Barry Oliver <barrysuperhawk@comcast.net> wrote:
> 99 SLT, 4x4, 5.2 HD tow package [7 pin plugin]
> I just bought a trailer and discovered it has trailer brakes, so now I
> need to know what I need to do to make them work.
> A guy at work said it is simple as running a wire from my brake light to
> the extra pin, but another [smarter] co-worker says I need a brake
> controller. So, basically I am wondering how involved this is going to
> be as in is it worth it to pay a professional a few bux to avoid the
> headache or is it so simple a caveman could do it?
Yes, you need a brake controller. The reason is that the brake
circuit isn't a simple on/off deal, the force applied by electric
trailer brakes varies depending on the voltage sent down that wire.
If you simply connect your brake lights to that pin, the trailer
brakes will lock hard every time you even touch the brake pedal. A
brake controller varies the voltage depending on the conditions. It
has a device inside such as an accelerometer or a pendulum which
allows it to sense how hard the brakes were applied and adjust the
trailer to match. You can adjust this on the brake controller,
depending on the load in the trailer, etc. I have a Tekonsha Prodigy
brake controller in my Ram 3500 and I love it. Definitely not the
cheapest around (you can get them around $90) but its supposed to be
about the best there is. Besides the normal amount of braking, its
got 3 "boost" levels which allows you to tailor the amount of trailer
braking to get the best match for your truck/trailer weight ratio.
Since you have a '99, hookup is super simple, like less than 5
minutes simple. Just get the Dodge pigtail, find a place to mount the
brake controller under the dash, plug one end of the pigtail into the
controller, the other into the blue conector under your dash, and you
are done. If you get a controller which does not have a pigtail for
Dodge, then it will need to be wired up, which obviously is more
involved than a plug-n-play pigtail.
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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