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I was looking into a new brake controller for our new truck. Had heard alot about the prodigy. Any feedback? Pros/cons?
I called a couple local places to see what they cost and then looked online and found a controller for $99.99. Local places were $75-$150 more. Is this a real tokensha controller or a cheap repop being sold as an authentic? Check it out at www.rvwholesalers.com. I'll go this way if it's a real mccoy.
Waldo
I love my prodige Its the best one I have ever used. Dont have the harsh release like the others. But still wish I could have the ones you tied into your brake system liked them much better you had real control. But like I said the best electric I have used is the prodige. Its the best And the biggest benefit the wife dont yell at me no more about the tralier brakes banging. She has a bad back. :D JD :D
Waldo, thats the one I'm now using, and the best since I had a unit that tied into my hydraulic service brakes on my ole 75 suburban. They were the best, bar none. But Dot rulled against them many years back with the anti-lock brakes etc.
That price is great, doubt if you will find it for much less. Check on shipping & handling charges. Some company's (not all) make their profits on extra shiping charges, packing, etc. ;)
I also have a Prodigy, works very well. Very easy to set up, too.
Jordan Ultima works on electric brakes the way JD describes for the old hydraulic hook up. Very happy with mine. Call him and talk to him
www.jordanbrake.com
John
Just got a prodigy myself, and happy with it so far, though haven't done much towing with it yet.
I got mine through rjays.com and am happy with their service and shipping. The controller was $99, I paid $116 shipped with the plug-n-play cable.
Was a cinch to install, hardest part was deciding where to put the thing (finally broke down and mounted it to the plastic on the right side and knee level).
Do you need to finess the cable on a Jordan in a 05?
Thanks,
Waldo
Howie uses a Jordan and really likes it. It is a very good unit. I have the Prodigy on my truck and pull a huge fiver. I know the brake is working and working well as the whole unit acts like one. No jerk or buck when the brakes are applied. Very easy install and adjust. Prodigy makes a pigtail that plugs into the under dash fuse panel. There was a difference in the way the pigtail was wired between model years 02 and 03 because of the multplex wireing in the 03. So make sure that you get the right pigtail for your year truck. It has the best features in my opinion and works extremly smooth.
Denny :D .
Inspector - is that a little dig on JK? <<laughes>>
Waldo
I had my third Prodigy controller recently. Never had any trouble with any of them. They work great and save on trailer brakes.
Uncle Wally - (never knew I had an Uncle Wally till now [img]smile.gif[/img] )
I don't know if the '05 is much different than my '03, but the Jordan install was easy. Only had one small problem since then (my fault - I had pulled the knee panel out to fix an unrelated problem) and when I called he (Jordan himself the designer, builder, President and CEO all rolled into one) helped me troubleshoot things on the phone.
Uncle Wally:
Not on your life. John is a good friend and he has the best features and works extremly smoothly also.
Denny :D
I also use a Prodigy and love it. I have been tow campers since 92 and I really like it the best because I don't have to readjust it when changing between lighter vs. heavier trailers.
The new prodigy showed up yesterday. It should be a couple days before I get it in.
Thanks for all the input
Waldo
As mentioned above I uses and like the Jordan for several reasons. It is a direct mechanical connection between your brakes and the input to the controller. This means the trailer brakes work going forward, backwards, or at a dead stop, not something everyone thinks of when buying a controller, but it is a consideration when backing into some sites in the hilly areas or on the slippery slope.
The only short fall with the Jordan is that the cable travel between off and full on was designed to be 1 in., there is a spring inside the controller to allow for cable overtravel once the controller has applied full braking to the trailer. When used on GM products it is inpossible to mount the cable bracket to the brake arm high enough to get just 1 in. of travel and thus the Jordan will tend to lead the towing vehicle in brake application. I made a modification to equal the brake application. You can see it at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze54tx9/id7.html
Re: Jordan Brake.
Hi Guy's,
I worked at an RV place part time and did many brake controller installs. I also miss the old hydraulic/electric brake units. Except for trying to find a spot on some vehicles to put the brake line through the firewall in the old day's. I have installed and used about every controller in the industry, and recently drove a couple of rigs with the prodigy. It's a good unit, but in my opinion you can't beat the jordan unit. I have been towing with one on my GMC 3500 since it was new. It's great. Several of my friends that tow with us going to Rodeo's and horse events tried the jordan unit and now that's all they will tow with. We tow everything from big gooseneck horse trailers to fifthwheel campers and a flat bed equipment trailer. The unit does great no matter what I am hooked up to. Most of the time I don't even have to adjust the amps on the unit on an empty or loaded trailer. It's a simple and smooth stop. Just my two cents worth. Now if we could just find cheap diesel fuel. The other day when I started to fill up my truck the nozzel at the pump started sucking my fuel out of my tank, that's how high the price was! "Just Kidding". Drive safe.