PLEASE take the time to read all of the replies thoroughly, and then do your homework.
A few years ago, I had virtually zero experience with electric brakes. My 16' lowboy was manufactured before electric brakes were required, and it still has no brakes on it today. However, it's also only 5,000 GVW. I also have my CDL, so understood about air brakes, but haven't driven larger trucks much
Anyway, at the time we had a '96 GMC 3/4-ton Suburban with a 20', 14,000 GVW bumper pull deckover trailer. I never had any intentions of placing anywhere near rated capacity for that trailer, as it was simply too much for the truck. However, I knew the trailer would stand up to any abuse I would give it and that the brakes would work fine.
This was just after my dad passed, so had lots on my mind. The brake controller that came in the Burb (which we hadn't had very long) was shorting out and causing electrical problems. I went to Auto Zone to get a new controller. They only had 3 to choose from. The associate who came over highly recommended the most expensive one as the one I needed (and wanted!), so that's what I bought. However, it was a time-delayed brake controller. I would learn later that what I needed for that truck was a proportional brake controller.
On our first load heading down to Arkansas (this load had my little Pasquali tractor, among other things), a small car cut me off on a steep downhill run, in heavy traffic, at night, just 3 days before Christmas. We had traveled over 1,000 miles without incident. Unfortunately, the small car caused me to slam on the brakes, which started the trailer fish-tailing. I had just about regained control when the trailer brakes gave out completely (I'm STILL trying to figure that one out!!). The trailer kept pushing us downhill. Every time I tried to slow with the truck, trailer kept trying to fishtail and pass us. I finally had no choice but to jackknife the trailer into the truck. We stopped about 1/4 mile from a deep dropoff.
When trying to figure out what went wrong, I then learned about the two types of controllers. It would appear that some trucks actually prefer the time-delayed setup. Ours needed proportional control. The difference is, with time delay, you step on the brake and it engages at your preset level, then continues braking harder and harder until at 100% capacity. ...But what if you don't need or want that much braking? With proportional, it's just like the brakes in any auto; the trailer brakes match what your truck brakes are doing. You can adjust according to how much load you have and the driving conditions, etc., but it's pretty idiot-proof.
After educating myself on what I "should" have known beforehand, I bought a Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Controller. Have used it many times, and I must say this is the KING of brake controllers!! It -- is -- sweet! There are various presets and easy-to-reach controls that make it easy to tune in to your load and conditions.
Part of the accident I had was my fault - never should have slammed on the brakes, plus I estimated wrong and had my load weight a little farther back than where it should have been. However, I have NO DOUBTS that I would have recovered and made a safe, completed trip had I had the correct brake controller to begin with.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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