Brake Controller Question
07-26-2018, 05:11 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Brake Controller Question
I recently purchased a 2012 F-150. It didnt come with a towing package so it doesnt have anything more than the standard towing options (tow/haul mode and trailer sway). My question is can one put a factory brake controller in the truck and it work correctly? (I know I can put it in I just need to remove the cubby where its supposed to go). Just curious if it didnt come with a brake controller if there is no plug in or anything to just put one in easily?
Last edited by Tppd15; 07-28-2018 at 04:46 PM.
07-26-2018, 05:16 PM
#2
Senior Member
Remove the cubby. If you see a plug, then yes, you can plug it in. However, you will need to get it programmed by a dealer, or use FORScan. If there is no plug, no, you can't put one in easily.
07-26-2018, 08:26 PM
#3
Senior Member
FWIW
I put a Tekonsha 90160 Primus IQ Electronic Brake Control ~$60 in my Tundra to my gooseneck, works amazingly well. The biggest problem is running the wires. Needs a hot lead to the BC then a wire back to your 7-pin.
The Tekonsha uses an Accelerometer to sense your truck braking then it signals the trailer brakes. All adjustable with a pot. Also has a manual control to apply the trailer brakes independent of the truck.
I put a Tekonsha 90160 Primus IQ Electronic Brake Control ~$60 in my Tundra to my gooseneck, works amazingly well. The biggest problem is running the wires. Needs a hot lead to the BC then a wire back to your 7-pin.
The Tekonsha uses an Accelerometer to sense your truck braking then it signals the trailer brakes. All adjustable with a pot. Also has a manual control to apply the trailer brakes independent of the truck.
07-27-2018, 10:37 AM
#5
Pot=dial. Short for potentiometer, which is the technical term. I buy pots for my personal electronic projects, but I find it funny sometimes walking into the electronics store and saying that I'm looking for pots, and then people turn around and look at me. I try to say "potentiometer" lol
The following 2 users liked this post by BlackBoost:
i2oadi2unnei2 (07-27-2018),
Like2Hike (07-27-2018)
07-27-2018, 11:52 AM
#6
Grumpy Old Man
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. But as Rick said, that's not a task you can "just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches and expense.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TBC (ITBC). After you have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that, because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
And after you get all that done, you still don't have the engine or tranny cooling capacity required to tow a trailer that grosses more than about 5,000 pounds. So replace the radiator with a bigger one, replace the engine fan with a more powerful one, and maybe add an auxiliary tranny cooler.
With 20/20 hindsight, you now know that next time be sure your new pickup has the factory towing package.
Last edited by smokeywren; 07-27-2018 at 12:13 PM.
07-27-2018, 12:00 PM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What Rick said.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. Bit as Rick said, that's not a task you can " just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TB (ITBC). After uou have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that. because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. Bit as Rick said, that's not a task you can " just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TB (ITBC). After uou have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that. because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
Trending Topics
07-28-2018, 01:13 AM
#8
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What Rick said.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. But as Rick said, that's not a task you can "just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches and expense.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TBC (ITBC). After you have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that, because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
And after you get all that done, you still don't have the engine or tranny cooling capacity required to tow a trailer that grosses more than about 5,000 pounds. So replace the radiator with a bigger one, replace the engine fan with a more powerful one, and maybe add an auxiliary tranny cooler.
With 20/20 hindsight, you now know that next time be sure your new pickup has the factory towing package.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. But as Rick said, that's not a task you can "just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches and expense.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TBC (ITBC). After you have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that, because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
And after you get all that done, you still don't have the engine or tranny cooling capacity required to tow a trailer that grosses more than about 5,000 pounds. So replace the radiator with a bigger one, replace the engine fan with a more powerful one, and maybe add an auxiliary tranny cooler.
With 20/20 hindsight, you now know that next time be sure your new pickup has the factory towing package.
07-28-2018, 04:58 AM
#9
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What Rick said.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. But as Rick said, that's not a task you can "just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches and expense.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TBC (ITBC). After you have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that, because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
And after you get all that done, you still don't have the engine or tranny cooling capacity required to tow a trailer that grosses more than about 5,000 pounds. So replace the radiator with a bigger one, replace the engine fan with a more powerful one, and maybe add an auxiliary tranny cooler.
With 20/20 hindsight, you now know that next time be sure your new pickup has the factory towing package.
If you don't have the connection plug behind the cover to the cubby, then you will need to replace the wiring harness with one that comes with the trailer tow package or max tow pkg. But as Rick said, that's not a task you can "just put one in easily". It's doable. but not without headaches and expense.
But that's not all you need. You also need the extension to the wiring harness that goes from the middle of the truck back to the rear bumper and includes a 7-pin RV plug.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D
Then you also need the fuses and relays in the power distribution box under the hood and the fuse box in the passenger's footwell required to make all 6 "hot" wires in the plug active. (The 7th wire is the ground wire.) The fuse/relay charts are in your Owner's Guide.
Plus you need a receiver hitch, Don't buy a receiver hitch that bolts onto the frame of your F-150. Instead buy the receiver hitch that is part of your rear bumper. The frame of the rear bumper is in three parts, left, right, and center. The center part is called a "reinforcement". There are three different parts available for that reinforcement. Note that on the parts illustration of the rear bumper components, there are three different parts for item #7. The one you have now is the one without a receiver. Either one of the other two will work to replace yours.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...ents-rear-scat
Then you need the trailer brake controller (TBC). None of the TBCs available aftermarket are as good as the Ford OEM integrated TBC (ITBC). After you have it installed and plugged in, the Ford ITBC requires the dealer to program the computer to make the ITBC work, or you can use FORSCAN to DIY. But aftermarket TBCs don't require that, because they are not integrated with the F-150 braking system. You can buy the Ford ITBC on the web for about the same price as the good aftermarket TBCs, so that's what you should do. Here it is from the same website that showed you the components of the rear bumper:
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Note the description says you must have a trailer tow package, but it means you must have the wiring harness with the plug behind the cubby to plug in the ITBC.
And after you get all that done, you still don't have the engine or tranny cooling capacity required to tow a trailer that grosses more than about 5,000 pounds. So replace the radiator with a bigger one, replace the engine fan with a more powerful one, and maybe add an auxiliary tranny cooler.
With 20/20 hindsight, you now know that next time be sure your new pickup has the factory towing package.
07-28-2018, 05:11 AM
#10
Didnt buy the truck for towing, just like the looks of the F-150 and it had low miles for fairly cheap. But apparently I shouldve stuck with Chevy because they dont tell you the towing capacity and then have a tiny bullet note that says only applies to heavy duty towing package. Pretty damn sad when a fricken '06 Trailblazer is rated to tow more than a half ton truck.