About the Tekonsha Brake Controller

Components to assist or provide brake actuation have been with us since the advent of the trailer brake. Before the 1980’s trailer brakes were controlled by hydraulics, air, pumps, compressors, hoses, tubes, surge actuators – although some of that early technology is still utilized and even preferred for certain applications, today most trailers brakes are controlled by an electrical brake controller, containing an electrical circuit and computer chip.

Certainly, when the driver applies the brakes to the tow vehicle a brake actuation devise performs what might be thought of as a simple function – they are designed to relay this action to the trailer brakes.  It’s important to understand that, in most conditions, the mechanics involved in slowing a trailer or bringing it to a complete stop can be vastly different than a tow vehicle. What makes an electronic brake controller unique is in the way it manages how hard and fast braking force is applied to the trailer.

For decades pickup and flatbed truck drivers operate their brakes by feel and experience - ultimately by their foot. They apply brake force to a pedal relative to several variables, chief among these are the weight and balance of the load. If their truck beds are empty, they apply the brakes late and quickly. If their truck beds are full, especially heavy, they apply the brakes early and slowly. However, getting the same sort of control and response out of a little unassuming box installed under the dash of a vehicle – is nothing short of a miracle of technology and Tekonsha has made that a reality.

For years, Tekonsha brake controllers have lead the market in quality, features and design. However, the company has created a name for themselves by doing something no other manufacture has. Tekonsha made a decision to put more control in the hands (or more appropriately the feet) of the driver than in their plastic boxes.  The result was visionary, and ironically few models can compete with the level of sophistication that a Tekonsha brake controller provides.

Typical brake controllers simply ramp up braking force using a simple delayed response or inertia, some provide ways to adjust and tune gain. However, Tekonsha brake controllers, especially their Primus and Prodigy models provide unique features such as their patented "Boost." Boost adjusts the aggressiveness and sensitivity of trailer brakes, a feature particularly useful in stop-and-go-traffic. When a pickup is pulling a trailer in heavy traffic, a Primus or Prodigy controller from Tekonsha can be set to apply brakes quick and hard, just as the driver would. When the driver regains highway speed the brakes can be shifted to suit those conditions.

There are many different models of brake controllers on the market and they come at various costs and capabilities. Some have LCD screens for diagnostics and others are simpler displays. Some have multiple mounting options for convenient and safe viewing. Certain controllers allow owners to change from electric to hydraulic brakes. Some designed for one axle or two axles, some designed to handle multiple. All of these options serve to suit a controller to a given driver and his trailer and Tekonsha provides all of that and more. What is unique about the functions and features of a Tekonsha controller is that they enhances efficiency, convenience and enable a trailer to react to changing circumstances real-time. It’s this that makes it one of the safest models available.

With a Tekonsha Brake Controller a trailer is going to behave in a predictable and controlled way, which is more than we can say about some drivers out there. Purchase a Tekonsha today and rest easy.