Electric Brakes w/ '09 Highlander??

[Jaclyn W]

We're looking at getting a new vehicle and we like the '09 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD. Do you think we'd need electric brakes with that?

We have a Surfside, can't remember which year.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I'd recommend it -- Ford reminds owners that the vehicle brakes are sized to stop to the GVWR, not the GCWR -- Also, having six braked wheels on the ground is a lot more stopping power than only having four -- And you have the option of applying trailer brakes alone in a sway incident.

It made a lot of difference for me when towing my Scamp 13' with a half-ton Dodge pickup truck.

[Mike Magee]

My '08 (same as '09 model) Highlander's manual says brakes required to tow over 1000 lb. That said, my Burro weighs twice that and the Highlander stops it fine. I would have preferred trailer brakes... the tow vehicle was already wired for it, too. But not having 'em does not seem to be a big problem.

[Pete Dumbleton]

It might become a problem if you get involved in a liability case...

Of course, one can 'get by' without them, but one gets by better with them, esp when TV manufacturer recommends them. I thought my Dodge truck was doing a fair job of stopping until I put brakes on my Scamp 13' and found out how much better it was and how much more safety margin I gained.

[Keith Williams]

Hey Pete,

From reading a lot of your posts, I have a great amount of respect for your insights....no I'm not going to ask for a loan But I would welcome some words of wisdom from you on setting / adjusting my Tekonsah Brake controller with my NTM (New To Me) 17 ft Liberty Deluxe Casita. I have used the controller with my first Casita, the 21 ft Bigfoot and now this trailer. But I've never really felt that confidence one feels when you know it's adjusted correctly.

I would welcome anyone else's input, too, of course. I tow with a 1999 Chevy Tahoe.

Thanks in advance,

EKW

[Pete Dumbleton]

I just followed, step by step, the instructions that came with my Prodigy, which I installed when I acquired my Ranger, and it all works as advertised. Of course, there's a lot of 'extra' features on the Prodigy/P3 that really only affect the larger, multiple-axle BulgeMobile trailers, like the Boost which is not intended for trailers that weigh less or about the same as the tow vehicle.

On my Dodge, I had an older Tekonsha controller that came with my middle '80s Jayco 16' and the Prodigy works a lot more smoothly.

If you have specific questions, I've found the Cequent-Tekonsha tech support people to be very knowledgeable and easy to work with -- My Prodigy had a big note about Ford wiring and I wanted to know if it applied to the Ranger/Mazda models as well as the big brothers, because it affected the ABS braking (Only applied to the big trucks).