Brake Controller

[AzDragonLord]

Hoping soon to get my first travel trailer. Is the Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller still one of the best controllers available?

[ember1205]

IMHO, it is a great controller. And, surpassing it would take some sort of "special feat". lol

 

Seriously - the only ones better are the integrated controllers on these trucks and ones that actually tap into the master cylinder because both can detect actual braking pressure and not rely solely on inertia to "sense" how much braking force is being applied.

[Waaazooo]

IMHO, it is a great controller. And, surpassing it would take some sort of "special feat". lol

 

Seriously - the only ones better are the integrated controllers on these trucks and ones that actually tap into the master cylinder because both can detect actual braking pressure and not rely solely on inertia to "sense" how much braking force is being applied.

Can you expand on this? (Sorry to derail)

 

I have the stock one from gm. The braking on my trailer seems to 0 to 100%. The trailer will smoke it's brakes (only the front axle).

 

 

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[ember1205]

With an aftermarket controller, the controller is activated by your stepping on the brake pedal (it's wired in to be able to detect when the brakes are applied, but knows nothing of how hard you've pressed the pedal or anything else going on). It relies on inertia to be able to tell how hard you're pressing the brakes and will increase or decrease braking force on the trailer accordingly. It has no idea if your ABS has activated on your tow vehicle.

 

With the integrated controller, it's connected into the communications bus for the truck and can be made "aware" of a lot more details about the braking process, including whether your ABS has activated. All of these inputs are used to determine how much braking force to send to the trailer brakes.

 

If your brakes are locking on one axle, it would seem you have an issue with the trailer brakes.

[Waaazooo]

With an aftermarket controller, the controller is activated by your stepping on the brake pedal (it's wired in to be able to detect when the brakes are applied, but knows nothing of how hard you've pressed the pedal or anything else going on). It relies on inertia to be able to tell how hard you're pressing the brakes and will increase or decrease braking force on the trailer accordingly. It has no idea if your ABS has activated on your tow vehicle.

 

With the integrated controller, it's connected into the communications bus for the truck and can be made "aware" of a lot more details about the braking process, including whether your ABS has activated. All of these inputs are used to determine how much braking force to send to the trailer brakes.

 

If your brakes are locking on one axle, it would seem you have an issue with the trailer brakes.

I assumed that the front axles bears the bulk of braking power like the front brakes take care of most of the braking on car. They don't lock up but they get so hot they smoke.

 

 

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Thank you for description of how the controller works though.

 

 

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[ember1205]

I assumed that the front axles bears the bulk of braking power like the front brakes take care of most of the braking on car. They don't lock up but they get so hot they smoke.

 

 

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Thank you for description of how the controller works though.

 

 

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While I don't know for certain, it would seem reasonable that the front axle of a tandem trailer could take a bit more of the braking force than the rear one. I wouldn't guess that it would be a significant difference, though, like in the case of automobiles because the axles are so close together. I would check the brakes out on the trailer and be sure that they are actually functioning properly as I've never seen one axle get hot enough to smoke like you're describing.

 

I've hauled 7-8k lbs behind me with the Tekonsha on a Tundra and never had any issue at all. I've hauled about 6k behind the Silverado with the integrated controller and never had an issue. You do have to adjust the gain based on the actual load... I know where to set the gain for an empty trailer but always have to adjust it once loaded to be sure it's correct for the actual load being carried. If you use a "general" gain setting, maybe it's just too high?

[sdeeter19555]

Can you expand on this? (Sorry to derail)

 

I have the stock one from gm. The braking on my trailer seems to 0 to 100%. The trailer will smoke it's brakes (only the front axle).

 

 

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Then your wiring may be messed up (as in a poor connection to the rear axle) or the rear axle brakes are out of adjustment. Look for scotch lock connectors, remove and solder if you find any as those are typically the source of trailer brake issues.

 

On a tandem trailer, the braking action actually tries to lift the front axle off the ground. The rear axle twists the front portion of the rear spring downward which in turn causes the equilizer to rotate the back of the front spring upward, taking load off the front axle. On my 5x8, I can lift the front axle off the ground when unloaded if I forget to reduce the gain.

 

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[Waaazooo]

 

While I don't know for certain, it would seem reasonable that the front axle of a tandem trailer could take a bit more of the braking force than the rear one. I wouldn't guess that it would be a significant difference, though, like in the case of automobiles because the axles are so close together. I would check the brakes out on the trailer and be sure that they are actually functioning properly as I've never seen one axle get hot enough to smoke like you're describing.

 

I've hauled 7-8k lbs behind me with the Tekonsha on a Tundra and never had any issue at all. I've hauled about 6k behind the Silverado with the integrated controller and never had an issue. You do have to adjust the gain based on the actual load... I know where to set the gain for an empty trailer but always have to adjust it once loaded to be sure it's correct for the actual load being carried. If you use a "general" gain setting, maybe it's just too high?

You are probably right. I keep the braking control on the dic and keep it around and not to exceed the 50% range.

 

 

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[Waaazooo]

I found the problem

 

 

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[sdeeter19555]

I found the problem

 

 

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Get rid of those scotch lock connectors...solder and heat shrink are your friend in this application.

 

I found out the scotch locks aren't up to the task for trailer brakes on an older 5th wheel. I could max out the controller and hardly feel any drag. Started homing things and found a lot of resistance at those connectors...pulled those, soldered each connection, and I could easily slide the tires.

 

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[centralmepistol]

Hoping soon to get my first travel trailer. Is the Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller still one of the best controllers available?

Back to your original question....

Yes, In my opinion the P3 is the best you can buy in the price point. There are a couple others that may be "better" but are approaching or around the $500 mark. DirectLink is one of these systems. It plugs directly into your truck computer and essentially becomes an integrated controller.

Unless you haul everyday or are living/ cross country in the camper- the P3 will be everything you need and more!

[AzDragonLord]

Great! I've been eye-balling them for years but never had a need until now. I just bought one for about $100, just waiting to install it.

 

On that note... My preferred mount point is where the ashtray is now, but that's right next to where my CB radio is. Do I need to move my CB?

[SouthpawHD]

When I had my last truck, I used some double-sided tape to temp hold the bracket in place to ensure it would be out my way when driving, yet accessible when needed. You don't want a bunch of holes all over be used you needed to move it.

[sdeeter19555]

Great! I've been eye-balling them for years but never had a need until now. I just bought one for about $100, just waiting to install it.

 

On that note... My preferred mount point is where the ashtray is now, but that's right next to where my CB radio is. Do I need to move my CB?

Why would you need to move the radio?

 

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[AzDragonLord]

Because I've heard that a transmitter that is mounted too close can cause interference with some brake controllers.