Re: [A/S] swaying of 19' Bambi

[Rick Kunath <k9ao@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The controller you mentioned is raved about by a lot of folks. I've never 
personally towed with one, but it is a controller that will apply the 
trailer's brakes after the fact. It will sense that you have applied the tow 
vehicle's brakes, and that the trailer is decelerating and attempt to make 
some calculation based upon the deceleration inertia it measures , then apply 
what it guesses is the correct braking. The application of the trailer brakes 
will always lag the application of the tow vehicle brakes. You'll always get 
some small nudge from the trailer, no matter how slight, before the trailer 
brakes begin to be applied. And then it'll be a guess as to how hard and for 
how long the brakes should be applied. The new controllers seem to be pretty 
good at guessing, but I'd rather have the control myself as driver.

A proportional braking controller will *know* when you have applied the tow 
vehicle brakes, either by a cable attached to the tow vehicle brake pedal 
(good if you keep it adjusted ), or better yet by measuring the hydraulic 
brake fluid pressure (great because you don't need to adjust it, and the 
reading is *always* right). It'll apply the trailer brakes right along with 
the tow vehicle, the trailer will brake just as you brake with the tow 
vehicle, not later, and no nudge, however slight. If you ease off on the 
brakes, so will the trailer, and if you come on stronger, so will the 
trailer, no guessing and waiting to react to a change in inertia to help the 
controller guess what to do. You especially don't want your trailer nudging 
the rear end of the tow vehicle while braking on a turn on rainy or other 
slippery roads because the controller has to make a guess about braking, and 
reacts after the fact. It's a recipe for a situation. A proper hitch will 
sure help, but having the tow vehicle and the trailer brake in unison is 
important too.  

If you want the best in braking controllers, get a proportional. Jordan is a 
good cable-type and the BrakeSmart (www.brakesmart.net) is a good 
hydraulically sensed proportional controller that reads actual tow vehicle 
hydraulic brake pressure and applies the trailer brakes accordingly (or it's 
identical unit TruControl by Helmeley).

Any nudge you get from the trailer because the brakes aren't being applied in 
concert with the two vehicle can cause added work for your hitch system. A 
proportional controller eliminates the issue completely.

I don't want to start a controller war, everyone has something that works and 
a favorite, just like hitches. Just give it some thought.

And as was mentioned, put the controller where you can reach the panic button 
to manually apply the brakes. 

Not having the old lever is an issue for me with the newer controllers. I 
don't know why an external lever isn't an option (my old proportional unit 
still has the lever in additional to the automatic mode, but does not 
regulate current like the newer controllers, so brake fade in the trailer 
brakes is sometimes a problem). I was used to reaching for it, and knowing it 
is there. I'd still like to have one.

Rick Kunath