Great Cars... Fabulous Places!
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Great Cars... Fabulous Places! |
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Valley Industries – Odyssey Brake Controller by Rick Trawick
For this project we are going to install a Valley Industries, Odyssey Brake Controller. Valley Industries has been manufacturing trailer towing equipment and accessories for almost 60 years with the Odyssey the latest in their long line of controllers. We like the Odyssey for its promise of an easy installation and the fact that it is not sensitive to its mounting position. Earlier brake controller designs required careful leveling to allow a small swinging pendulum in the controller to determine how hard the tow vehicle was braking. The Odyssey uses electronic sensors to determine the deceleration rate and thus greatly expands the mounting options. Our tow vehicle is a 2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty. It came from the factory with a heavy duty tow package but did not include a brake controller. However, the tow package did include a pre-wiring setup that will make our installation much easier.
Next, we will wire the controller to the pigtail supplied with the truck. The color codes vary between manufacturers so be careful. Valley provides a color conversion chart to assist you. Splice the wires together using high quality crimp terminals and the proper crimp tool. Twisting the wires together and wrapping with electrical tape will not cut it here.
With the wiring properly attached, we can now mount the controller to its bracket and plug the connector into the mating socket under the dash. Oh the F250, the connector is behind a large panel below the steering column. The panel is easily accessed by turning 4 – ¼ turn fasteners.
Once the
connections are made it is time to power on the controller and check the
display. Upon the first power-on, the Odyssey will flash “CL” indicating it
needs calibration. With the truck level and the brakes not applied, we simply
press and hold the Selector button for a few seconds until a steady “CL”
appears. Now a single dot on the display indicates power is supplied
Now we are ready to connect our trailer and follow the simple calibration instructions included with the controller. One of the great features of the Odyssey controller is its four stage load range adjustment. Following the chart in the instruction sheet, we set the load range for our particular tow vehicle-trailer combination. We can then dial-in the braking force needed to properly slow the trailer. So, in less than an hour, we have added a fully electronic, sophisticated brake control system. The added braking power and peace of mind is well worth the small effort. The Super-Duty is now ready to haul a trailer and cargo right up to its rated capacity. Valley Industries products can be viewed on their website at www.valley.us.com.
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So
you finally got that 25 foot enclosed trailer to tow your collector
car/restoration project/motorcycle collection in! You know your diesel powered
one-ton pickup can get this freight moving, but have you thought about how you
going to stop all of this weight? Most large trailers have electric braking
systems that are designed to be controlled by the tow vehicle. The most recent
versions of Ford and Chevrolet heavy-duty trucks are equipped with optional
trailer brake control systems. But for those of us without this feature, it is
quite easy to add. 
The
first step is to find an appropriate mounting location. The controller should be
able to be easily seen and reached from the driver’s seat. The Odyssey also
includes a manual brake application lever that will apply the brakes to only the
trailer if needed. Once the location is determined, verify there is nothing
close on the other side and drill two holes to mount the bracket. 
to
the unit. A second dot will illuminate to indicate the trailer is connected.