myowneq

It is my understanding that you must have the 4 & 7 trailer plugs on the receiver. If you don't have those, then you don't have the wiring for it in the harness.

faster_than_u

I have the factory tow package on mine. Sorry I didnt mention that I forgot that some dont come with the tow package. All of the ones for sale at my dealer come with the tow package

GatorMedic

Let me start off by saying I know absolutely nothing about towing, so please bear with me. 1. What exactly is a 4 pin and 7 pin wiring; basically what does it do? 2. Can you look at the back of your truck and tell if you have it or not? And if you can, can someone post a pic of theirs so I know what it looks like.

My window sticker states under "Functional" equipment section that I have 4 pin trailer wiring and trailer towing package. Also, under the list of Optional Equipment on my window sticker, it says 7200# GVWR Package. I know that number has to do with the weight my truck can tow, but can somebody put in simple terms what exactly that means also? Thanks for any help y'all can offer. I don't know anything about towing at the moment, but believe that I will probably end up towing stuff over the next ten years (how long I plan on having my truck) so I'm trying to learn as much as I can and am debating whether I should install a trailer brake controller in my truck.

Nutty 5.0

The 4 pin is a standard connector used on most smaller trailers that don't need trailer brakes and is a standard among any trailer or truck/car brand. 7 pin is also another standard connector and mainly used for trailers with trailer brakes.

So if you plan on towing, this is a great thread to take advantage of the factory brake controller and the trucks electronic engine/braking controls to assist pulling a trailer. If you don't think you'll ever use it, well no point in doing this.

To verify what you can tow, look in your owner manual in the towing section and for each cab style, engine, gear ratio (should be on your window sticker if you're not sure), and whether 4x4 or 4x2 will show in a chart what you can tow.

I'd take a pic but out of town with a rental. Sorry but I know someone can and will. There two spring loaded doors to the left of the hitch when looking at the back of the truck.
Hope this helps and someone can likely better 'splain what I wrote!

myowneq

Nutty 5.0 covered most of the "what is its?".

As for your need, about the only time you'll need a brake controller is on heavy trailers such as a camper or large boat. Most trailers will have the standard four plug. I had never come across a 7 prong until I started messing with campers.

If you'll PM me your email address, I can forward you a document that shows the 2010 towing capacities depending on what you have.

As for your towing numbers. This can get very complicated very fast and most people are not going to need to tow near their limits so don't need to figure it out. I never did till I started researching buying a camper. I ended up with a large camper that still fits within the capabilities of the truck.

If you really need help to figure those numbers out, PM me and I'll do my best to explain.

Timothy

Bevis

Alrighty...went and had my computer enabled for the controller yesterday. It took all of 3 minutes or less, and that was w/ me and my buddy chit chatting while he did it. Best part it was FREE... Went home and hooked up the trailer, and it works perfectly.

Nutty 5.0

Another end user installed and programmed. Best part was, even though they had me wait an hour, was no charge! They were kinda like, well, there is no cost code since there is no physical labor so they put it under warranty. Very awesome!

Abn150

Here's a link to a good guide that Ford publishes about towing with the F-150. Covers all the basics for you.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/assets/p...vF150sep09.pdf

Abn150

And this is what can happen if your trailer exceeds either the truck's towing capacity or the driver's towing skills. The SUV was pulling a camper, which overturned on I-95 near Fayetteville, NC last week.

RadioBob

myowneq:
I can't begin to thank you and the other posters on this thread enough for this timely information. As I type this, I'm winding up a week-long camping trip towing my Casita fiberglass "egg" trailer.

Anyway, one of the things that sold me on buying my demo model '09 last month was that it had the factory tow package. I was so impressed with so many other aspects of the truck--its ride, comfort, etc. (no longer having to hand crank the windows), that I failed to notice that there was no brake controller.

So, when we started out on our trip I immediately noticed that the truck (a) towed the trailer like it wasn't there, and (b) was doing all the braking. The camper is pretty light, so that hasn't been a problem, but I sure want to make use of the trailer's electric brakes.

I was going to use the junk cubby hole to run cables for my ham radio, but now I'm using your experience as a guide to install a factory brake controller!

Again, thanks!!