Teckonsha Prodigy ??s

[Landscaper]

I looking to get a new brake controler when my truck gets here. And I had a few questions about the Prodigy.

The controler on my current truck is a time delay controler conected to the stop light switch, it comes on when I hit the brakes.

The Prodigy is a inertia controler it senses when I'm slowing and applies brakes accordingly??

My biggest question is; is the prodigy connected through the stop light switch so that it only applies brakes when I apply truck brakes, or does it apply brakes whenever I slow down, say through engine brakeing or coasting?

I hope this makes sense, any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!! smile.gif

Whoops!! I realized I put it in the wrong forem after I clicked submit. Sorry :rolleyes:

[ 03-13-2002: Message edited by: Landscaper ]</p>

[IndigoDually]

Yes it is an inertia type controller that applies power proportionally as needed, and it does get a signal from the stop light switch to tell it to activate.

[Jackmchome]

Also, It works really great!!!

[dmaxstu]

Landscaper

If you haven't bought this controller yet you should really look at the Jordan Ultima 2020 as well.It brakes your trailer when you step on the brake pedal proportionate to the amount of pressure applied in unison with your tow vehicle. It has a small cable going to your brake pedal arm. It also has a digital readout for the amount of AMPS going to the trailer brakes which is adjustable. I have used these other controllers and would never go back. No inertia, no timing , no stop switch.www.jordanbrake.com Stu

[ 03-13-2002: Message edited by: dmaxstu ]</p>

[Flyboy]

I agree with dmaxstu. I just installed the Jordan controller on my two day old truck and right away I found out that I had a problem with my camper brakes. I could only get 8 amps which indicates that only one axel has brakes. I hooked to another three axel trailer and got 25 amps.

[Landscaper]

The reason I wanted the Prodigy was that it can be mounted in any angle anywhere. The Jordan has to be mounted straight up and close to the pedal IIRC. My trucks going to be a 6spd so I'm not going to have a lot of space right beside me due to the stick.

[Flyboy]

I mounted my Jordan to the left of the brake pedal above the parking brake release and a couple of inches below the bottom edge of the instrument panel. It's easy to see and reach there. If you make wide curves in the cable housing, it doesn't have to be straight with the petal. The prodigy uses an accelerometer instead of a pendulem and should work much better than those that do.

[Nels]

I'm sure the Jordan is a very good controller, but if you install the Prodigy you will not be disapointed. There is no better inertial controller. Stops are very smooth and controlled. It's a set and forget unit. I installed mine in the small CD compartment in the front of the console on my LT. Close the door and forget about it when I'm not towing. Hell, I forget about it when I AM towing because it's so smooth. You can mount it wherever you want. No mechanical connections to worry about.

[dmaxstu]

Nels
What the heck do you do in an emergency and you have to push that button to conceivably avoid jackknifing. I have never heard of anybody hiding away the brake controller. I have only ever seen them installed in the vicinity of the left knee.
I know one thing for sure should one ever have a catastophic brake failure in the tow vehicle it would only be the Jordan that would save your *ss.
since it would engage by just pushing on the pedal. Stu

[Colorado Kid]

1) My Prodigy is mounted near my RIGHT knee
2) If I still have enough of the brake system to turn the brake lights on, I will get some braking from the prodigy without touching it, more if I use the e-brake or downshift...all it has to give if a use the manual lever on the controller, But....
3) "Catestrophic Brake Failure" :eek: means that I simultaniously lost both halves of a redundant hydralic system: They only share one critical component in common, and the Jordan is hooked to it (unless you think the master cylinder is just going to crack in two and let the pressure out of both circuits). Some of use are old enough to have driven single hydralic or mechanical brakes, but they just don't fail that way anymore.
4) If the Prodigy is set to any of three "boost" settings touching the brake pedal enough to get the brake lights on will achieve the trailer-lead braking that will prevent that jacknifing, so you don't gotta grab for the controller while all H*ll's breaking loose. I didn't install mine in a hiding place because I adjust the "baseline" and "boost" settings depending on whether I'm towing an empty or loaded car hauler, or a 5th Wheel. Changing the settings takes about 5 seconds and prevents flatspotting the tires on the lowboy. The load doesn't change much from time to time on a camper, so a less flexible controller works fine.

