Brake Controllers

[Teal]

Hi there... I am a new member and working on outfitting my Toyota Highlander to tow my Scamp 16. A few folks have recommended the Tekonsha Prodigy 2. When looking at them online, I see two models... what is the difference between them and which one have others used?

I can't find the answer online, hopefully someone out there has used them and can answer.

Teal

[Borrego Dave]

The P2 is the way to go. The P3 has extra features that some like but the P2 gets it done and is very easy to use.

[Byron Kinnaman]

P2 is a little cheaper than P3. P3 additional features from P2 include
a current reading
memories for switching between different trailers.
An Electric over Hydraulic or electric modes.

Both work about the same and either one would be a good choice. The brakes have a negative wire attached to the trailer frame. That negative wire has a tendency to corrode and come loose. Therefore my preference would be my choice because of the current reading. In fact I might just change to a P3 for that reason.

[WDavidG]

Teal,
The extra features in the P3 seemed not useful to me and I went with the P2 in my Highlander and have been very pleased. I'm sure either one will work well for you.

[Teal]

Great... thank you so much for clearing that up for me. Do you also have sway bars for your rig towing with your Highlander? I am thinking I don't really need the load leveling hitch set up, just go with sway bars... your opinions?

Scampers rock!
Teal

[WDavidG]

No, the 13 tows beautifully behind the Highlander (an 08 - I think the earlier ones may have a lower towing capacity) without sway bars or a load leveling hitch. I doubt you'd need them for your 16, but that's a guess unencumbered by experience or data. You should check with others who have experience with the longer and heavier rig.

[Teal]

Hi... everyone seems to like the P2... but I am finding some less expensive ones like the Hopkins or Reese... much less. Any experience with these or reasons not to go this way?
Thx for your thoughts... Teal

[Carol H]

You should not need a Load levelling/WD(Weight Distribution) hitch for a 16' unless for some strange reason you have a trailer that is much heavier on the tongue than most 16' Scamps or you are pulling it with a vehicle that is not rated to take the tongue weight of one.

An anti Sway bar is a good thing to have but it should never be something that you actually "must have" in order to keep the trailer from swaying under normal towing conditions. An anti sway bar should only be used/needed as a emergency type device for those one off crazy avoidance moves - which hopefully you will have very few of if any. If you actually need an anti sway bar to keep your trailer from swaying during normal towing, you need to address whats causing that problem before installing the anti sway bar.

When setting up a new trailer or a new tug to an old trailer I always do a few test tows before connecting the anti sway bar to make sure I have done all I can as far as levelling the trailer to the tug and balancing the storage of items in the trailer to get the trailer to tow as stable as it can be & know for sure the anti sway bar is not what is keeping it straight.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Teal

Hi... everyone seems to like the P2... but I am finding some less expensive ones like the Hopkins or Reese... much less. Any experience with these or reasons not to go this way?
Thx for your thoughts... Teal

You will find a number of different makes/brands & some have different mechanisms that impact how well they work, as well as the price. Some are Pendulum or Time delayed (both of those are old school design) or Proportional. Having in the past used pendulum and time delay types the Proporitonal type is by far the better controller performance wise in all ways.

For the little difference in pricing I think you will find most here will agree that if you want to go with the one that most people agree works very well, easy to use, smoother braking, stick to the Tekonsha P2. Its a Proportional type.

[Glenn Baglo]

Another factor is installation of the controller. The P2 doesn't have to be exactly level, as others might. I'd check installation instructions for any controller you consider.

[Teal]

Thanks for great advice!
Teal