Charley Hoyt

I am in the market for a light weight enclosed trailer....so I need to add an electronic brake controller to my Suburban. What is the best brake controller ?

Thanks,
Charley

RX-Ben

Tekonsha Prodigy P3. Found one for $90 new on ebay.

BEZ06

I have a Phord pickup with a factory controller, which is excellent.

But, whenever that question is asked on the truck forum I frequent, the answer is "get a Prodigy".

Here's a link to their website, and I see they have several models:

http://www.tekonsha.com/content/prod...ID=1435&part=0

Bob

Charley Hoyt

Thanks guys! I will check them out.

Charley

trackboss

I currently have tekonsha voyager and really like it. It's an inertia based/proportional unit and works well. I have had it over 10 years and moved it from my previous truck to my current one. Before the tekonsha I had the most basic reese/draw tite time based unit (found at just about anywhere) and that functioned well also. The original one eventually failed and the mfg. replaced it for free no questions asked. The proportional ones are a bit better, but not by a lot (based on my experience with the two above). Depending on load, etc. they still need to be adjusted while driving to get desired trailer stopping power. The adjustments are the same two dials regardless of time based or proportional. Basically, one adjustment is the amount of brake applied and the other is how soon it comes on. The advantage of the proportional one is that brakes don't come on strong when braking is minimal. Imagine a pendulum inside the unit making the calls. The harder/quicker the two vehicles brakes are applied the faster/stronger the trailer brakes come on within the limit of the adjustment that was manually made by the driver.
That all being said I prefer the tekonsha. It has an added feature in that there is a green light that comes on when the trailer harness is plugged into the truck as long as the grounds of the trailer are there. If a ground wire breaks or is not connected for some reason the driver immediately knows by that light not being on which I think is nice.

Scooter70

Prodigy. Chances are that your Suburban has a plug under the dash where you can just plug the wiring harness right into. You just have to buy the right harness for your truck when you buy the controller. (If it's the same harness as a 2000 Silverado, I believe that I still have the harness from my old truck. I sold the controller but still have the wiring harness.)

c4cruiser

Later model GM trucks no longer have a plug for a true "plug-n-play" install of trailer brake controllers. A wire loom is there but you have to make wire connections.

I'll agree that the Tekonsha Prodigy is the best controller out there. The P3 is the one to get. Check out their website to find information about it.

The controller will come with a harness and you can get the GM end for it but the website also has information about the pre-terminated harness. Amazon will have them.

Don't forget to connect the 12v power wire to the stud on the underhood fuse panel. That powers up the 12v pin on the 7-pin wiring harness. Check to make sure there is a fuse in place for that wire (40A?) and a fuse for the brake control wire itself.

nolimits

_________________

Agree, been there, done that, P3 2011 Tahoe. Here's a couple good links, easy install.

http://www.etrailer.com/faq-tb-0007-...e-Control.aspx

http://www.etrailer.com/question-19824.html

lefrog

If you want a cheap and reliable solution, I use the Reese Towpower 74378 ( ) that is a 1/3 of the price of the P3.
It does the job well, works on my Antique truck as well as a 2011 GMC Sierra. You have a dial to adjust the voltage and a simple but easy to read display. You also have a push button to trigger the trailer brakes manually.
Great and reliable unit. Have been towing with it for 2 years now and never had any issues.

fatbillybob

Modern Sub's aren't very good tow vehicles. I want a diesel suburban! My 2003 8.1L sub with tow package had a plug and play location under the left footwell iirc. It has been a long time since I own a sub.