The first Hayes trailer brake controller was invented by The Kelsey Hayes Company in Detroit Michigan in the 1950’s. These original trailer brake controllers were hydraulic over electric and required a direct tie in to the tow vehicle’s air or hydraulic braking system. In the 1970’s the technology changed to electronic proportional controllers with Hayes again leading the way. Today’s trailer brake controllers have evolved into safer and smarter systems to adapt to today’s towing needs. The Hayes Brake Controller Company is now located in Arab, Alabama where design, testing and manufacturing are conducted. The company has built a 60-year legacy of making sure when dealers recommend Hayes products, that they can do so with confidence.
All of the company’s electronic controller models all have the ‘quik-connect’ feature to make installation on the tow vehicle easy and practically error-free, plus it eliminates the need to ‘hard-wire’ the brake control to the tow vehicle. Hayes controllers have an exclusive four-wire connector that when used with a vehicle-specific wiring harness enables the brake controller to essentially be plugged in and ready to go.
Other Hayes-specific features include how the controllers activate the trailer stop lights when the brake control is manually activated. Hayes believes this is the critical safety benefit dealers should emphasize to their customers. Additionally, Hayes controllers in a manual application would ramp to 100 percent power. Their competitors would ramp only to preset power, which means if you get in a panic situation their controllers will deliver full braking power.
Hayes follows the two-step channel of distribution because the company has found distributors are good business partners that ìeducate and inform the parts and service people in the industry. The Hayes company zealously believes the dealerís knowledge of products coupled with the services they deliver is the key to the industry’s success.
Additionally, Hayes participates in both the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) annual training convention in Las Vegas as well as numerous technician Trouble Shooter Clinics hosted throughout the U.S. by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
When you consider who the Hayes Brake Controller Company is, you will find that they are more than simply a manufacturer of a product: they are providing the most prominent value to those who tow trailers; the safety of the trailer/tow vehicle combination. The bottom line of their 60 years of service is Hayes concern for the satisfaction and safe braking of the consumer when he is on the highway with a trailer.