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| As reviewed on RFD TV |
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Today’s slant load horse trailers with large Living Quarters, are popular and heavy. Having a LQ is like pulling a loaded trailer all the time. Propane tanks, water, TV etc. keep the weight growing.
With very little hydraulic boost gap that is associated with some hydraulic brake systems, DirecLink already knows how hard your trucks braking and speed from your trucks computer thru the OBD-ll (on board diagnostic port, which is used by your mechanic to talk to the truck), other trailer brake controllers have to sense how hard you’re braking after you brake.
Trailer brakes have come a long, way and the DirecLInk is the leader in improving your safety, your horse’s safety and comfort as well as the rest of the population you share the roads with. Trailer brakes are often neglected until there is problem. I’ve spent too much time with a flashlight in my mouth, sometimes in the rain, working on my trailer brakes, magnets, wiring, and fuses after I discovered my brakes weren’t helping any. Heavy loads and shifting animals require that everything works, and surprises can be deadly. You won’t find a better product for dependable brake and whole trailer management. DirecLInk can put your trailer at the same level of technology that your enjoy with your new truck.
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The unique link from the trucks computers digital network communicates to the DirecLink brake controller to the ActuLink actuator to the ActuLink ABS module to apply the trailer brakes. Truck, trailer and brake controller communicating for diagnosis and braking speed management. You want the trailer wheels turning during braking, just slower giving rolling resistance. If the tires lock up, they just drag and are skidding not braking. The flat spot on a tire that’s been skidded to a lockup ruins the ride and the tire, it would take thousands of miles on the trailer to wear the flat spot down. By then your horses and you will need therapy.
Why you need a better trailer brake controller.
DirecLink trailer brake controller works with electric drum brakes as well electric-hydraulic actuators. It automatically detects the type of trailer brake you hookup. DirecLink doesn’t have to be installed level. Instead of sensing what your trailer is doing, DirecLink reads the data network of your trucks computer. This constant communication, networks the truck, brake controller and trailer brakes for instant reaction for trailer braking. True proportional braking. DirecLink knows truck speed, so when you’re stopped you’re not running high amps to the brakes. DirecLink monitors wire connections, and warns the driver of any problems making it a great trailer brake controller by itself.
| DirecLink manual control at eye level in the picture. Keep your eyes on the road. In my testing truck and trailers, the only time I got into trouble looking at all the devices I have in my cab is if they were mounted to low and my peripheral vision couldn’t see the road. |
Each component with DirecLink and ActuLink continuously self-monitor and reports any problem to the screen on the Command Module brake controller. There are more than 30 parameters constantly being monitored. DirecLink with, adjustable screen brightness, gives you amps, voltage, controller temperature, connected to trailer, brake light voltage, vehicle battery voltage and more. All settings can be done on the go, velocity compensation, faster, slower, more brakes etc. DirecLink knows how fast the truck is going or slowing compared to the Prodigy controller and other accelerometer based controllers having to sense motion to engage trailer brakes.
My experience with DirecLink NE ABS (anti-lock-brakes) with full brakes using manual override or maximum brake level, didn’t lockup, it was so smooth. No whiplash or road rage, with each wheel braking separately by road surface, the trailer is much more controllable. Usually you can’t use maximum gain on a controller unless in an emergency because of the erratic bucking. DirecLink, brake level when stopped is adjustable from 5 to 30%, nice if you stop on big grades, boat ramps etc. If you use the DirecLink on a trailer without ABS, electric or hydraulic, you can adjust the maximum brake settings. If you have trailer wheel lock up at for example 80% of maximum trailer brake, you can set the max brake settings to top out at 75% and avoid wheel lockup and flat spots on your trailer tires. The DirecLink is also able to check amps on electric brakes to each wheel allowing you to double check you trailer brakes.
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It’s so adjustable, easy to plug in and set up, you can set a couple things and forget it or adjust 400 controller settings and configure it to tow space shuttles. There are two models, one for regular brakes, DirecLink and DirecLink NE for ABS brakes, both are a two way digital network with the trucks computer thru the OBD-ll port, nobody else has it.
With DirecLink the brake scale (gain) has two settings, one for medium trailer 1-20 or large trailer setting goes to the next 20, so 40 gain settings. And low speed brake setting of 10 in each of the 40. You can dial in the settings like a rocket scientist or not. With the low speed setting, you can adjust the brake level for slower, lighter stops. I have mine set so the brakes come on soft and ramp up fast. Using a velocity compensation factor gives you more braking at higher speeds, because the DirecLink is reading the trucks speed from the OBD-ll port.
Two power sources and grounds to the DirecLink controller, one from the truck OBD-ll port and one from trailer wiring harness which increases reliability. We used the Prodigy trailer brake controller for comparison in our brake tests. Using the Prodigy manual override lever didn’t turn on the trailer brake lights. The DirecLink did. I would think anytime I use the brakes, I want lights to come on behind me. In all tests, brakes and controllers were adjusted for maximum braking.
