installing brake controller

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John Malofy - 12 Apr 2005 13:01 GMT

have a 2005 durango with tow package, now i need to hook up a brake
controller. it came with the wiring harness for the brake controller.
went to 4 places, price to install about $45-$50 at all 4. price of brake
controller from $70-$145. my questions...
1) what brake controller to get? was told the prodigy was good, but not
needed for the pop-up. 2 places told me this, showed ones that cost less,
said they would work just fine.
2) try to do myself? while i never have wired anything myself before, i
would be willing to try. one guy told me that since i had the wiring
harness, it would not be too difficult. but, i want to make sure it gets
done right.

any help will be appreciated.
thanks
john
durango
starcraft centennial

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Rich256 - 12 Apr 2005 22:14 GMT

> have a 2005 durango with tow package, now i need to hook up a brake
> controller. it came with the wiring harness for the brake controller.
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> durango
> starcraft centennial

Yeah, do it yourself. In any case I suggest getting an inertia type
Tekonsha controller.

I had an Envoy. It is a good unit. When I upgraded a year ago I bought the
Prodigy.
Took about ten minutes at most to install. Two sheet metal screws to mount
the holder and plug it in.

You can download their installation procedures:

http://www.tekonsha.com

The Prodigy is probably the easiest to install and calibrate. Both are
really quite easy.
Their instructions show how your wire harness will hook to the controller.

I bought my last one at RJays. Couldn't have been more pleased with the
delivery. Ordered on Friday and got it Monday.

http://www.rjays.com

or go directly to their brake controller page:

http://www.rjays.com/Tekonsha/brk-controls-01.htm

I think for the extra $40 I would go with the Prodigy. It shows how much
voltage is being applied. The others sort of do that with lights instead of
a voltage reading. It also has a "boost" feature. You can have it
immediately apply some braking power when you hit the brakes.

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Jonathan Race - 12 Apr 2005 22:22 GMT

First off, get a brake controller from a long-standing manufacturer of these
units and not some "off-brand" that nobody's ever heard of - that's just
basic common sense. Prodigy is good, but so are others. Get one with
features and controls that you can easily understand - if you can't
understand how to set and adjust it then more complex isn't necessarily
better. All brake controllers do essentially the same thing, and for every
fan of one brand out there there are just as many fans for another. The
guys who showed you the less expensive units just may be right - sometimes
simpler is better.

Lastly, while having the factory harness does make wiring the controller
quite easy, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself then it would be
worth the piece of mind to have a dealer do it. However, make sure to tell
them that your truck came with the factory harness and since they won't have
to run any wires then see if they'll give you a break on the installation
price. It's a reasonable request, and the worst they could do is say No.
However, if you're buying the controller and having it installed both at the
same place, then knocking a few bucks off the labor isn't too much to ask.

Cheers - Jonathan

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Rich256 - 12 Apr 2005 23:09 GMT

> First off, get a brake controller from a long-standing manufacturer of these
> units and not some "off-brand" that nobody's ever heard of - that's just
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> guys who showed you the less expensive units just may be right - sometimes
> simpler is better.

I have to take issue with that a bit. The time ramp type controllers are
the cheapest and should be avoided. My opinion is that a controller that
applies brakes in accordance with how fast you are stopping or how hard you
are pressing the brake pedal the only types to consider. I had a couple of
those time ramp types. After having one sit on a shelf in the garage for a
few years I finally threw it in the trash.

> Lastly, while having the factory harness does make wiring the controller
> quite easy, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself then it would be
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> > durango
> > starcraft centennial

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AustinMN - 13 Apr 2005 05:00 GMT

>> First off, get a brake controller from a long-standing manufacturer of
> these
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> a
> few years I finally threw it in the trash.

I have to agree with Rich. Timer based controllers were the best thing...in
the 1950's. Today, they should be outlawed. Inertial controllers are many,
many times safer and easier to use.

If you get an inertial controller other than the Prodigy, you may be pleased
with it. If you get a Tekonsha Prodigy, you will be pleased with it.

The Jordan Ultima is another great controller (actually senses brake pedal
movement to control trailer brakes) with an excellent reputation, but not
one I have tried.

Austin

Signature

Coleman Bayside behind a Chevy Astro.
No, not without a Reese Mini-350 WDH!
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John Malofy - 12 Apr 2005 23:23 GMT

ok, thanks. now, another question. after checking out RJAYS website, if i
purchased the harness for the durango's for $9, am i right to assume, all i
have to do, is plug it into the prodigy, than into the under dash, than
all's i have to do is mount it? if thats the case, than even i could do it!
thanks all!!!!!

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meldx - 13 Apr 2005 13:26 GMT

John, why did you buy the harness... it should be included with your
vehicule since you got the tow package. (it was in my 04 Ram1500).

Yes, it's just a matter of connecting the wire of the controller to the
harness, and plugging the harness in it's socket under the dash, then
mounting and adjusting the controller. You just need to make sure you
follow the color guide harness vs controller.

It took me about 10-15 minutes to do on my Ram, that includes doing the
soldiering to the wires.

For the controller, I'd go with Tekonsha. I've used both Draw-tite
(time-delay controller) and Tekonsha (inertia controller), and still
using the Tekonsha.

Mel

John Malofy a écrit:

> ok, thanks. now, another question. after checking out RJAYS website, if i
> purchased the harness for the durango's for $9, am i right to assume, all i
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>>durango
>>starcraft centennial

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Rich256 - 13 Apr 2005 16:28 GMT

> ok, thanks. now, another question. after checking out RJAYS website, if i
> purchased the harness for the durango's for $9, am i right to assume, all i
> have to do, is plug it into the prodigy, than into the under dash, than
> all's i have to do is mount it? if thats the case, than even i could do it!
> thanks all!!!!!

I bought their harness only because I did not get one with the vehicle. It
would have cost me just as much to buy theirs. All you need to do is use
wirenuts or solder the wired together. That is easy too. Once that is done
you just plug them in.

Just be happy that you do not have to locate the brake light switch and tap
into it. I did that two or three times and it can be very difficult to
find. It is impossible to even see it on my Sierra.

Mounting is just a matter of deciding where you want to mount it and
drilling a couple little holes to accomodate the sheet metal screws.
Another plus for prodigy is that it is not as critical as some about how it
is mounted.

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