Things to consider when choosing a brake controller:
1) Smooth action in normal driving, proportional to tow vehicle braking (both Prodigy and Jordan, also other inertial controllers...even time based is not too bad once you're used to them.)
2) Rapid responce during panic stop. (This eliminates time based controllers).
3) Status of trailer brakes (Jordan shows Amps to trailer, Prodigy shows volts to trailer, either will flag a bad magnet or lost connection. As far as I know these are the only two that do this.)
4) Easy adjustablity/calibration (this is a piece of cake on the Prodigy, judging from the literature pretty easy on Jordan as well...may not matter if you only tow a camper)
5) Easy instalation (Jordan may not be hard, but it can't be easier than Prodigy...4 splices, two screws, plug it in)
6) Cost Jordan = $145 including shipping from jordanbrake.com, I found Prodigy locally at Camping World for $119 + tax.
7) Compatiable with most trailers (this lets vacuum/hydralic brake supporters to go play in the corner by themselves) ;)

IMHO both the Prodigy and the Jordan are very nice controllers, far better than any earlier technology. It's sort of like choosing between 8.1L and Duramax...I have my favorite, but they are both very nice and I could live with either.

[ 03-14-2002: Message edited by: Colorado Kid ]</p>

[gmcslehd]

Landscaper,

I use the Prodigy on my '02 HD to tow a 16'x7' trailer for my lawn care business. Depending on the days equipment, it weighs 4k-6k pounds. Most of our driving is around town, and the Prodigy has been great, very smooth. I bought mine from www.agri-supply.com for $114 to the door.

Josh

[Landscaper]

If theres a catostrophic failure then my single bake axle ain't going to stop 12,000# of truck and trailer. No I don't plan on hiding it but I'm not going to stick it where I can kick it or hit it with the stick. My currant truck has the controller on the right side at my knee but it's an auto so theres no stick to mess with. The biggest reason I like the Prodigy is I will be using the engine to brake with reltively light brake pressure and the prodigy will apply brakes according to the speed I'm losing not how hard I pushing the brakes.

Now if my truck will just get here!!! It's been at the freight yard 60miles away since Saterday of last week. How long does it take to transport a truck 60miles. :confused:

[Maxed]

Landscaper,

Installed the Prodigy on my 02 3500 D/A that I use to tow a 35 ft. 5th-wheel (14,000 lbs) and a 6,000 lb car trailer and the only setting I change is the initial hit on the trailer brakes. This controller is amazing! I have it mounted near my right knee in an almost verticle position and it works flawlessly. When I'm not towing, I pop it out of the holder, disconnect the plug and hide it in the glove box. Believe it or not, there is very little difference in the braking characteristics between the two trailers. :D

Buy it - you won't be sorry! tongue.gif

[Nels]

The Prodigy saved my *ss the day after I installed it. Driving a 4 lane in a 45 mph zone (read about 53-55mph) a jerk in the oncoming lane cut a left turn right in front of me like I wasn't even there. Traffic next to me and curb to the left, so I could not steer out of it. No time to think about grabbing levers or anything else but punching brake pedal. 6000 lbs on trailer behind me. It hauled the rig down to a straight controlled stop in impressively quick fashion. The truck's anti-lock brakes activating on all four wheels (dry pavement). It didn't pay to look ahead, so I had my eye on the left mirror looking at what the trailer was doing. Nothing but absolute obedience. I'm sold on this thing.

I don't hide it when I'm towing -- only when I unhook the trailer. Just close the door. I can get at the lever where it's at, but as the above situation taught me, there isn't time to be fumbling about the cab when a real emergency happens. This controller is smooth in normal driving, and instantly responsive in emergency situations. If I still had my previous controller installed when this incident happened, I would have smashed a 3 month old truck that day. After checking the load and changing my drawers I was on my way again.

This is in no way meant to badmouth the Jordan. I'm sure they are excellent controllers as well. I just have no experience with them. After my experience with the Prodigy, I have no interest in trying another controller.

[Richard Pelletier]

Take a look at my picture trail for the location of my Prodigy. It was a snap to install with onyl one hole to drill. I pull a 34' 5th wheel and the controller works great! :D

[Colorado Kid]

Mine is pretty near where Richard's is, maybe even a little ****her to the right, since they don't let us shifty types have a console. ;)

Landscaper, there's no way you're gonna hit it with your knee unless you ram a wall with your seatbelt off, and the stick doesn't come anywhere near it either. (ram without a capital R isn't a bad word, is it?). But that's what's great about the Prodigy...you sit up in the seat and decide where you'd like to have it, and it'll go there, no problem. With the wire that Tekonsha and GM give you you could mount it in the overhead if you wanted to! That's the only real advice I have about the installation...step one: Cut a whole bunch of wire off one or both harnesses. Otherwise you're gonna have to get real creative finding a way to keep all the wire up under the dash.

