Anyone installed a hydraulic/elec brake controller?

[cowboywildbill]

I still have an old style hydraulic operated brake controller. The type that tee's into the master cylinder brake line. I read somewhere that they can be installed on an 07 classic 3500. I was kicking the idea around. ????

[movemyrv]

Not sure why, what advantage do you see to that "Old Style" controller?

[cowboywildbill]

I think they work better. I have a jordan brake controller on now, it is cable to brake pedal arm activated. The more you push the more it stops. No lag or jerk, just real time braking to the trailer.It works almost as good as the old style. I've measured the amps going back to the brakes on a few other models like the penulem types, and some of them don't seem to give all the voltage/amps to the magnets when pushed to the max. Which doesn't give you all the stop you may need. The old style controller I have puts everything that your electric system can throw back to the magnets when fully depressed, which in a panic stop really helps. We used to have to put resistors in line to tame them down. I think I might give it a try. I was wondering if anyone else has done it. Seems like since the anti locks came out, the trailers don't have the umph! for stopping like they used to, which I think might be the newr controllers that came out to work indepndent of the master cylinder are tamer so they brake smoother. But then if I could afford it I would be running elec/hydraulic disk back there. Maybe I'm looking for too much out of our elec/drum brakes. The one's I have barley slow the trailer or even jerk the truck even if you flat nail them all of the way. It seems like in the old day's I could lock the trailer brakes up at speed in a panic.

[MacDR50]

Just had a dual axle boat trailer converted from surge to electric over hydraulic. It uses the built in electric brake controller of the truck with the same 7 pin connector as regular electric brakes but it is hydraulic back to the drum brakes from the actuator on the trailer tongue. The boat weighs in at 6500lbs. At full power it will lock up the wheels on gravel but not on pavement. In a hard stop using the manual control to max the voltage back to the actuator you can feel the trailer drag on the F450. We have tendered several new 18,000lb capacity triple axle trailers with this system for boats weighing over 14,000lbs. They will be towed with a F550 or Dodge 5500 which we also just tendered. Too bad the GM mediums are no longer sold.

[rtphillips370]

I would love to have one of those hydro brake controllers over the current ones on the market. I have had the pendulum model and my current is a "preset" brake setting that I set and is activated by the brake lamps. In either case i either get to much or not enough... I remember my folks had the hydro version and it worked well.

[cowboywildbill]

Yep! It seems like the surge or pendulems either jerk when you step on the brakes. And if they are backed off so they don't jerk, then they don't seem to apply enough trailer braking. I have an extra pig tail that goes inside the cab to the the brake controller. I am going to wire it up to the hydraulic unit and see how it stops the trailer using the manual panic/slide control. If it puts more to the magnets and stops better, then I will plumb it into the master cylinder. It should be an easy test, since I don't have to remove my existing controller but just swap the pigtail into the fuse/control box in the cab. If it doesn't make any difference I'll just plug the existing one back in. I'll keep you posted on what happens. But you know that old line about "The last thing a Redneck say's before he dies is?" "HEY YAWL WATCH THIS"!

[MacDR50]

Oh I thought it was AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIT:)

[cowboywildbill]

Your right MacD, On second thought I'll let my Mother Inlaw test drive it first ! "Ha Ha" LOL...

[ttyR2]

The Tekonsha Prodigy and P3's use accelerometers I believe, and not a mechanical pendulum. I haven't had any complaints with the P3 I installed. Braking is smooth and works well.

[Subzilla]

x2 on the Prodigy.

[JohnC]

The problem with the old hydraulic controllers is they don't work properly with today's ABS systems. the Jordan setup is as close as you will get.

[Robyn]

The one I have on DaHoooley has a little inertia sensor I believe and as the brakes are applied on the truck the brakes on the trailer are applied too.
The sensor picks up more inertia the harder you brake the truck and then translates that to the trailer.

Its not as good as the old Hydraulic units but, as John mentioned, those will not work with the ABS systems.

My feelings are, get the controller as close as you can to a handy spot.

You can then manually apply the trailer brakes if you need to.

The cheapy controllers are maginal at best and the better ones seem to work fairly well.

When pulling the big Horsie hauler, I usually set the controllers trim control for a light application and if I need more, I manually overide with the little lever.

If I set the unit so the brakes work where you can really feel them, they are just too severe if you climb on them hard.

Missy