Is Brake Controller Needed on Motor Home When Towing a Trailer With Electric Brakes

Question:

I am pulling a trailer with electric brakes with my motorhome. All the wires from the coach go to a tow board and exit to the 7 pin connector. The connector is full. Do I need a brake controller, and if so where does the wire go? Thank you in advance

asked by: Dwayne P

Expert Reply:

You will need a brake controller to control the electric brakes on your trailer.

I would recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Brake Controller, part # 90885. This is our most popular brake controller. It is a proportional controller which means it will apply power to the trailers brakes in proportion to the braking in your motor home. I am including a link to the instructions on the Prodigy P2 brake controller.

Since you say the 7-Way has all the wires connected you might check with the motor home manufacturer to see if your motor home has a factory brake controller port located in the cab. Some motor homes that are built on a Ford or GM chassis might be pre-wired with a factory brake controller port located in the cab of the motor home.

If your motor home is built on the Ford or GM chassis I would check to see if you might already have a plug to be able to install a brake controller. If you find out the type of chassis that your motor home is built on, and it has a factory brake controller port, I can help you with finding the correct brake controller plug to use.

If you do not have a factory brake controller plug on your motor home you will need to hardwire the brake controller to your motor home with the Brake Controller 7 and 4 Way Installation Kit, part # ETBC7. The # ETBC7 kit comes with 25 feet of duplex wire, but depending on the length of your motor home you might need some extra length of the 10 gauge duplex wire, part # 10-2-1. I am including links to a FAQ page and a video on how to wire the # ETBC7 kit to your motor home.

The blue wire from the brake controller would need to be connected to the number 2 terminal on the 7-Way connector. If looking at the back of the 7-Way it will be the terminal that is located at the 7 oclock position. I am including a link to a FAQ page on trailer wiring that will show the terminals and there functions on a 7-Way connector.