Easy to Install Brake Controller for 2008 Mercury Mountaineer with 4-Way Trailer Wiring Harness

Question:

I Have a V8 Mountaineer with the 1 1/4 inch hitch. I’m picking up a hybrid camper that has a gross weight of 2800lbs. I was planning on upgrading from the 4 pin connecter to a 7 pin and running a brake controller. Do I also need to upgrade to a class 3/4 hitch under the factory one or will the class 2 be ok? Honestly I’m probably upgrading to an Expedition in the fall and would like to save the money.

asked by: Terry

Expert Reply:

As long as the hitch has enough towing capacity for the camper you plan to tow it's totally fine if it's a 1-1/4 inch hitch. Most Class II hitches would have enough capacity for a 2,800 lb trailer.

I have a great brake controller solution that will easily be transferred to your new vehicle as well.

So the easiest to install brake controller that also works really well is the Curt Echo Mobile part # C51180. Basically this just plugs into an active 7-way and once you sync it to your phone it's ready to go. This brake controller is proportional which means it senses the amount of deceleration your tow vehicle is applying and applies the trailer brakes in a relative way.

To convert the 4-way to a 7-way so that you can install the brake controller only requires the 7-way adapter kit part # ETBC7L. The 4-way of this plugs into the 4-way of your vehicle and once you run the included wiring and breaker up to the vehicle's positive battery post it's active enough to allow the Echo to function. This saves you from having to hardwire in a brake controller which requires tapping into the brake signal of your vehicle and running a few other wires too.

expert reply by: Jameson C