Picking up trailer tomorrow

[Lesherp]

I think I am ready. Have a hitch and connected the Prodigy p2 and it seems to be working. One thing I am not sure about is how it communicates to the trailer brakes. Is that done through the 7 pin hookup or is there something else I need to connect?

Originally Posted by Lesherp

Is that done through the 7 pin hookup or is there something else I need to connect?

A functional 7-pin hookup is all you need. Congratulations. Looking forward to hearing many stories about your adventures in TM living.

A simple test with the prodigy is to have someone watch while you slowly pull the trailer on gravel or loose stone. Operate the manual override and it should lock the trailer tires on max.

The Prodigy has a manual braking lever on it. If you go slowly with the trailer attached and then engage the manual control you should feel both vehicle and trailer slowing down. This frankly should be a test you perform at the start of each trip, or after stopping and being away from the trailer (people mess around with things, I always do a walk around).

IIRC, the manual brake engagement is part of the Prodigy calibration, you go 25 mph or something like that and then set the sensitivity so the brakes engage on the trailer without locking up. Check your manual. I have a different system on my truck so I am doing this from memory of my last Prodigy 3-4 years ago.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Lesherp

I think I am ready. Have a hitch and connected the Prodigy p2 and it seems to be working. One thing I am not sure about is how it communicates to the trailer brakes. Is that done through the 7 pin hookup or is there something else I need to connect?

It would be helpful t know what kind of vehicle that you have and how you wired the brake controller.

If you have a late model vehicle with a "Plug & play" harness from the factory or ordered from Prodigy, you may be good to go.

You won't actually know for sure until you plug into the trailer and try the brakes. The controller will give you a message if there are any problems.

There could also be issues with the trailer itself. It is not uncommon for electric brakes to be non-functional for a number of reasons.

Originally Posted by harveyrv

It would be helpful t know what kind of vehicle that you have and how you wired the brake controller.

If you have a late model vehicle with a "Plug & play" harness from the factory or ordered from Prodigy, you may be good to go.

You won't actually know for sure until you plug into the trailer and try the brakes. The controller will give you a message if there are any problems.

There could also be issues with the trailer itself. It is not uncommon for electric brakes to be non-functional for a number of reasons.

For instance, my 2006 Honda Ridgeline came with a "full towing package." I actually needed to have the 7 pin wiring harness done after market. Then, the dealer wouldn't install the brake controller because it was an "after market" part. That entailed me getting up under the dash by the firewall and finding the right wires to connect to the controller. Luckily, the Prodigy came with a honda compatible plug so I didn't have to splice upside down and reaching up 2 feet. It still took me a couple of hours. There was maybe 1 -1 1/2 inches of play in the harness wiring.
Anyway, the point is that the controller has to be plugged in to the harness. Once it's installed, it's fairly easy to set it up for the first time. I think you probably may want to re set it on subsequent trips according to the weight in the trailer.