Does my 2006 Duramax need a brake controller?

If you previously towed a trailer and the brakes actuated, I would guess that you have a controller, unless the trailer was activated by pushing against the ball.
bumpy

oughtsix wrote:
I am going to pick up our new to us 2006 Coachmen Captive 26ex tomorrow. This will be my first travel trailer. Do I need a brake controller in my 2006 Crew cab long bed Duramax? My Duramax already has the round 7 contact plug on the back of it.

Are brake controllers an added convenience for controlling and adjusting the braking force applied by the trailer brakes? Or are brake controllers a necessity to make the trailer brakes actuate at all? If brake controllers are a necessity does my Duramax already have one built in? (I have towed a large equipment trailer with my Duramax before and the trailer brakes worked properly.)

My 2007 Chevy did not have a built in brake unit so unless someone put one on the truck I would say the equipment trailer had a surge brake not electric brakes.

The GM TRUCK BRAKE CONTROLLER will look similar to this google image photo




If your 2006 Duramax GM Truck has a built-in BRAKE CONTROL you will find the BRAKE CONTROLLER similar to this install...

If you don't see one of these thumb controller slider switch units on your dash usually installed around your legs in arms length then you will have to install one. Prodigy is a popular brand BRAKE CONTROLLER.

Roy Ken

Unless you installed one in your 06 Duramax...you will need to install an aftermarket one..NO 06's had a factory installed BC.

Suggest a Prodigy. Mine has worked flawlessly since I installed it in my 06 DA when it was new.

The equipment trailer definitely had electric brakes not surge brakes.

Thank you for the quick replies and the help!

Most states have a requirement for brake controllers if you tow a trailer beyond a certain weight limit. It's good to have one for any weight trailer just for added safety. I would add one if your truck didn't come with one.

The heavy equipment trailer probably had a built in brake controller. It sits on the tongue and uses motion sensing or electrical input from the brake light connection to apply the brakes.

I had to mount an after-market one in my 07 classic, a must for any trailering...

So you own and you drive the truck but you don't know if you have a brake controller?

Did the large equipment trailer have "surge" brakes? The surge brake operates via the inertia of the trailer and the deceleration of the towing vehicle and is NOT connected to or operated by the towing vehicle. No controller required. If there was not a surge brake system on the trailer then the towing vehicle either has the GM brake controller as noted in the photo above or there has been an aftermarket brake controller installed. The aftermarket brake controller should be mounted under the dash in a place that easily accessible from the drivers seat,

Sprink-Fitter wrote:
So you own and you drive the truck but you don't know if you have a brake controller?

Correct. I bought the truck a year ago and use it for family trips, moving my tractor, trips to the home improvement stores, trips to the steel supplier, taking the Kayaks to the lake, going tent camping, towing my little 5x8 foot trailer when I need extra hauling room and everything else imaginable. But it is not my daily driver. I love my 2006 Duramax and bought it with the express purpose of buying an RV (bumper pull trailer, 5th wheel or camper) when I could afford one and not have to worry about being "under trucked".

I know this forum will find this very difficult to believe but not all pickups are used to pull travel trailers! I know... blasphemy!!!

I am pretty sure the 67 F100 that I came from had a leather strap wrapped around the rear axle that tightened up to slow the truck down when I stepped on the brake pedal. So I am kind of new to brake controllers.

I ran home at lunch and see the connector for the brake controller next to the brake pedal with nothing plugged into it. I printed out a new Prodigy P3 from ebay with the GM pigtail for $145 and took it to the RV store. I bought a P3 and pigtail from them for $170. I will plug it in tonight.

I didn't do a lot of research but I assume the P3 is an upgrade over the P2 with the fancy screen on the P3 and everything?

P.S. I had surge brakes on my 20' 1976 Glastron so I am familiar with them. The equipment trailer did not have the hydraulic cylinder on the tongue like my boat did.