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Old 06-19-2019, 04:20 PM   #61
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I'm guessing you're pointing to the brake controller. What make is it, it's a lot smaller than my P2. Wasn't a lot of mounting locations in my Ranger. The P2 controller was the only thing I was able to salvage after it was totaled. A smaller unit may be in order for the next truck.
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Old 06-19-2019, 06:51 PM   #62
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Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
I'm guessing you're pointing to the brake controller. What make is it, it's a lot smaller than my P2. Wasn't a lot of mounting locations in my Ranger. The P2 controller was the only thing I was able to salvage after it was totaled. A smaller unit may be in order for the next truck.
I had a P3 on the shelf and really wanted to use it, but I couldn't find a decent location.
In the picture I am actually activating the manual override on the brakes.
That tiny box is the slide brake. To the right is a Tiny Screen which is the readout. The actual brake control box is mounted up under the dash out of sight and out of the way. The other two units shown can be placed anywhere within reach or sight.
The Unit is a HOPKINS INSIGHT three piece brake control unit
shown below also a picture of the unit mounted under my dash..


https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...s/hm47297.html




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thumbnail.jpgIB5.jpg  
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Old 06-19-2019, 08:59 PM   #63
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Originally Posted by Mike Magee View Post
Are you keeping that plastic on the seats? Just wondering. Very snazzy truck.
Mike,

You saw the condition Floyd's red truck was in; it takes some forethought and effort to keep a vehicle looking that nice.

Floyd's not only a good caretaker, but he's also frugal too. I figure he complained at the dealership and they salvaged those seat covers from the refuse bin. He'll run those until they wear out.

And now he knows just where to get all the replacements he could ever want; color: clear, fit: universal!
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Old 06-19-2019, 09:01 PM   #64
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More seriously, congratulations Floyd.

I confidently expect that the new rig will meet all your expectations.
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Old 06-19-2019, 09:42 PM   #65
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Originally Posted by Civilguy View Post
Mike,

You saw the condition Floyd's red truck was in; it takes some forethought and effort to keep a vehicle looking that nice.

Floyd's not only a good caretaker, but he's also frugal too. I figure he complained at the dealership and they salvaged those seat covers from the refuse bin. He'll run those until they wear out.

And now he knows just where to get all the replacements he could ever want; color: clear, fit: universal!



Thanks for the kind words,but....

Seriously, that's not a bad idea! If I can't get clean ones from the dumpster...Maybe keep a couple of Drum liners under the back seat with a slit partway up both sides... They would cover the front buckets completely when needed and serve as rain ponchos or ground cover in inclement weather.
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Old 06-20-2019, 03:37 PM   #66
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Thanks for the kind words,but....

Seriously, that's not a bad idea! If I can't get clean ones from the dumpster...Maybe keep a couple of Drum liners under the back seat with a slit partway up both sides... They would cover the front buckets completely when needed and serve as rain ponchos or ground cover in inclement weather.
Ouch. Let's not get started. I have been guilty of keeping extra-large heavy-duty plastic from equipment packaging in case I have to crawl underneath the vehicle, etc. Periodically, I have to discard the "extras" I find "here and there".

It's the same with the most excellent glass and plastic containers that I save for packing coffee or whatnot. I could equip a jamboree.

It's a dangerous habit if you can't stop at just one...
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Old 06-20-2019, 09:14 PM   #67
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Originally Posted by Civilguy View Post
Ouch. Let's not get started. I have been guilty of keeping extra-large heavy-duty plastic from equipment packaging in case I have to crawl underneath the vehicle, etc. Periodically, I have to discard the "extras" I find "here and there".

It's the same with the most excellent glass and plastic containers that I save for packing coffee or whatnot. I could equip a jamboree.

It's a dangerous habit if you can't stop at just one...
You would not believe the kind of stuff I collected over the years, but then I think that you would believe!

When I was working I was able to build up a decent supply of interesting and "this could be useful some day" stuff. Now I am slowly using it up. The dumpsters in an office/industrial park can be goldmines!

Flat pieces of closed cell shipping packaging are great for comfort on wet and hard picnic benches, one long block of foam is what keeps the Scamp drawers from sliding open when towing, aluminum clad plastic sheets with Velcro strips attached cover our windows when it is cold, etc. etc. More closed cell foam insulates my roof vents. Various pieces of leftover metal were used on many of my projects.

Some of us were making dumpster diving into an art form and every lunch break walk included a quick peek. It is truly habit forming...
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Old 06-20-2021, 02:47 PM   #68
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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
I had a P3 on the shelf and really wanted to use it, but I couldn't find a decent location....
The Unit is a HOPKINS INSIGHT three piece brake control unit
..
Quote:
Originally Posted by floyd View Post
...
Also I will use a Hopkins Insight brake controller since I can find no good location for a P3...
Its been a while, which is good since Floyd and perhaps others have had some time to get personal experience with brake controllers on the Ranger. I have recently started my research for a 5G Ranger and I when I get it, I also will have a P3 "on the shelf" which I love. But I need some guidance...

