Brake Controller Installation in 2001 Fleetwood Motorhome on Spartan Chassis

Question:

I am trying to help out and older couple who have recently purchased a 2001 Fleetwood RV on a Spartan chassis. There is a 7 way RV connector at the rear of the vehicle and the chassis has a class IV receiver. They would like to have a brake controller installed. I have looked through all the manuals etc. that came with the vehicle and can not see 1 where this harness goes to 2 any recommendations for adding a brake controller. I can confirm that all 7 wires are located in the connector and in one of the manuals it confirms the locations to be standard for a 7 way RV connector. Any ideas as to adding a brake controller? They have a tandem axle trailer they would like to carry a vehicle and other items in when they start out on the travels.

asked by: Chris W

Helpful Expert Reply:

There are nine different Spartan chassis types in the 2001 model year (!) and based on what I found researching these vehicles there is no quick-connect port for a brake controller. This just means you will have to hardwire the controller.

Since the RV already has a wired 7-way, you will need just the controller itself, and I suggest the Prodigy P2 # 90885, along with installation kit # 5506.

The controller has 4 wires - red, black, white and blue - and these are: brake light switch input signal (red); 12V power for the controller (black); controller brake output signal (blue); and ground (white). The red wire connects to the COLD side of the brake light switch above the pedal; this is the wire that goes hot ONLY when the pedal is pressed and at no other time. The black power wire connects to the battery + post through the 30-amp breaker included in the kit. The white wire connects to battery ground and the blue output wire needs to connect to the 7-way contact at the 5-o-clock position as you view the socket from the back of the RV.

Please refer to the linked photo and brake controller article.

expert reply by: Adam R