prodigy rf controller

Papa

in california we are required to use a brake assist controller on the t@b ... does anyone have this item on there t@b 
and does it help you

Papa

all comments welcome

Sharon_is_SAM

We have the Techonsha Prodigy RF Electronic brake controller.  You need a charge wire, but no brake wire.  Very plug-n-play.  You mount the device on your front frame and plug the hand piece into your TV 12 volt outlet.  Easy to adjust the brakes, too.  You can use another TV with this system, just need to pair it with the vehicle.  Nice that you avoid additional wiring and nothing gets mounted inside the TV cabin.  The trailer end of the 7 pin plugs into the rear of the device and then you plug the device into the TV 7 pin.  Goid customer setvice, too.  We had some wiring that had shorted and they were very patient on the phone.  Also, while traveling out in Utah this past spring, the hand piece died.  One phone call and Techonsha mailed it to our next campground.  No charge!  If the hand piece dies, you still have brakes.  It remains at the previous settings.

DeltaPop

I'm using the Tekonsha Prodigy RF controller for the 400, simple to set up and works great. Very happy with it.

dragonsdofly

@Papa, we have the Prodigy rf also. Love it and won't use anything else. I've personally driven over 18,000 miles towing the t@b in every type of terrain in 31 states in less than 2 years. Super easy. Full installation includes putting 4 self tapping screws into the trailer frame to hold the brake activator, then plug the brake controller, which is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, into your 12 volt power plug in the tow vehicle. (Old timers like me might say cigarette lighter.) Then you follow 3 or 4 lines of instructions so both pieces of the system can "talk" to each other. That's it. But I'm assuming your tow vehicle has a correctly wired and powered 7 pin connector. If you have that, the prodigy installation is 4 screws into the trailer frame and plugging into your tow vehicle 12 volt port. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Papa

thanks 

dsfdogs

I had the dealer install the brake controller in my car, which already had the seven pin plug. Does it help? yes!

tabiphile

@Papa...you ask specifically about the RF controller and as you can see from the responses, it is popular. It's also a bit pricey. If your tow vehicle is pre-wired for the 7 pin connector (and many of them are) a Tekonsha Primus proportional controller will cost you about $200 less and provide equal brake control with simpler and more reliable electronics. If your TV is pre-wired the non RF units are plug and play compatible. If the wire harness under your dash does not match up, adapter wires are available (TV model specific) for less than $15. You will mount the unit under your dash where it is accessible to use the booster if you need it and plug it in..it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to install. The non-RF unit frees up a charge plug (lighter plug) and provides equal braking performance for less cost. Like the RF unit it can be moved from vehicle to vehicle if the wiring is present. All you need to do to move it is unplug it from the harness, move it and plug it back in. If the wiring is not present in your TV having it installed is not a major complication...RV shops usually charge about $100 to install a 7 pin and the controller.

You have lower cost options that include the Tekonsha service and product....

dragonsdofly

@tabiphile, I'm not sure from your statement what kind of cost you may think is associated with the Prodigy rf. I paid less than $200 for my entire set-up purchased directly from Tekonsha. I did have to watch for a sale, but after less than a month, there it was. My price included shipping. Many controllers cost approx $100, and with installation the cost can be more than what I paid for my entire system.

Vikings

I went with Prodigy RF to avoid any under dash wiring splices/complications in my TV which was not designed for a 7 pin connector w/brake controller. 
A shop, 99% of time, would have installed brake controller correctly including splicing of any necessary wires.  Nevertheless I preferred to leave OEM wiring unmolested. 
Power/charge wire was added at a provided OEM connection point near battery. 
Being able to remove handheld control unit while not towing is a plus for me. 
We have over 15000 towing miles on our unit and it has never had a problem.  

tabiphile

dragonsdofly said:

@tabiphile, I'm not sure from your statement what kind of cost you may think is associated with the Prodigy rf. I paid less than $200 for my entire set-up purchased directly from Tekonsha. I did have to watch for a sale, but after less than a month, there it was. My price included shipping. Many controllers cost approx $100, and with installation the cost can be more than what I paid for my entire system.

Without spending any time shopping I looked at Amazon and the Primus IQ runs $75 and the Prodigy RF $263...so about $200 difference... if you got the rf for $200...that's a decent price but it's still a price gap that I personally would not justify, especially for a vehicle that is prewired.

IslandJo

Last year I was going to get the Prodigy RF as well. When I went to order from Etrailer.com I couldn't find it listed as compatible with a 2018 Toyota Tacoma. The customer service rep said not all vehicles have the electrical capacity to run this controller so it wasn't safe for the Tacoma.

dragonsdofly

@tabiphile, thanks. Wasn't aware of such a low priced controller. However, I can tell myself over and over that I made the right decision for us. Approx 6 weeks after installation, our tv was totalled by a teenage twit taking selfies while driving. We were days away from beginning an epic vacation out west with the kids. We just took the controller out of the totalled vehicle and plugged it into the replacement vehicle. Super easy. The crash delayed our departure by 2 weeks, but not one minute was lost moving the controller to another vehicle.

rajamar

We went with Autowbrake - works great, but pricey.

https://getautowbrake.com/

Sharon_is_SAM

@rajamar, how is Autowbrake different from Prodigy RF?