prodigy

Prodigy brake control
Just my view of the Prodigy from installing and use experience

First, I'd like to say I think it's an excellent brake controller, the Jordan may be it's equal, but I don't know as I have not used one.

It's a very easy straight forward install for most people. However I do feel the Prodigy is a misunderstood controller. The Prodigy has a totally different feel when braking with it compared to the older type controllers. For many of us that have towed using the older type controllers, we're used to the jerking and uneven braking, the daily tweaking by some of us to get the right feel of the brakes. We have come to trust this aggressive feel and it's hard for us to trust the new smooth feel and no need for readjustment the Prodigy offers. The first few times I pulled our 10,000 pound 5th wheel after installing the Prodigy I was uncomfortable, as that old brake feeling was not there. But after a couple short trips I began to trust the Prodigy and at this time would say I would never go back to the older style controllers.

I do feel the Prodigy is more prone to problems from poor electrical connections than the older style controllers. This is partly due to the digital read out giving us bits of information we never knew before as all we had were a few lights to deal with. The Prodigy with its digital display offers much more information, and sometimes overloads our thoughts of is there a real problem.

When I first installed our Prodigy I found my trailer brakes no longer had the same stopping ability they had with my old controller. After calling Tekonsha and Dexter Axle and getting their thoughts, I went through my brake system. First I found I had a voltage drop of nearly 2.9 volts from the controller to the trailer brakes with the truck engine running. This drop gave me only 9.87 volts at the trailer brakes. Dexter Axle had told me I needed a minimum 10.5 volts at the trailer brakes. I took it upon myself to make the following changes. First I shortened the Prodigy pigtail under the dash to no longer than required to connect. Next I did away with all crimped connections possible and soldered them, including the factory connections at the trailer brakes. Once again I checked the voltage at the trailer brakes and found I now had 11.80 volts, an increase of 1.93 volts. I have no idea which change I made did away with the voltage drop, but it did make a world of difference in the trailer braking.

I have nothing to gain from Tekonsha by having this write up on my page. It's just my experience with this controller and the things I personally did to make my system work as it is designed to work.

Update In mid May of 2002 I got a real life stopping experience with the Prodigy. We were on a divided highway traveling at 60 mph when a pickup truck pulled out about 150 feet in front of us. I hit the brakes, the truck and trailer were in complete control, very smooth, but even a Ford pickup and the Prodigy can't stop 18,000 pounds in that short of a distance. I swerved to the shoulder and missed the pickup by only inches. During the braking I never felt the trailer was pushing the truck and never felt out of control. Just a very close call! I don't think the driver of the pickup ever saw me until I was within inches off the side of his truck. (This took place on dry, clean blacktop). Please read following on stopping on slippery roads.

Update stopping on slippery roads

I have wanted to add my thoughts on stopping on wet or slippery roads for several months, but was not sure how to write without sounding negative about the Prodigy. After reading a note on one of the RV forums this morning 6-11-03 I feel the time has come. The person on the forum told how great the control was during a quick stop on wet pavement and how they got stopped 2 or 3 feet before hitting the car ahead of them. I don't know about you, but 2 or 3 feet is too close for me. The person went on to tell the pickup's brakes were locked and sliding, then said they weren't sure if the trailer brakes were also locked. My answer to that is I do not think the trailer was doing much braking at all if any. I will try to explain why.

The Prodigy is an accelerometer-based control it delivers power to the trailer brakes based on the deceleration it senses in the tow unit. It's sort of like when you stop quick on dry pavement and you can feel our body press hard against the seat belt. In this case the Prodigy would apply hard braking to the trailer, stopping you in a short distance. But if you try to stop and the car skids on wet pavement you feel a lesser pressure against the seat belt. In this case the Prodigy would not apply as much braking to the trailer and would take a much longer distance to stop. Using one of the boost settings will greatly help in this situation, but may not be the total answer. For me the answer to this slippery road problem (wet, ice, dirt on pavement or being on a gravel road) is to use the manual lever on the Prodigy. Always keep the lever in mind, especially on slippery roads. Always place the Prodigy unit within easy reach and practice reaching for it and using it. When an emergency pops up and you have to stop quick it's not the time to have to try finding the lever. The heavier your trailer the more all of the above applies to you. I still feel the Prodigy is the best control available.

I learned all this the hard way by nearly having the trailer push me into oncoming traffic on wet blacktop! Most will never have to make a panic stop on slippery roads, but do keep the manual lever on your mind at all times and don't be afraid to use it.