Question about Aftermarket Trailer Brake Controllers

[J_Royal_Oak]

I’m closing in on buying a TRD Off-Road Premium, and I’m conflicted about the Integrated Trailer Brake Controller. Currently don’t do a lot of towing, my fiancés dad has a boat trailer with surge brakes, but she’s made it well known she would like our own boat at some point in the future. From the little info I’ve seen so far, people have either said there is no brake controller wiring harness for any model built without the tow package, or that there is a harness but it uses a new proprietary connector. Can anyone confirm or deny this? If possible I’d prefer to go the aftermarket route when they become available as it would be cheaper than the $500+ tow package, but I wouldn’t want to deal with the hassle of running a harness across the length of the truck

 

[Trail4R]

Yeah that's the problem with some of the new models - no one has taken the time to write up the DIY stuff for modifications like this.

If you have to resort to it at the end of the day, Redarc does make a pretty straightforward installation.

 

[Peter_Offroad]

IMO there is a brake harness. Page 212 of the manual shows the location of the service connector. I am in the process of working to wire it up to a REDARC controller. Cannot yet confirm it all works, but it seems to be mainly there.

 

[J_Royal_Oak]

IMO there is a brake harness. Page 212 of the manual shows the location of the service connector. I am in the process of working to wire it up to a REDARC controller. Cannot yet confirm it all works, but it seems to be mainly there.

Hope it goes well. Please make a post or reply when you're finished, I decided against getting it after seeing another thread talking about the connector in the manual.

 

[Peter_Offroad]

I just plugged the REDARC TPH-021 into the white connector, and it seemed to have all the correct voltages.
On the end that plugs into the REDARC:

• White looked to be ground.
• Black looked to be 12V
• Red seemed to be 0V when brake not pressed and 12V when brake pedal was pressed.

I do not yet have a trailer, so have not yet been able to test that it works - and have not looked at the blue line and whether it flows back to rear of the truck and is in the 7 pin back there.
The 30A fuse seems to be populated in the passenger side engine compartment fuse box.

 

[Peter_Offroad]

Controller now wired and installed.
Need to test it with a real trailer with trailer brakes.
Purchased a REDARC TPSI-011 from Summit racing. The TPSI-011 is the correct blank block for the empty slot on the top switch row.