[mcneon]

Has anyone mounted an electronic brake controller in their Ridgeline? If so, which one did you buy and where did you mount it?

Bob

 

[davidmdodge]

Hi Bob,

I had my brake controller installed at time of purchase. My local Honda dealer (Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada) brought the truck across the street to a place called the "Hitch Center". The controller is below the dash just to the right of my right knee. Works great. I would think that any place that sells hitches can install a controller for you. Good luck.

Dave
2006 Black Ridgeline EX-L

 

[ridgeNH]

Check this out
I wish I got mine for 99$
http://www.rvsupplywarehouse.com/product/detail.cfm/pid/496

Mounted mine just forward of my right knee

 

[Ahab]

Bought the Prodigy and installed it above the left knee.

 

[JMT]

I installed mine with a disconnect and when it is used I velcro it on the panel under the steering column.

 

[ridged]

I installed mine with a disconnect and when it is used I velcro it on the panel under the steering column.

I like that idea!

I have never pulled a trailer with electric brakes but I would like to be prepared should the need arise. Are all controllers pretty much the same or do certain trailers require specific controllers? Thanks for any info that you might provide.

 

[mcneon]

Any controller will work with a one- or two-axle trailer; the more expensive ones will handle up to three axles. With the Ridgeline's 5K lb weight limit, I'm sure nothing you might pull would have more than two axles.

The Prodigy controller is supposed to be a good one. I've had a number of Tekonsha brand units and they've all worked well.

I like the Velcro idea, too. I've found that any permanently-mounted controller will do a number on your knees at some time. Having it gone most of the time seems the perfect solution.

Bob

 

[ridged]

Any controller will work with a one- or two-axle trailer; the more expensive ones will handle up to three axles. With the Ridgeline's 5K lb weight limit, I'm sure nothing you might pull would have more than two axles.

The Prodigy controller is supposed to be a good one. I've had a number of Tekonsha brand units and they've all worked well.

Thanks for that info, Bob. The Prodigy apparently will handle from 1-4 axles. I have the Honda wiring harness which includes a pigtail for electric brakes. Do I need anything special to wire the Prodigy into the pigtail? Thanks again for putting up with my ignorant questions.

 

[mcneon]

Thanks again for putting up with my ignorant questions.

We were all uninformed at some point, ridged. Thank goodness for wonderful forums like this one now, where we can all come to get better informed. I've mounted probably half a dozen brake controllers on various vehicles I've owned. Some installations worked very well, some not so well. It's reassuring to draw on the forum's collected wisdom and not have to pioneer it this time!

The Prodigy will have either four wires attached or a pigtail of its own that plugs into it. The wires are power, ground, stoplight signal, and trailer brakes. You just mount the controller, splice the Prodigy wires to the Ridgeline pigtail using butt splices or wire nuts, and you're there. The Prodigy color code won't match the Honda wire colors, but you can easily identify what's what by function.

I have a Tekonsha Sentinel in my motor home. It's a little older technology, and it requires a setup to calibrate its sensor. Newer units like the Prodigy don't require as much fiddling.

Bob

 

[csimo]

Most trailer brake controllers are junk and are dangerous in my opinion. This is not a huge issue for the Ridgeline due to the limited towing capacity, but still an important decision.

I haven't investigated this issue in a couple of years so my information is somewhat dated, but I believe the info still applies.

There are two brake controllers that stand out as good ones. The Tekonsha Prodigy and the Jordan Research Ultima unit. They use very different technologies, but accomplish nearly the same feat.

The Prodigy is much more popular because it's sold thru dealers. You can only buy a new Jordan directly from Jordan Research.

The Prodigy is an advanced pendulum design. The controller measures the inertia. It has no physical connection to the primary braking system and sends braking power to the trailer based on what it thinks the vehicle is doing. This works pretty good, but has some downfalls. First, the trailer brakes will always lag behind the primary system. In a panic this short delay could cause problems. Secondly, some people have reported that the controller does not work too well in reverse or in steep hill situations. The Prodigy would be my second choice.

