P3 Tekonsha vehicle mount

[Holden_man]

Hi folks,
Have an issue where to mount the new brake controller in the Prado. Like most modern 4x4's there seems to fewer places to mount this sort of gear.

I don't want to mount around my knees, have long legs and think I will knock it a bit, plus there is an airbag down there I don't want to compromise.

My solution is this,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RAM-B-16...ders_Mounts&hash=item1e720c2ad5#ht_6201wt_922

I am looking at Ram Mounts with suction cups that I would mount to the lower right hand side. I can pivot the phone mount down so that the P3 sits almost horizontal and perfectly in line with direction. It would be close to the right hand if adjustments are needed or emergency, and you won't have your eyes looking to far down.

That's the pro's the con's will be a little harder to wire, it could also come loose in an accident, but no worse the satnav's on the windscreen.

I think the pro's outweigh the con's, would appreciate any thoughts or comments, before I purchase the bits.

Thx
Jas

 

[relgate]

Wow, that's pretty expensive. I assume it is very heavy duty? yes?

For my install (hilux) we cut into the plastic moulding under the ash tray and set it back into the cavity. works well and looks pretty good.

See pic here
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/611-Brake-Away-Units/page2?highlight=break

 

[Holden_man]

Wow, that's pretty expensive. I assume it is very heavy duty? yes?

For my install (hilux) we cut into the plastic moulding under the ash tray and set it back into the cavity. works well and looks pretty good.

Hi relgate,
No ash tray in the 150 series Prado, 150 series owners don't smoke :smile: the only mounting position is left knee or right knee, so you get to pick which knee to smash to bits in a prang. one thread (Prado) has it cut into a small button panel lower right but not keen on cutting up the panel. Not sure if they are heavy duty, but as the P3 weighs bugger all i don't think it will be to much of a prob.
Matty4 has a pick of his mount that got me thinking, how can i do the same without screwing into the dash. http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/1770-Brand-New-Tekonsha-P3

 

[relgate]

I hear your dilema. the Sparky was dead keen to put it at my knee "It's where we always put it" he kept saying. It seriously took some convincing that it wasnt going o go there no matter what. I like my knee the way is! I don't know your car so cant comment but I was happy to cut into the panel. It will be easy to replace for a couple of bucks from a wrecker in the future should i have the need.
No ashtray? Where do you keep or 5 cent pieces?

 

[Holden_man]

all the cash is in the miss's cash vault.....i don't get to see it...not even the 5c pieces :moony:

That will be my next challenge, if i go ahead with this position, I will have to convince the auto elec the wiring is "Not That Hard" when I know it is.

 

[straydingo]

can you put it on the passenger side so it's by your missus's knee, and she also has control of the brakes for you.

 

[relgate]

can you put it on the passenger side so it's by your missus's knee, and she also has control of the brakes for you.

LOL. Maybe she could drive?

 

[expanda]

LOL. Maybe she could drive?

Praying my misses doesn't see this thread and if she does I know the next question will be "How do I get my own brake pedal too...."

 

[Holden_man]

Oh boy, just read the thread to the "Minister for War and Finance". She's looking forward to meeting you lot on the road......:rip:
Then she asked " I get my own brake pedal, fabulous, no more speeding fines for you"

 

[straydingo]

see.... win-win

 

[Mike7]

Gday Holden,

Had the same issue when I had a Prado 150. Spoke to many people and then eventually went with mounting it above my left knee well to the left of airbag. Im 6' and it didn't seem to interfere with my knee but I wasn't too comfortable with it being so close to the knee airbag.

I thought about mounting it with a suction cup holder as you are but if the thing unsticks and falls over when driving its gonna get interesting and there might also be issues with insurance as it was not mounted as per instructions blah blah blah,so I went with mounting it above my knee. I also had a think about what would happen if the trailer did sway as a worst case scenario and I figured I would probably leave my right on the wheel and apply the lever brake with my left.

