Hey, im towing my 95 ford raner about 1400km's with my 08 ram 1500 4x4, it has a towing package and the tow/haul button. the person that is lending me the car trailer is saying im gonna need a trailer brake controller?? is this true??, how much are they? how hard are they to install? and wat does the tow/haul button do? thanks

 

You may have the controller cable in the glove box. If not, i wouldn't think it would be very expensive to buy. try e-trailer.com for all your towing needs. After that, it should be p-n-p as long as you have a 4-7 pin plug.

 

If you have the FACTORY towing package, the all you need to do is purchase a brake controller and plug'n'play. I purchased THIS one and it's one of the best out. it senses how hard you hit the brakes and adjusts accordingly compared to others that apply the same amount of force at 5mph as it would at 55mph. If you don't install a trailer brake controller, then the brakes on the trailer will not work and pulling that type of load around, it'll be pushing you all over the road.
It's fairly tight, but I installed it below the wheel. I have nice acess and can see it perfectly. Just gotta make certain the steering wheel can rotate a complete turn as the top of the wheel will hit before the bottom.


If you are doing just one pull, then you can get away with a cheap controller, but even those are $50 or $60 locally plus they need to be hardwired..ughhh. I'd say buy the one above and just do it right the first time if you can swing it. You won't be dissapointed. I have zero complaints with mine. I've used it basically everytime I get into my truck and with 4 different trailers. The adjustability is fantastic.

psst. factory tow wiring harnes is up under the dash where your left toe would touch if you crammed it up into the firewall. Mine was tucked behind the carpet.


If you rent a Uhaul trailer, you won't need a controller as they have Surge brakes which are built into the tongue of the trailer and use the simple 4-pin plug. Might be something to think about.

 

The dealer sells the plug-in harness for about $15. It plugs in by the e-brake under the dash and wired into whichever aftermarket controller that you get. I mounted mine under the dash. It makes towing a lot safer!!

 

A brake controller roughly cost around 60 to 90 bucks for a decent one. Reece:Pilot is a good digital one. We sell it for $85, where i work.. There should be a blue plug with 4 wires in a plastic bag, along with wiring instructions, inside your glove box. The 4 wires will need to be butt spliced accordingly to the 4 wires on the brake box. Then the blue plug will plug into the a blue female plug under the dash directly behind/beside the emergency brake.