Looks like the only Ford approved brake controller is a Redarc, and it works with the truck's automatic emergency braking. But the install can be rather involved. They provide some wires under the dash from the wiring harness but you still need to get the brake light signal and the standard location is all the way at the back, at the third brake light!

I have seen some people install a P2 and P3 and the instal is actually easier. No need to run a wire to the 3red brake light even. Also since I have a P3, cheaper.

So my questions are: is it worth the extra work and money to install the RedArc Elite to get the benefit of it working with the emergency braking? Will the emergency braking work while towing (or in tow mode), say if you have P3? If it does, then wont the P3 sense the braking and work just about as well?

(Yes, I will ask at the Ranger forum also.. but u guys I know and -mostly- trust).

Edit: Still researching but this might answer part of my question:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threa...562/post-69675
Summary.. If no brake pedal pushed, then no trailer brakes during an emergency assist braking event.

Edit #2: Reading all this stuff at the Ranger Forum leads me to suspect that you could wire a P2 / P3 to the third brake light and then have trailer brakes activate along with the emergency braking system. The wiring to the brake light seems to be an extra wire for the Redarc.. not used by default for the P2 / P3 but maybe an alternate to the brake pedal switch signal.
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Old 06-20-2021, 03:31 PM   #69
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Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
Its been a while, which is good since Floyd and perhaps others have had some time to get personal experience with brake controllers on the Ranger. I have recently started my research for a 5G Ranger and I when I get it, I also will have a P3 "on the shelf" which I love. But I need some guidance...

Looks like the only Ford approved brake controller is a Redarc, and it works with the truck's automatic emergency braking. But the install can be rather involved. They provide some wires under the dash from the wiring harness but you still need to get the brake light signal and the standard location is all the way at the back, at the third brake light!

I have seen some people install a P2 and P3 and the instal is actually easier. No need to run a wire to the 3red brake light even. Also since I have a P3, cheaper.

So my questions are: is it worth the extra work and money to install the RedArc Elite to get the benefit of it working with the emergency braking? Will the emergency braking work while towing (or in tow mode), say if you have P3? If it does, then wont the P3 sense the braking and work just about as well?

(Yes, I will ask at the Ranger forum also.. but u guys I know and -mostly- trust).
The "third eye" is only relevant if you rely on automatic braking while towing and only then if you're just too lazy or inattentive to step on the brake once the alarm sounds. Even then the issue is just trailer brake activation.
And on top of that!... modern brake controllers have inertia sensors which activate the trailer brakes during deceleration anyway.
If your trailer has any margin in terms of tow capacity this is not really an issue, if it doesn't ... get a smaller trailer.
I have been towing with my Ranger now for two years, I have not and can not conceive of the need for the additional wiring.

Caveat... I do not have advanced cruise control and I make a habit of looking out the windshield occasionally while driving.
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Old 06-20-2021, 03:53 PM   #70
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Ironic that the " Euro Spec" Ford Ranger was designed and developed in Melbourne Australia. A long way from Europe
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Old 06-20-2021, 04:09 PM   #71
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Looks like the only Ford approved brake controller is a Redarc, and it works with the truck's automatic emergency braking
Interesting that Redarc an Australian manufacturer is original factory approved equipment on the US built Ford Ranger
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Old 06-20-2021, 05:14 PM   #72
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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
The "third eye" is only relevant if you rely on automatic braking while towing and only then if you're just too lazy or inattentive to step on the brake once the alarm sounds. Even then the issue is just trailer brake activation...
Thanks for that confirmation.. I'm starting to understand:
  • Ford built a truck with "best in class towing ability."
  • Ford included four wires for connecting a trailer brake controller (but didn't provide or endorse a controller for some time after the truck went on the market).
  • Ford sold a bunch of these trucks, and then remembered that when the front collision avoidance automatic braking was activated, the four wires with a brake controller would not activate the trailer's brakes.
  • Ford Lawyers worried about liability and the engineers figured out that they could use (or rebrand) a Redarc controller with an additional connection to a brake light so that the emergency braking would include the trailer's brakes.
Who do they think they are, Toyota?

As for relying.. or being lazy.. I get your point but even the best drivers who are not lazy and do not depend on technology can get in trouble when people ahead slam on the brakes, or some other unforeseeable situation occurs, or some insurance scammer tries to make you ram them in the back to make a claim. While the added margin of safety with having trailer brakes included with an automatic emergency braking activation might be slight (vs. not having trailer brakes), it could mean the difference between a collision and a near collision. It just seems that it might be shortsighted to have a safety feature but then reduce it's effectiveness with the wrong supplemental hardware.

Then there is the question about the adaptive cruise control with the trailer brake controller. I have never had it and I don't use standard CC when towing so IDK.
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