Electric Brake Controllers

I have fitted them to my last two vehicles & have found them to be very good.

G'day Ross
I use a tekonsha prodigy and it works well on off road Tvan and I think it will also operate two axles. Have to check this on any controller though before purchase.

I mounted mine on two 3mm thick pieces of acrylic sheet glued together.
The sheets were then cut to the same profile as the ash tray edges with same indents. The sheet was then heated, heatgun, and bent down and under.
The Prodigy was then screwed to the acrylic.`

Dead firm mounting and can be removed very easily when not needed and Prodigy unplugged.

If you show your email address I can send you pics if you like.
If you tell me where you are we may able to swap notes.

The brake to trailer wire can be run to the rear of cab under lhs matting and then exit through the grommet for the fuel fill cable if dual cab.
Is yours a dual cab?

Regards
Ross M

I have been a big supporter of Tekonsha products over the years, but when I saw a redarc on a friends car, I thought I would give it a go.

I won't got back to Tekonsha.

We tow a 3.5 tonne triple axle (brakes on each axle), and a tandem camper. It's by far the best I have used to date. Super fast to adjust to each trailer, dial it in and no further adjustment until the brakes wear a bit more.

Crikey, the wife can even use it without buggering like she always did with the Tekonsha.

Kids sometimes get in the car to look for chewies and somehow change the settings (on Tekonsha and redarc). It's a quick adjustment when we hook the trailers up...I actually have each trailer setting written down and it's a one second job.

Have also used the push in button to straighten the camper down a slippery track.

Redarc make it too easy.

I have the red arc controller on my Prado Great little unit easy to operate Aussie made (Adelaide) always great service even pre sales and have answered all of my questions in non Jargon terms and helped make a decision easy.

M

Hi Ross,

Isn't it just human nature to state a personal preference for a product that just wont fit under the dash, even though you have stated there isn't much room.

To answer your question directly, I have a Colorado and determined the same problem you have mentioned. Lack of clearance.

The Redarc Remote Head unit fitted easily and works very well.
You read about the proportional operation of the Tekonsha Prodigy unit and people who swear by them, but rest assured the Redarc unit works very smoothly and effectively to control operation of electric brakes on whatever is being towed.

I made up a right angled bracket and secured this to the firewall under the dash via existing bolts. Just removed the nuts, placed the bracket over the bolts and redone the nuts.

To this bracket, I have mounted both my two-way transceiver and the Redarc brake controller, both of which have remote head controls.
The rotary control knob and the LED indicator fit very nicely in the two "spare switch covers" to the left of the steering column.

The Redarc Remote Head unit was recommended to me by a camper trailer retailer who uses the controller on their own rig, that carries three camper trailers at a time.

Just as an aside, you can buy a GM accessory part called something like a "fuse adaptor". You pick a circuit you want to tap into, remove the fuse, insert the adaptor, replace the original fuse to protect that original circuit, then insert another fuse for the new circuit you have just added.
This is an excellent way of picking up an ignition controlled power source (eg from the brake circuit) when adding a brake controller, or like.

The power source from the battery can be routed into the cab via a rubber plug behind the plastic mudgard inner liner on the left side.

HI Ross I have a D-max got talked out of the REDARC bad mistake, now have a Prodigy only real place for it where knees can hit it. works ok BUT wish i had of backed my own judgement and went for the REDARC ( probably still will ) We tow a 2.8t crusader.
Cheers Warren

Ross
We have the remote head Redarc unit fitted to the Prado and our Colorado, we tow a 20" Coromal with tandem axles. The redarc is a great unit however we have found that adjustment is necessary between highway driving and city traffic driving. The control knob is pretty fine with its adjustment and will take a bit of fiddling when first coming into city traffic from highway. On the colorado fitted to one of the blanks to left of steering wheel with minor adjustment of "stickers" both the knob and the led fit on one blank, much better than hitting left knee :))