Reese Towpower 8508211 Brake Control (Proportional BRAKE-EVN), Grey

After having all manner of brake controllers over the past 40 years, I thought I would try a "Proportional" version I'd heard some good things about. After seeing this one available at my local Home Depot for $75, I then found it on Amazon for about half the price at the time. Interesting that I was unable to find this device on Reese's website, which was only displaying "Timed" versions, (Dec2016). Don’t know if that means it is a discontinued product. Regardless this offering by far was the most affordable Proportional I could find and worth a try. Installation was easy. The device's internal gimbal or accelerometers will auto level/center themselves internally if mounted within the attitude parameters indicated on the instructions. (easily within my conventional/historic mounting locations). I used Velcro to mount mine in place of the bracket as I use it on multiple trucks. Reese recommends and sells Tekonsha adaptor harnesses for most desired vehicles and my GM and Ford truck adaptors were both less than $20 each here on Amazon. Initial setup took a few minutes within a block or so of my parking area and fine tuning is easily performed on-the-fly, as is quick changes for taking into account changing road/traffic conditions. I’m very pleased with the device so far. I have since towed my 16ft trailer with Bobcat in both clear highways and heavy snow and traffic with satisfactory results. I like the improved quick stop response over my previous “Timed” devices. I will order another to put on the shelf for redundancy.

I bought this controller to help me with our RV trailer brakes. The installation on my 2010 Tacoma was plug and play - literally. However you DO need to buy a harness to connect the controller to the pre-wired connection. I used the Tekonsha 3040-P Brake Control Wiring Adapter for Toyota with this control and it performed flawlessly.Few things to consider:- Find a good place to mount as the brake adapter needs to be aligned with the direction of travel- Allow you to easily adjust the settings, so find a good place - do your homeworkI found a good place on my dashboard that is easy to access while driving, in case I need to make any adjustments - even though this is adaptive and minimal changes are required, you may still need to fine tune it to your preference. I fully recommend this control. Tacomas with tow package can haul up to 6500 Lbs. I pulled a 5300 trailer through a 6 hours drive through the mountains and braking was easy without a sweat.

Fits perfectly into the cubby on the left side of the dashboard. I used a screwdriver (or other prying device) and popped out the box light switch/cubby trim. I unscrewed the 4 tiny screws that hold the cubby to the trim. I cut a hole in the back of the cubby and sent the brake controller wire harness through. I screwed through the sides, mounting the controller to the cubby. I plugged the brake controller into Tekonsha 3031-P adapter harness. Then the adapter harness to the factory wiring. I reconnected the cubby to the trim and popped the trim back into the dashboard. The rubber mat in the bottom of the cubby still fits and you can also work the controller buttons.Update: worked flawlessly all the way through the Bear Tooth Pass Hwy. Intuitive and automatic. Best controller I have ever used.

I run trailers all the time. Hauling skid steers, dump trailers, mini excavators, etc. behind a 1 ton wiith a factory break controller. This is a fantastic little break controller I put on a 1/2 ton to tow a boat, works great. Get the right pig tail and installation takes less than 15min.Update: I towed a 45' camper from OK to PA with this controller on a 1/2 ton Chevy. This is the best brake controller going.

Awesome product. Was looking for an inexpensive controller to get the job done, and this did just that!Instructions were very easy to follow. Install took about 30 minutes, & that's without the factory adaptor. I have the tow package so factory wiring was there, but no adaptor to controller. I simply cut the wires and made insulated male-to-female spade connections so it can be easily removed if needed later. Follow the instructions and setup is a breeze. Mine didn't require any adjustments.Just a heads up- be mindful of where you choose to mount it. I wear jeans for work and exiting the vehicle my jeans snag the manual brake lever (almost every time). It has a [somewhat] sharp edge that love clothing. Not a big deal, but just a heads up. All in all, great product for a great price!

I installed this in my Suburban that had the wiring under the dash. Hooked this up, mounted on the lower dash area with the proper angles per the instructions and this device really shocked me.In the past, I have had electric brakes and swore I would never buy a trailer with electric brakes again. The old type of brake controllers were horrible. With this device, the proportional braking is quite impressive and very easy to feel and tell how well it is working, with live adjustments to get it just right. I also like the times when I have to go down a steep hill, how quickly and easily this is to adjust on the fly to gain additional braking from the trailer without the wheels locking up, which is due to the proportional design.Highly recommend this as there is really no single reason I can think of that would be a negative point on this.

This brake controller is excellent for the price (especially when around $60) and features proportional brake control which is way better than a traditional timer. This brake controller definitely doesn't have any bells and whistles of say, a Tekonsha P3 where you can troubleshoot issues via an LCD screen, set up trailer profiles for different trailers, etc. However, if you only tow occasionally like I do, or if you don't have multiple trailers of known weight (e.g. camper, boat, etc) then this Reese Brake-EVN will likely do the trick at a third of the price of the Tekonsha P3.NOTE: This brake controller is plug-n-play but NOT with your specific vehicle. It uses a standard connector shared by Reese, Tekonsha and some other brake controller brands. You'll still need an adapter or a wiring kit for your car or truck.

Good quality not a p3 but still a good quality for the price will buy again from that seller.

Ok

Nice