Which Brake Controller and 7-Way Should be Used on a 1996 Jeep Cherokee for a Horse Trailer  

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Since your 1996 Jeep Cherokee did not come with a 7-Way connector, # ETBC7 would be the proper kit to add one. It does require that you have a functioning 4-Way installed, you can easily add one with part # 119178KIT.

Once you have the 4-Way, you can build off of it with the # ETBC7. The # ETBC7 will plug into the 4-Way to get the basic light functions. There are 4 loose wire leads that you will have to connect to finish the 7-Way wiring. Many horse trailers use a 6-Way, so you can use part # ETBC6 instead.

First, is the white ground wire. This should be attached to the vehicle frame with the included eye ring terminal. Any ground location on the frame will suffice.

Second, is the purple wire. It is for reverse lights. If your trailer does not have reverse lights it can be taped up and out of the way. If it does have reverse lights, simply trace the wire from the reverse lights on the Cherokee and splice into that line.

Finally, you will run the black and blue wires up front together. Use the included jacketed 2 wire. The black wire needs to be run to the positive post on the battery with a 40 amp circuit breaker in line. This will provide power to the trailer if it needs an auxiliary power source. Again, if it is not needed you can tape the wire up in the engine bay for future use.

The blue wire will be run up to the engine bay, then trough the fire wall so that it can be connected to the output wire on the controller, usually also blue with the popular brake controllers.

For a horse trailer, I would definitely recommend using a proportional controller. This will keep braking smoother and even with the vehicle braking so as to keep the ride as smooth as possible for both truck and trailer.

I would recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P2, part # 90885. It features a blue LED display instead of red, full 360 degree mounting range, full compatibility with electric over hydraulic brakes, and some upgraded circuitry and battery protection. You will connect the blue wire on the controller to the blue wire from # ETBC7. The white wire on the controller goes to the negative post on the battery, and the black goes to the positive post on the battery with either a 20amp or 30amp breaker. See the instructions to find which breaker to use. The red wire is connected to the stop light switch wire that goes hot only when the brake pedal is pressed.

I have added links to the parts below as well as an install video on a 1993 Suburban that should be pretty helpful.

expert reply by: Patrick B

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