3, 2016

Im in need of a controller for my new tow rig and im gonna go with a simple box, my superdutys got one of those inertia types, and i set it and went to harlan last year and coming down pine mountain i had no trailer brakes and had my truck brakes smoking, barely got it stopped, piss on those inertia switch boxes

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sawzall · Apr 4, 2016

I use the P3 with my triple axle electric brake trailer and with my tandem axle that has electric over hydraulic disk brakes. If it didn't cost so much, I would swap the triple axle to disk brakes.

j-mox · Jul 20, 2016

Bringing this back for a question.

Has anyone mounted a controller in a non traditional location? Basically I want to put it under the left side of drivers seat between the front and rear seat mounts. Reason being is 1. I think traditional by your knee looks like **** 2. It's going in a Toyota Tundra which seems to have a low knee panel which leaves little room between the dash and your leg going to gas and brake 3. It will be pulling a camper mainly so weight will be relatively the same all the time.

I'm assuming that once it's set to your liking you shouldn't have to mess with it again as far as drag? I've never had one so correct me if wrong. Really all I see I'd miss out on is the manual slide for panic situations? It's a inertia controller if that makes any difference.

Just looking for pros-cons or indifference on the idea. I bought a plug and play wire so I believe there is enough to run it down trim panel and kick plate to the factory connector.

pplblazerdude · Jul 21, 2016

j-mox said:
Bringing this back for a question.

Has anyone mounted a controller in a non traditional location? Basically I want to put it under the left side of drivers seat between the front and rear seat mounts. Reason being is 1. I think traditional by your knee looks like **** 2. It's going in a Toyota Tundra which seems to have a low knee panel which leaves little room between the dash and your leg going to gas and brake 3. It will be pulling a camper mainly so weight will be relatively the same all the time.

I'm assuming that once it's set to your liking you shouldn't have to mess with it again as far as drag? I've never had one so correct me if wrong. Really all I see I'd miss out on is the manual slide for panic situations? It's a inertia controller if that makes any difference.

Just looking for pros-cons or indifference on the idea. I bought a plug and play wire so I believe there is enough to run it down trim panel and kick plate to the factory connector.

I have a tundra and have mine mounted on the dash following the angle of the dash. I'm 6'5" and I do not hit the controller.

I don't see ye being a big issue mounting it like you mention but the manual slide in my opinion needs to be easily grabbed so you can in a tail swaying emergency get the trailer under control. That's just my opinion.

Sent from a undisclosed thinkin spot...

Puppy · Jul 21, 2016

I have 2 Agility Proportional Brake Controllers. No problems or complaints.

Product description:
Proportional braking technology
Inertia activated accelerometer instantly activates brakes
Controller mirrors braking action of tow vehicle, greatly reducing stopping distance
5 on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments
Percentage of braking power shown on digital L.E.D. display
Innovative vertical slide matches the way a driver reaches for the brake control
Short proof protected
Flexible mounting options- self leveling
8-brake capacity
Compatible with electric over hydraulic trailer brakes
Lifetime warranty

gottagofast · Jul 21, 2016

Since this is back again... I absolutely LOVE my prodigy p3....

It's not just a luxury.... The timed controllers are annoying but much worse is when you slam on the brakes trying to stop short of the kid chasing a ball the timed controller slowly applies the trailer brakes.... Could be the difference between yelling at the kid or watching him get plowed under your truck.

98TJ · Jul 22, 2016

The only thing that I like as well as a Prodigy is the built-in brake controller in our F-350. I had a half dozen controllers before I got my first Prodigy and every one of them wasn't worth a ****, except for a very old one that tapped directly into the hydraulic brake line on my truck.

gottagofast · Jul 22, 2016

Ah those were the days... The ones that tapped into a brake line were the BEST

unlblkrubi · Jul 23, 2016

Prodigy wireless. Towed my TT thousands of miles, worked great. A little on the expensive side but I only need the one controller for multiple vehicles