Factory Brake Controller on 2008 Silverado Works w/ Electric Over Hydraulic Actuator

Question:

Give me a brief, honest comparison between the HBA-CAM and the comparable Titan product. I see the Titan is somewhat less expensive. This is for use on a 2008 Chev 2500 Duramax/Allison with the HydraStar 1600 Actuator. Friends have recommended the use of brake magnets wired inline instead of these devices. Will that work just as well. Thanks for your advice.

asked by: David W

Helpful Expert Reply:

The # HBA-CAM and the Brake Rite EHB Adapter, part # T4846000 serve the same purpose, by allowing a OEM brake controller to function with an electric over hydraulic brake actuator.

Since you have the # HBA-16 Hydrastar Actuator, you'd want to use the # HBA-CAM adapter as its specifically designed to work with those actuators. Theoretically, the Titan # T4845900 could work with the Hydrastar, but it hasn't been tested and therefore I wouldn't recommend it. These adapters are pretty effective, but these adapters were developed so two systems that aren't supposed to work together will work together. Because of that, they don't always work the way they're supposed to.

Using the 'old brake magnet trick' is a less-effective way of doing what the adapter does.

In all honesty, given what's at stake if something goes wrong I'd advise against taking half measures like the brake magnets or the adapters. I'd recommend bypassing the factory controller and installing a brake controller that's fully compatible with electric over hydraulic brake actuators. This will ensure the safest possible brake function for your truck and trailer.

I've linked you to an FAQ article that explains how to bypass the factory controller and install the after market model.

The Tekonsha Prodigy P2, part # 90885 and P3, part # 90195 both have an electric over hydraulic mode. The primary difference between the two is that the P3 has controls and a display that I consider more user friendly than the P2. The P3 will notify you of any problems with the trailer braking system at a glance, versus error codes that most folks need to look up like the P2. The P3 allows you to change the display color or language between English, Spanish or French. The P3 also provides 5 presets that will save the settings for multiple drivers or multiple trailers of different size.