The Jordan Ultima brake controller is a GREAT product. It uses a wire cable that attaches to your brake pedal. The trailer brakes work in conjunction with the primary braking system. Works under any circumstances. Installation can be an issue since the wire coming out of the rear of the controller must be attached to the brake pedal arm. I have not looked at the Ridgeline to see if it would be a good candidate for this controller or not. The bottom line is that the only way to get a better trailer brake controller than the Jordan is to buy a vehicle with an integrated controller. The Jordan costs a little more, but if you tow heavy loads and value your life the $145 (includes shipping) is dirt cheap. Jordan offers great technical support.
http://www.jordanbrake.com/index.html

 

[ridged]

Bob and Joe,

Many thanks to each of you. With the info that you've provided, I feel that I can make a wise, informed decision. I'll let everyone know how it went if/when I move forward with the project. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Jordan unit due to its direct connection to the brake pedal. The difference in price is of no concern to me when deciding on something as critical as braking and safety.

Apologies for hijacking the thread.

Best regards,
Rob

 

[Hawk]

Okay, educate me on this. My previous truck, I had a brake controller installed. Granted, with the Ridgeline I won't be hauling as heavy a load, but doesn't it already have some sort of "controller"? What is the purpose of the "Control Unit", and the 2 "Relays" that come with the Trailer Hitch Kit?
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/06ridgeline/trailerhitch.pdf

Thanks!

 

[Ahab]

Don't hook up anything to your brake pedal! After much research in the RV sites, I chose the Prodigy and haven't regretted it. It's the most advanced unit on the market. After reading the instruction manual, I have no problems backing up and you can set lag time to your preference. Information given in an earlier post is out of date.

 

[Webwader]

I mounted my Prodigy just to the left of the steering column. I mounted the bracket where I wanted it and had the dealer wire it in at no extra charge (I only paid $453 for tow pkg.) when the tow package was installed.
For the RL, the Prodigy is probably overkill. Since I bought my Prodigy, Tekonsha has come out with a new model, the Primus. The Primus has the same technology as the Prodigy, but does not the boost button, which adjusts the amount of initial braking applied. I have found that with 3,500 lb, any amount of boost over 0% is too much, so the Primus would have worked fine for less money.

 

[Kevin Zhang]

Okay, educate me on this. My previous truck, I had a brake controller installed. Granted, with the Ridgeline I won't be hauling as heavy a load, but doesn't it already have some sort of "controller"? What is the purpose of the "Control Unit", and the 2 "Relays" that come with the Trailer Hitch Kit?
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/06ridgeline/trailerhitch.pdf

Thanks!

I have the same question. I installed the harness with hitch, it has relay. I do not know if that can work as a brake controller. Anyone can give me an idea?

 

[dsrpilot]

I have the same question. I installed the harness with hitch, it has relay. I do not know if that can work as a brake controller. Anyone can give me an idea?

I'm still trying to figure this out as well, but I'm sure the box you installed under your dash IS NOT an electric brake controller.

To the LEFT of your steering column was a 4 pin connector taped to a wire harness with blue tape. That is where you will plug in your electric brake controller that you must purchase seperately. Honda included the connector that goes to 4 wires that will connect to the brake controller in your wiring kit.

 

[zdutchman3]

Just installed the Prodigy P2 with velcro to the right side of the steering column. Used the Honda Ridgeline wiring adapter to hook it up into the system. When nothing happened, popped the hood and put a 20A fuse in slot #6 of the secondary fusebox. The prodigy instantly had power and is now working like a charm. Thanks online friends for all the information you have given me, it takes all the stress out of performing these tasks.

 

[tigertom1965]

If the prodigy works by a little ball inside that determines the angle doesn't it have to be level when installed? At least I thought it said it had to be level when I installed mine. So how did you mount it to your steering column or above your knees with velcro and still keep it level?

 

[kapu]

Has anybody tried or considered an alternative to under-dash mounting? I done it before and absolutely hate having these things under there.

 

[Scott_2009RTL]

Has anybody tried or considered an alternative to under-dash mounting? I done it before and absolutely hate having these things under there.

I considered many different mounting locations, upper dash, center stack, etc., just for the same reason you stated. I placed it under the dash centered to the steering column. I did not want the controller under the dash near the knees. Just concern with knee injury in the event of an accident.