Trailer Brake Controllers

[BrianX128]

What's the easiest way to add a decent one of these to a brick nose? I used to use my 6.9 for my towing as it had an old manual brake controller with a brake line into the cab for pressure. My 7.3 has a port on the rear bumper but it only has turn signals and lights wired in, no feed for the actual brake unless I'm missing something and there is no controller anywhere in the cab.

 

[Clb]

If
I recall....
I had to pull a full harness to \ for my 88...
but the po's had fubared the poor thing to death...
i pulled an entire grocery bag of wireing outta it just for the towpac...

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

but the po's had fubared the poor thing to death...
i pulled an entire grocery bag of wireing outta it just for the towpac...

You have to call the POs by the proper pronoun, allow me to help you:

"The previous "phucktard" or "butcher" had fubared the poor thing to death..."

 

[Big Bart]

Brake controller- I would recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy 3. If you want to go a little cheaper the Prodigy 2. Both do electric and electric over hydraulic. Also very adjustable for smooth stopping.

You do need a 7pin connector on the bumper. Unclear from above if your have a 4pin or 7pin. You will also have to run a 40amp fused (Think resetting circuit breaker.) power to the trailer connector. Also the brake controller power line to the controller. Use a 10 or 12 gauge wire for both.

The brake controller will want brake light power, 12v+ and 12v- from the cab. The controller will send +0-12v as a signal to the trailer connector for the standard drum electric brakes. Electric over hydraulic disk will use 12+ and the brake controller signal.

My 95‘ F150 gasser had some wiring under the dash, fuse slot in fuse box, and corresponding wires under the hood ready to go for a brake controller. It had a slot for a 30 or 40amp jumbo fuse on the fuse box.

My 88 F250 diesel did not have wiring for a brake controller. But the PO had put in a cheap controller. Used his wiring for the cab but put new power and brake controller wires to the trailer connector.

So check the wiring diagram to see if your 1990 does have the extra wiring. Then check the fuse chart for a jumbo fuse marked trailer brake, tow wiring, or towing connector. (I believe it was marked for trailer or towing.) On my 95 it was 4 or 5 wires wrapped with no wire ends taped or zip tied by the steering column and the brake and gas pedals. I do not remember the fuse number but as I stated above, something about trailer or towing. Then 2-3 wires with no ends on the harness along the firewall or driver side fender well to use.

Post some pics!

If you have to do a new tailer connector use these. Life is to short to have vehicle side trailer light issues.

Cut and splice the male end into a junction box.

Amazon.com

Mount on your frame and bring your wiring to this junction box.

Amazon.com

If PO did a bunch of 3way crimp connectors start over with this plug in kit. Run it to the junction box above.

Amazon.com

Trailer pin chart -

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[Isaac Ristow]

I'm s happy my 84 has a old pressure line actuated controller they always seem to work the best

 

[quickster]

I just picked up a Draw tite unit for the 87. 7 pin connector, etc. Going to be pulling a dump trailer, so I 'm getting ready to wire everything from front to back. Etrailer has a good video on the install in a old Ford pickup. Man I wish I could have done a turbo when I had it apart now.

 

[Big Bart]

Good point out on E-trialer, forgot to mention them, agree they have just about everything you need for towing or to fix your trailer. They also have great video reviews of trailer parts and how they work. (Controllers, surge brakes, drum to disc conversion, etc.)

 

[chillman88]

Seriously, if you're doing anything other than occasional light towing get a Prodigy P3 from eTrailer and then have them price match Amazon. I trust them more than Amazon and although I really liked my old style hydraulic brake controller, this one won't leak on the floor!

Plus it'll let you know if there's an issue with the brake circuit. That saved my bacon when the brakes on the 5th wheel shorted out. It didn't help stopping, but it let me know the brakes weren't working so I could adjust my stopping distance and be prepared instead of finding out the hard way!

 

[snicklas]

I have a Tekonsha Voyager brake controller in the Excursion. It is a more basic brake controller, but it is still an inertia type controller, not the ramp, time-delay the really cheap one are.