The DirecLink trailer brake controller is a fast install. Normal 4 wire trailer connection, DB-9 to OBD-ll The Control Module can be installed under the dash so only the Command Module can be seen. It looks like a CB, which is more accessible. I put mine towards the top of the dash at eye level. All the controls are in the Command Module with arrow buttons and menu. The manual override lever is there also for applying trailer brakes independently, making if faster to use than you see with most trailer brake controllers. The hand held controller is simple to adjust on the go, mount at eye level or attach where you want it for diagnostic readout and warnings you can see on the go.
You can a get a dual OBD-ll adapter to run DirecLink and a Edge, Superchips or any of the performance programmers along with the DirecLink. Reading digital data from the truck to DirecLink will be the same all the time, with other brake controllers that use accelerometer (motion detector) or pendulum can have a different reading each time you brake depending on a rough road and bouncing trailer.
DirecLink controller doesn’t have an accelerometer, so it doesn’t have to be installed level like most of brake controllers. The controller is easy to install, plug it in, start your truck, touch brakes and it powers up, finding the vehicle brand (GM, Ford, Ram, Toyota and Nissan) network automatically. Goes to brake scale if it shows green OK, ready to go, connected to truck, connected to trailer. For town, low speed brake setting, adjusts minus 5 to plus 5 just once. On GM and Ford the DirecLink will also give you transmission temp. As fast as the truck hydraulic sensor used in some trailer brake controllers.
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DirecLink has power and ground from both directions. Most brake controller can loose power from trailer and they are dead. DirecLink does diagnostics, black wire, low voltage, DL mode, direct link, digital message back and forth. black wire voltage is low, when you fixed problem, it will tell you. Ground is a problem with most brake controllers, with DirecLink, it will tell you if open ground, blue wire short, trailer harness worn through etc.
Red warning and beep from the DirecLink controller; will switch from network mode to PWM conventional mode if the connection is bad. It tries to always have working brakes even with a poor connection. Other things you can use, truck battery charging, brake voltage, temperature sensor for electric brakes, amps thru the blue wire, actuator temperature, will still pulse but controls temperature, so the controller doesn’t get damaged, power save mode, truck RPM, MPH. Has actuator data like, voltage drop, bad ground, real time test for wire integrity. fluid level OK, low or out, shorted or not connected.
But wait there’s more, actuator temperature, vehicle battery and trailer battery volts, ABS diagnostics, checks wheel sensor, pressure transducer, with manual override, you can see brake pressure which can tell you if you have air in the system. With the fault screens, you can find, by slowly building pressure, the exact problem, call Tuson and they can assist in diagnosing your exact problem with help from the screen display.
DirecLink controller can tell if you have a flat tire (smaller tire spins faster), it will tell you “right front tire low.” Tire pressure monitor is coming in the future. The emergency breakaway cable is wired to the ActuLink actuator. It will apply your trailer brakes for about 20 minutes with a charged battery.
The DirecLink controller gives you a proportional trailer brake in relation to your tow vehicle. It achieves this buy talking to your trucks computer. It reads your trucks brakes through the OBDll port, same is used by your mechanic to talk to your trucks computer.
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| Why would you want a trailer brake controller that waited for the trucks reaction when DirecLink engages with your truck brakes? I thought overload springs were for overloading. Every load of hay will weigh different. How close to your truck and trailer max weight rating are you and can you stop in an emergency? As roads get over crowded, farm machinery, stray cows and teenagers test your stopping power and reaction time. |
DirecLink is capable of applying full brake voltage to the trailer even when the gain is set to the lowest setting. The driver sets the gain to the most comfortable setting allowing you to adjust softness or firmness of the trailer brakes. DirecLink eliminates the annoying frequent gain adjustments necessary between loaded and unloaded trailer conditions. Since a full trailer brake is always available at any gain setting, DirecLink provides a safety factor most other electronic brake controller wish they had. DirecLink provides the most proportional truck brake to trailer brake response available.
  Freightliner M2 with air brakes can also use DirecLink. |
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| DirecLink trailer brake controller will run electric or hydraulic brakes and talk about power! When you are applying the brakes, you don’t know you have a trailer on back! The is no jerk when the trailer brakes kick in. This was pulling a trailer with electric brakes too. The controller is programmable to fine tune your trailer braking requirements but why? It’s automatic and self adjusting, displaying trailer brake system problems.
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Be Big on Safety with the Best Trailer Brake control System! If you’re tired of constantly adjusting your trailer brake control from empty to loaded, different trailers, here is an automatic and self adjusting “system.” It knows if you have electric or hydraulic brakes, loaded or empty trailer & detects & displays trailer brake system problems. DirecLink trailer brake controller, talk about stopping power! The controller is programmable and upgradeable. Also the best hydraulic trailer brake controller. Big or small, DirecLink will stop them all. Tell them MrTruck (below) sent you.
Install review by H. Kent Sundling
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