Brake Controllers

Brake Controllers for Towing Trailers

If you are towing a trailer that has electric brakes, you will need a brake controller. We prefer the Prodigy P2 for its superior quality, ease of use and it’s equipped with a lighted digital readout.

Controller Installation 

The P2 must be mounted to the dash in a forward facing position. Some trucks will have an option to use a harness to connect the controller. If your vehicle does not have the plug in option we will need to hardwire it into your electrical systems. (see the next paragraph)

What is a Hardwire?

If your truck does not have any tow package wiring we will need to build the system for you. It starts with mounting the controller, connecting it to a power source, connecting it to the stop light switch and running the brake wire all the way to the back bumper. We then mount a 7 way plug with a steel bracket at the trailer hitch, connect the brake wire, taillights, turn signals and brake lights. We prefer to use a 7 way/4 way combo plug made by Hopkins. The Hopkins plug matches quality and appearance with OEM plugs on new trucks with a complete factory tow package. The last bit of wiring you will need to complete your tow package is a hot charge line. It connects to your vehicle battery with its own fuse and runs back to the 7 way plug. The hot charge line is a standard component of a complete tow package. The hot charge line will charge your trailer batteries, actuate trailer interior lights or power your electric tongue jack.

Small Cars/SUV’s

Its common now to see folks using a small car to tow a travel trailer. Small cars will need the same complete hardwire tow package mentioned in the previous section. The only difference being that it’s much more challenging due to limited space to access work points. The good news is that we have highly skilled technicians who will take the time to do it right.