Anyway just my 2c worth, go with whats good for you. Its a hard one to solve on the prado 150.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Holden_man]

Hi mike,
Thanks for your feedback, and yep it's a bugger. unsticking would be a consideration. The ram mounts seem to be a step up from the normal navman style. I asked the Jayco dealer yesterday if I can collect the P3 in advance and as the Prado is my daily drive I can test prior to hooking up the van and see if there are any issues with the mount. Good point about keeping the right hand on the wheel in a situation.
Thanks
Jas

 

[Holden_man]

Hi Folks.
Thought I would give an update on where I am at with finding a mounting spot for the P3 Brake Controller in the Prado.
The Jayco Dealer was kind enough to give me the P3 in advance of van pickup so I could use it to try out mounts. Went and found this mount in brissy. Still needs a couple mods, will cut down the bracket sides so its not over hanging the top of the P3, and shorten some mounting screws.
It is close to hand. The mount is made of Powder Coated Aluminium and is very light but strong. The suction cup seems really good. Will drive around for a bit mounted and see if any issues. Have tightened in position but it can be adjusted to have the P3 Horizontal and perfectly in alignment with direction of travel. Very easy to remove when not towing, but just as easy to put back in when going away.
The next trick will be the wiring which will be a little more tricky, but there should be a way of following the dust seals at the front pillar an pop out right beside the unit. Could also use a shorter arm which is available and would probably look a little neater, but moves the unit a bit further away from hand if needed quickly. With existing setup it could still move back about 40mm by using other mounting holes on the mount.
Will see how it goes and fingers crossed it works out OK. Time will tell.

 

[S&P]

Hi folks,
Have an issue where to mount the new brake controller in the Prado. Like most modern 4x4's there seems to fewer places to mount this sort of gear.

I don't want to mount around my knees, have long legs and think I will knock it a bit, plus there is an airbag down there I don't want to compromise.

My solution is this,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RAM-B-16...ders_Mounts&hash=item1e720c2ad5#ht_6201wt_922

I am looking at Ram Mounts with suction cups that I would mount to the lower right hand side. I can pivot the phone mount down so that the P3 sits almost horizontal and perfectly in line with direction. It would be close to the right hand if adjustments are needed or emergency, and you won't have your eyes looking to far down.

That's the pro's the con's will be a little harder to wire, it could also come loose in an accident, but no worse the satnav's on the windscreen.

I think the pro's outweigh the con's, would appreciate any thoughts or comments, before I purchase the bits.

Thx
Jas

Hi,
I had a similar quandary when looking to install my P3 into the GF's new Prado and racked my brain for ways to do it without drilling any holes in the dash etc, and then it hit me - MAGNETS!

If you've ever pulled a computer HDD apart (why wouldn't everyone have I hear you say ), inside you'll find a couple of very very strong little magnets. These things are what's called 'rare earth magnets' and are super strong. The only way to pull them apart is to sheer them, no way can you just pull them apart, too much tensile strength.
I've pulled many of these out over time and had a health supply.
My idea was to glue a number of these behind the dash panel near the drivers left knee.
Before doing so I contacted Tekonsha to see if the units are in any way affected by magnetic fields. The answer was no, so I was good to go.
I ended up using about 8 magnets, gluing them in one at a time and waiting for the glue to dry each time or risk ending up with a massive stack all glued together, I just continued running the cables while waiting. After putting the dash back together, there is no evidence they are even there.
I made a custom bracket for the P3 because the supplied one was a.) not low profile enough for my liking, and b.) didn't have a very large surface area for the magnets to bond to, and c.) didn't fit neatly in the carry bag.
A quick squirt of black paint and it looks like it was made for it!
It's a simple operation to connect it, just plug in the cable and hold it up near the dash and whammo, it's installed. It's high enough and left enough that it doesn't foul the knee airbag too.
I'll post some pics of it installed once the sun cones up, and some pics of the magnets in the rear of the dash next time I pull the dash apart.
Cheers,
Paul

 

[benrosenick]

My Toyota dealer fitted the Redarc controller - it has remote controls so can be fitted neatly in the blank switch panels (I have an Prado Altitude 150 series so they are blank for me, assume they may be already used on other Prados...) below & to the left of the steering wheel...

Nice & neat, and nothing to bump knees against.

 

[dakky68]

Got ours installed on a 100 series this week, in the stupid knee banger spot. My leg scrapes up and down it but my (shorter) husband's just misses it.