Re: [A/S] Brake Controllers and rental towing rigs

["Mr. Joy H. Hansen" <joytbrew@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

The following is from recall and might not be all that factual.  So, the
comments are worth .  .  .

Sometime back the issue of renting tow vehicles came up and the conclusion
was that none were available.  The rental companies at that time only
allowed a tow of "their" equipment.  Like a car dolly or utility trailer.  I
thought there was a rumor of propriety welded hitches to prevent other use.
Think it has to do with liability.  Or, did I read where individuals cut the
rental hitch off, used an appropriate hitch, and then re-welded the rental
hitch?

Best to check the insurance contract for the rental and be sure towing a
privately owned trailer is covered.  Then, things may have changed.

My '02 F250 came with the towing package and the pigtail to plug in  under
the dash.  Just remove the fuse panel cover and the plug is visible through
a small port on the right side.  Makes it a bit difficult to plug the thing
in but there isn't any after market wiring to do.

I made a bracket to use the screw holes in the sides of the Prodigy.  The
bracket is constructed as to slide into a shelf at the right side of the
steering wheel about knee high.  I curved the metal at the rear so it wedges
against the top of the shelf and is held in place by friction.  The Prodigy
maintains the pitch by being wedged against the top of the shelf.  No
drilling of the dash required! :)

To remove the bracket, I slide a thin piece of metal about 2 inches wide to
break the friction and the bracket slides out.  The Prodigy comes with the
legend for most tow vehicle makes.  Also, I believe that Tekonsha markets
ready made adapters with the vehicle plug already installed.  Just keep in
mind that the colors of Prodigy wiring do not match the tow vehicle wiring.
What's new - would you expect anything different?

So far, the Prodigy is easy to set up and the read out allows precise
control of the braking.  The power boost allows use on most tandem wheeled
trailers.  For more axles, a new power lead must be run directly to the
battery.

The cost was about $150 at Camping World, but was on sale for about $130 and
with the President's Club discount, maybe the final price was about $115.

There are many cheaper models that are difficult to set up and to adjust -
you pay for what you get.

Which controller is the best depends on what you intend to tow.  Inertia
controllers are inherently poor for low speed stops.  Hard to get 12K pounds
slowing enough for that emergency slow speed stop.  I think I read where the
inertia controllers for heavy rigs would take hold about the time you passed
through the intersection? :(

I'm sure this why the old Kelty-Hayes hydraulic controller and the newer
ones using a cable connected to the brake peddle linkage are very popular.

Guess I'm rambling and trying to tell you that installing a brake controller
may cause you lots of headaches.

                    '74 Argosy, Joy