Brake Controller

BenK wrote:
Personal opinions here...

First, am positive most who report poor performance and/or bad experiences with their trailer brakes...have their trailer brakes and controller poorly adjusted

I've fixed about six church members and their friends who asked me to take a look

One guy and he continues to diss anything other than an MC PSI sensed controller. He hasn't said much of late, as both MC sensed controller companies have closed and not longer off even spare parts

On the setup...two key things

#1 is that the trailer brakes are in good order. Meaning from the wiring system (mainly gauge and connectors) must be either redone with better connectors and/or up the wire gauge.

#2 is that the TV's controller have the trailer brakes lead the TV. Meaning
that the controller initiates the trailer brakes to start braking BEFORE the TV's
brakes turn on


Most of the 'Highly Integrated' OEM trailer brake controllers use MC PSI sensed.
I'm not a fan of having stuff on the braking system. The various hydraulic braking systems using (mandated by spec) fluid PSI as it's sense trigger...has t
too many sensors leak over time. They were industrial grade...think better than
the stuff automotive uses, but could be wrong there

Plus, just one more potential failure point

TV's brake pedal normally has a bit of travel/stroke BEFORE it touches the MC
piston rod.

Good TV brake pedal brake light switches will or can be adjusted to switch BEFORE
the MC piston rod is ever moved.

Meaning that the trailer brake controller will be told to turn on the trailer
brakes BEFORE the TV MC ever develops PSI to then start TV braking

My P3 can be moved to all of the vehicles I've installed a wiring harness

My P3 can STOP the whole setup without the TV's brakes EVER turn on...just by
touching the TV brake pedal enough to turn on the trailer brake controller but
NEVER moving the MC piston rod...therefore no MC PSI is developed

The Vehicle computer buss is a good place, but need to see 'that' TV's computer
specifications. Mainly the timing of the braking system (brake light timing) to
see if 'that' OEM's integrated controller leads the trailer brakes like mine can

Perhaps you should read Direclink's manual?

HERE

Direclink is a HIGHLY CONFIGURABLE brake controller.

There is no reason as to why you could not setup a Direclink to "lead" the vehicle brakes..

Here is just a few highlights from the manual..

"The Brake Scale number represents the level of trailer braking that the DirecLink will
apply to the trailer brakes when the tow-vehicle brakes are applied. The value can be
adjusted from +1 to +20 with +1 being very light braking and +20 being very heavy
braking. (The default level is set at +3.)

5.2 Heavy Trailers
If your trailer weighs more than 10,000 lbs., you should configure the DirecLink to
LARGE trailer as explained in section 9 of this guide. This increases the Brake Scale
levels from +1 to +40 providing you with 40 levels of Brake Scale giving you greater
flexibility in finding the optimal braking level for your larger trailer.
SEE SECTION 9.

The Low Speed Brake value allows the driver to adjust the amount of braking that
the DirecLink applies at low vehicle velocities such as in town driving. The selectable
values go from -5 to +5. The -5
value is the most reduction that can be made to the low velocity brake level and the +5 is the most additional braking that can be adjusted to the low velocity brake level for a given brake Scale setting. A Low Speed Brake setting of 0
will not change the low velocity brake levels of the Brake Scale setting

The need for a Low Speed Brake adjustment results from the different configurations, sizes and conditions of trailer braking systems. To determine the best Brake Scale and Low Speed Brake settings for your tow vehicle-trailer combination, leave the Low Speed Brake setting at 0 and adjust Brake Scale setting to the desired amount of trailer braking at 50 mph. As you reach the desired Brake Scale setting, when your vehicle velocity is under 30 mph, if the braking is to aggressive, adjust the Low Speed Brake setting to -1, -2 etc. Each negative increment will decrease the aggressiveness of braking under 30 mph. If the braking is not aggressive enough under 30 mph, adjust the Low Speed Brake setting to +1, +2 etc. This will increase the aggressiveness of the brake levels under 30 mph. As you decrease or increase the Low Speed Brake settings, it may be necessary to decrease or increase the Brake Scale settings in order to find the ideal match of the two settings for your tow vehicle-trailer combination

Section 9.3 discusses the following settings options..

Trailer size

The Tralr Size screen allows the driver to select between MED (medium) and LRG (large) trailer sizes. The default setting is MED. The MED setting is a scaling factor that is applied to the Brake Scale setting. The MED setting is designed for trailers weighing up to 10,000 lbs. The LRG setting is designed for trailers that exceed 10,000 lbs. By having these two trailer size settings and having 20 levels of Brake Scale for each setting, that gives the driver 40 levels of Brake Scale to choose from in order to find the ideal trailer brake setting. Depending on the condition or configuration of your trailer’s brake system, and regardless of its actual weight, you may select either the MED or LRG trailer setting to achieve optimal trailer braking performance. The DirecLink will operate properly in either Tralr Size setting regardless of the trailer size so do not hesitate to select the setting that provides your preferred level of trailer

Brake level % when stopped

The Brake Level w/Stopped screen allows the driver to set a desired percentage level
of trailer brakes to be applied when the tow vehicle-trailer is at a stop. The level can
be set from 5% to 30%. When activated, the DirecLink adjusts the trailer brakes up
to the setting when tow vehicle-trailer velocity is zero. This feature is helpful when
stopping on steep grades or on slippery boat ramps. By having the trailer brakes
applied when stopped it helps keep the tow vehicle and trailer stationary

Max brake limit

The Max. Brake Limit adjustment enables the driver to set the maximum trailer braking level just prior to trailer tire lock-up. For example, if a trailer starts to skid one or more tires at a level of 75% controller output, the Max. Brake Limit can be set to 70% and that will limit the automatic braking level of the DirecLink to 70%. All other brake scaling features operate as normal with the maximum auto braking limiting at 70%. However, the manual over-ride will always provide 100% trailer brake output when the trigger is pulled completely in, even when Max. Brake Limit is turned ON.
"

You make some interesting comments for sure.. Like MC sensors going bad or leaking and such.. but yet you do realize that a P2 or P3 is just as dead in the water if the third brakelight fuse BLOWS!

Yep, your P2 or P3 can indeed be rendered useless if that $1 fuse blows and you will never know it until you stomp on the brakes and nothing happens with the brake controller.

Not to mention a P2 and P3 ARE directionally "sensitive", in a nutshell under certain conditions if you start into a slide and your vehicle starts turning sideways the P2 and P3 may not be able to register and compute the deceleration properly, this most likely will result in the controller doing nothing..

What a P2 and P3 have going for it is that it is CHEAP.. Yep, from all of the posts that you and many others have made that I have read, a lot of it comes down to the PRICE.

Yeah, a Direclink does cost $400 and yes it will be proportional but you just are not able to see past the PRICE..

Note: Moderator edit to remove personal and off topic remarks.