How Does a Pendulum in a Brake Controller Work?
When a vehicle towing a trailer is forced to slow down or stop, the trailer must also stop or else slam into the back of the towing vehicle. The trailer, which is dependent on the towing vehicle for power, may have difficulty stopping effectively when the towing vehicle brakes, due to the forward momentum of the trailer. For this reason, brake controllers are installed. Brake controllers manage the speed of the trailer in relation to the towing vehicle. There are various types of brake controllers available for towing vehicles, including proportional brake controllers. Proportional brake controllers, also known as pendulum brake controllers, use a pendulum to detect changes in the tow vehicle’s speed. The brake controller can then use this information to adjust the trailer’s speed, and match it to the towing vehicle’s speed. Since the trailer’s speed changes in proportion to the towing vehicle’s speed, these are called proportional brake controllers. After being installed, the pendulum
