Brake controller, Connecting harness, Two batteries?

I am new to this! - I have a 2009 TM2619 on order to be towed by a 2004 Sienna AWD van. I am having the hitch and transmission cooler installer on the van. Probably should have heavy duty turn signal relays installed as well. - My first question is what kind of brake controller would be recommended and how is the brake controller connected to the Sienna and/or installed in the Sienna. Would a heavy duty wire from the van to the TM battery as part of the connecting harness make sense?. - Would two batteries make sense? If so, is there room for two batteries? ----- SORRY ABOUT THE COMPOUND QUESTION. (I have a lot of questions floating though my mind in connection with this new venture!)

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

what kind of brake controller would be recommended and how is the brake controller connected to the Sienna and/or installed in the Sienna.

I think many here use the Tekonsha Prodigy, and is well regarded. I use a slighty more feature laden variation called the Tekonsha P3...works the same, but has a fancy screen, voltage readout, etc. Check your Sienna owners manual -- installation may be as easy as plugging up an extra harness, which you have to buy separate from the controller and specifically for your vehicle. Otherwise, you'll have to do some wiring.

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

Would a heavy duty wire from the van to the TM battery as part of the connecting harness make sense?[/B].

Some folks here have a problem with their TV giving sufficient power to the TM to run the fridge on 12 volts and charge their batteries. In fact, some owners find that the fridge drains the TM batteries while towing (it runs on propane or AC while camping). If you encounter this problem, then yes, adding heavier wire between the alternator and TM batteries will help this problem, although the batteries will never be completely charged in this manner. This problem has been discussed here many times, and you can search to find threads on the issue.

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

Would two batteries make sense? If so, is there room for two batteries?

If you are going to camp in campgrounds with hookups most of the time, you don't need 2 batteries. However, if you plan on spending most of your time "boondocking", you will very likely find yourself wanting another battery. For maximum usable capacity, check out golf cart batteries. Costco sells some as someone else here reported. Another popular golf cart battery brand is Trojan. Plan on spending about $150 each for a Trojan.

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

SORRY ABOUT THE COMPOUND QUESTION. (I have a lot of questions floating though my mind in connection with this new venture!)

Ask away! This is a very helpful community...sign up for a year. It's worth every penny......

Dave

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

I am new to this! - I have a 2009 TM2619 on order to be towed by a 2004 Sienna AWD van. I am having the hitch and transmission cooler installer on the van. Probably should have heavy duty turn signal relays installed as well. - My first question is what kind of brake controller would be recommended and how is the brake controller connected to the Sienna and/or installed in the Sienna. Would a heavy duty wire from the van to the TM battery as part of the connecting harness make sense?. - Would two batteries make sense? If so, is there room for two batteries? ----- SORRY ABOUT THE COMPOUND QUESTION. (I have a lot of questions floating though my mind in connection with this new venture!)

I have the Valley Industries Odyssey brake controller. This is very similar to the Prodigy.

There are three types of brake controllers that I think seem to work well:
1. electronic solid state controllers that measure the rate of deceleration. Prodigy is one particular model. The Prodigy or similar is around $100.00.

2. Controller that measure the pressure of the brake fluid in the TV. This requires tapping into the brake lines. Many people are reluctant to do this. This type of controller seems to be popular with people that tow very large trailers 10,000+ pounds. This is likely overkill for a TM. This type of controller appears to cost around $350.00, as I recall.

3. Controller that attaches to the brake pedal of the TV with a wire. Somewhat like the brake cable for a bicycle. This also seems to be more popular with heavy trailers. As I recall, this type costs more than the Prodigy but less than the one that tapes into the brake line.

The very inexpensive controllers are usually a time delay device. The longer your foot is on the brakes the more braking power that is applied to the trailer. If your driving style is to apply the brakes gently for a long time as you approach a red light, this will result in the trailer brakes eventually being on much harder than the TV brakes, which might cause skidding. In a panic stop, the trailer brakes will lock up 5 seconds after you wanted them to.

Surge brakes are commonly used on boat trailers and not on camping trailers.

If you don't know what else to do, buy a Prodigy. Otherwise, spend some time researching the topic. I would never recommend any of the older style controllers, such as the time delay. There are others, I believe.

Regarding 12 volt wire to charge the TM battery: I have no problems with my stock factory setup. When I arrive at my destination the fridge is still cold and running on 12 volts and the pair of TM batteries have increased their charge.

I would not recommend changing the wiring on your TV until after you have determined that you have a problem. If it ain't broke then don't fix it. Measure it first.

I added a second battery to my TM. I almost never have shore power. I carry a generator to recharge as necessary. Usually about an hour per day or so. If you will always stay in RV parks where you plug in to shore power then just use a single inexpensive battery. You must have a battery because if there is no battery then the breakaway brakes will not function in a separation.

When you have a factory installed towing package they normally include a prewired plug for a brake controller. I don't know if you'll have one since you don't have that option. If it is there then installing a brake controller is easy. Otherwise it will involve figuring out which wires to tap into under the dash. Depending on your skill level you might be better off letting your rv dealer do that.

We have the Tekonsha P3

BK