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It has worked well with both my travel trailers (~4000lbs) and a couple other larger trailer that I have towed.

The one that my brother likes is no longer available, it was a Jordan brake controller, it had a cable that attached to the brake pedal. It would apply the trailer brakes just like the truck brakes. The harder you push the pedal, the harder it applies the trailer brakes. He was towing out east one time in the Enterprise and he got cut off... he shoved the brake pedal through the floor and he locked up all 10 tires on that crew cab dually (vacuum, not hydroboost)/trailer.... and didn't hit anything.... After this, he has always said that if someone is complaining about the vacuum brakes not working well, they just aren't pushing the pedal hard enough....

The controller I like now, unfortunately isn't an option for the older trucks. I like the Ford Factory option controller that is available in the newer trucks. It works with the trucks braking system, applies like the factory brakes, and also works with the anti lock brakes on the truck. This is what I have in the 11 F-150 and like how it works with the travel trailer. But that truck also has 4 wheel disk brakes that are HUGE (17" minimum wheel size) and does a good job of stopping on it's own.

 

[TNBrett]

What ever controller you go with, make sure it’s an inertia type proportional controller. The voyager is an excellent controller, I’ve had several of them over the years, but the learning curve can be a little steep for some people. It uses an actual pendulum to sense deceleration of the truck, therefore it has to be mounted parallel to the direction of travel. It will also act differently going up or down a steep grade. Fortunately these days there are relatively affordable controllers with triple axis digital accelerometers. I have a Reese unit, I checked Amazon and I believe it’s model # 8508211. They’re less than $40 right now, uses a digital accelerometer, has a gain adjustment, 3 “boost” settings, and will do up to 4 axles worth of brakes. It does the basic self check as well. It works well, and it would be hard to justify a more expensive model for me.

 

[Big Bart]

We have been focused on the vehicle side of trailer braking, but the trailer brakes are just as important. So keep your brakes and wiring in tip top shape. Losing brakes on a steep hill or in traffic could cause injury to folks in your vehicle or other vehicles.

Also remember if you end up with trailer sway, use the braking lever/button on your brake controller ASAP. Don’t slam it on but rapidly apply it till the brakes start to slow the tow vehicle. It will cause the trailer to straighten out. The vehicle will pull forward as the trailer axles pull the opposite way. Slow down till the sway stops. You may find you have to keep a little trailer brake on (Feather to avoid overheating the brakes.) till you slow down enough or get to the bottom of the hill.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Absolutely. I want to add a little bit to Bart's post. I like to adjust the trailer brakes to the load that I'm pulling. I like to turn up the brake controller until I can feel the trailer slowing down the truck (pushing on the brake pedal lightly while driving slowly). I don't like to use too much trailer brake. That can cause the trailer tires to lock up under hard braking if you have to stop quickly. I also like to use more trailer brakes than truck brakes. That will help to keep you straight if you have to stop quickly. Similar to manually activating the brake controller. I told a young guy (about 24, but had almost no experience pulling trailers) that trick one time when we were hauling broken up concrete in an extremely heavy wind. He went with me the first time to see where to dump the concrete. Going with a side wind, all we could drive was 50 MPH or else the wind would cause us to fishtail. I had that happen at about 52. I just let off of the throttle and the trailer straightened itself back out. I told him to keep it to 50, but of course, he forgot by the time that it was time for his first trip. Fortunately, he did remember what I told him about manually using the brake controller and was able to avoid an accident.

 

[quickster]

I just picked this one up. You can adjust easily on the fly . 75 bucks

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Big Bart]

That is the same one TNBrett shared, just with the DrawTite logo vs Reese logo. Perhaps call and see if they will match the Amazon price for the one TNBrett shared.

 

[Farmer Rock]

I have the teknosha Voyager on my 87 like @snicklas showed. I like how they are nice,simple, and affordable.
I ran mine off 2 breakers under the hood, and 10 gage wire to the trailer plug.



Rock