PRODIGY P3 brake controller set up

[chuck9997]

Thanks for any assistance.

I have a Prodigy P3 brake controller. Used it when I had a small JAYCO TT. Didn't tow anything last summer.. now I have bought a newer camper and getting ready to put the P3 back in my truck.

I have read, and am familiar with.. the installation and setting process. I have never been really sure what the term "lock up" means when setting the controller. The instructions say initial set the controller at "6". Run 25mph.. use the manual slide to brake. If the trailer brakes "lock up".. adjust. Ideal setting is just before "lock up."

My question.. what do they mean by "lock up"? A screeching, squealing smoking brake lock up.. or what? How do you tell when the brakes "lock up" .. by PRODIGY's definition of "lock up."

[carbonman]

Lockup means your trailer wheels will stop turning while the you are still moving and leave skid marks. At 25 mph when you fully engage the manual trailer breaks you should feel a good straight tug from the trailer without it's wheels skidding.

[Triguy]

Typically, the 25mph setup means that the trailer brakes actually stops the trailer tires from moving, causing them to skid and giving off the screech and squeal you might expect. The whole setup will lurch to a stop. You back down from there.

But, I have had a trailer that never squealed to that extent so "lock up" can vary depending on your trailer and the brakes. It also can depend on how new the trailer brakes are as I understand it and how warmed up they are for the test.

I look to obtain a noticeable braking action from the trailer while the whole setup stops simultaneously and smoothly. When I have completed the 25mph test successfully, the manual lever slows down the trailer and TV smoothly and reasonably quickly without jerking.

The goal is to get a smooth uniform stopping action with the trailer and truck brakes working in conjunction.