[Landscaper]

YAHOOOOO!!!!! It's here picked it up at 3pm. EST Now all I got to do is break it in, have the bedliner put in, Put in my toolbox, get my trailer brakes set up and be ready to tow by Tue. And I got to change my sig. Thanks to Pontiac(Howard) and all those who have given advice. I got to go out and look at it again. smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif

[ 03-15-2002: Message edited by: Landscaper ]</p>

[SUNBUM32]

Hi I just installed my Prodigy and I found on the wiring harness from GM it has a 40 amp fuze taped to the harness, Dose this replace the 30 amp fuze in the box under the hood at sud #2? Thanks!!

[Maverick]

That fuse does not relace anything. It goes under the hood in the fuse panel there. If you are looking at the engine in front of the drivers fender, the fuse goes in the top far left slot.

This is how you wire the controller if you have't done it already.

Your brake controller should have 4 wires coming from it. The GM pig tail has 5 wires. Connect the wires from the controller to the pig tail as follows:
Controller - Pig Tail

Black to Red
Red to Lite Blue
White to Black
Dark Blue to Dark Blue

Brown wire not used on GM pigtail.

Under the dash, left of the brake pedal is a junction box. Harness plugs into the 2nd from left at the top.

Very easy.

[SUNBUM32]

THANKS Maverick!!

[mattb5150]

I'm looking at the tag that came with the wiring in the glove box and its says "For vehicles with the TP2 option (auxiliary battery): discard the 40A B+ trailering maxifuse- it is not needed." Does the Duramax have TP2, we have two batteries but is one considered auxiliary?

Matt B.

[mdadgar]

I just went through this a couple of weeks ago. The consensus here on the Diesel Page is that you DO need the aux fuse even with the D-Max motor.

- Mark
'02 2500HD D/A CC 4x4 SB

[4meseb]

Man, I am so glad I read this post.
I just installed mine this weekend and didn't
think I needed the fuse. I'll go with the consensus.
Better Safe Than Sorry.
Tekonsha Prodigy is the way to go. Set it & Forget it.
Scott

[dunrdr]

Another satisfied Prodigy user here.

I have found that the closer to level the controller is, the smoother the end of stops are, but I am still experimenting.

[RealBigTruck]

I just bought and installed the Prodigy yesterday. Got it at my local trailer dealer for $120. Installed very easy.

Holy cow! What a nice controller. My Tekonsha Voyager was a piece of crap next to this. Very nice smooth stops. Smooth initial bite. Didn't even know the trailer was there. Big smile on my face.

If the Jordan feels this good that's a great option too. Can't be as easy to install as the Prodigy, though.

Gary

[zrone]

Richard P How do you like your Retrax Cover? After a year I have alot of discoloring on my Pace Edwards. I too have a Prodigy and it works great with my 14,000lb fifth. If anyone tows heavy and had a prodigy with a white serial number tag send it back for the revised Prodigy. The new ones have a light blue tag and three pre settings instead of two.

[b.j.oneill]

I put my prodigy in tonight hooked up to my 4 horse and man this is the best controller I have ever had I replaced a voyager W/ it no compairison I have to get one for my Dodge now I'm sold

[AlaskaDmax]

Alright...got a dumb question...

I have a travel trailer that I am going to be pulling...

I have decided to go with the prodigy, and thanks to Mav's detailed wiring instructions I do not think that it will be a problem :D

The question I have is this... My last truck had a charging circuit installed to charge the batteries whilst I towed...does the 2500HD already have this wired through the hitch plug? And if not...then how do I install said circuit?

I understand that the 2500HD is always "HOT", so a relay might need to be installed?

I would rather do this myself and save $200 in installation charges...know what I mean? :rolleyes:

Any information would be appreciated!!!

The snow is almost all the way melted...fishing season is rapidly approaching!!!!!!!!
:eek:

[Colorado Kid]

All I can tell you is that you heard right. If the 40 Amp fuse is installed in slot 1 the "+" lead in the connector will always be hot (until the the batteies die!). A relay sounds like a good idea. My solution thus far has been to unplug the trailer for extended stops...the brake controller does a nice job of reminding me if I forget to hook up, but there's nothing to remind me to unhook. Eventually the all batteries dead scenerio will happen to me I expect.