One of your trailer’s top safety features, electric brakes are standard equipment on vehicles. Trailer brakes are an added layer of insurance to safeguard you, your goods, and other drivers when traveling, even if they are not required in all areas. The crucial information, however, is that you cannot use your trailer brakes without first mounting a brake controller.
The number of brakes that different trailer brake controllers can power as well as their other features vary. But to keep things simple, there are really just two primary categories of brake controllers: proportional and time-delayed also known as stable state brake controllers. There are also brake controllers like redarc brake controller which can have modern features.
Relative Time Brake Controllers: Based on the user-set predetermined braking capacity and the weight of the trailer plus the anticipated cargo, this mechanism operates. Most time-delayed brake controllers have a sync switch that allows the timing and amount of braking power to be altered.
A specified amount of braking capability that the user specifies depending on expected load weight is delivered back to the trailer when the pedal of the tow vehicle is compressed. The tow vehicle will perform the majority of the braking if the sync is set too low. On the other hand, the trailer will do the majority of the braking if the sync is set too high.This pre-fixed, less responsive system usually results in uneven brake wear on the tow vehicle and trailer brakes, but it is the least expensive choice and ideal for sporadic towing.
Controllers for proportional brakes: Proportional brake controllers, the more expensive of the two alternatives, cause the trailer brakes to apply pressure at the same rate as the towing vehicle. This control system’s key advantage is that it causes the least amount of damage to the brakes of both the towing vehicle and the trailer. It is the safest system you can install because it is also the fastest and most responsive.
The two different brake controller types are briefly described here, along with some of their similarities and differences:
Overall Likeliness: Installation wiring is the same.With both controllers, the user can manually override the signal for the trailer brakes.Depending on the weight of the load, the user can modify the maximum braking power.
Overall variations: Price; proportional controllers cost more.The two controllers have different levels of braking power. In comparison to time-delayed controllers that use a predefined amount of force, proportional controllers offer a smoother ride and put less strain on the brakes.Time-delayed controllers can be deployed anywhere and normally don’t need to be calibrated. There are self-calibrating models for proportional controllers, or they can be calibrated. They frequently come in greater sizes and need to be installed in a specific manner.
The safest and most effective braking system you can install is one with proportional controllers. Time-delayed controllers are suitable for infrequent trailer users, whereas proportional controllers are preferable for heavy trailer users. They perform better under different circumstances and put less strain on the tow and trailer brakes.