EventHorizon

So I have a 2010 with the 4.6L that I picked up for a good deal and it didn't come with a hitch but now the wife and I are looking at a trailer so what to do now??


It does not have a hitch or TBC of course but it does have the flat 4 pin plug at the back to use the bumper hitch.


I want the OEM hitch, 4/7 plug and the dash mounted TBC. Calling a couple of the dealers here one was only interested in selling me a new one with a tow package, not an option. The other was very helpful but was saying that an aftermarket TBC was the only option because my truck is not wired for the Ford TBC. Doing some research myself I find that I do have the plug for the TBC taped up by the steering column.


Does having the plug mean I'm good to plug it in and get the computer flashed or is the plug there but not wired up at the other end?? Don't want to go buying a couple hundred $$$ worth or parts and find out it was all for nothing.

acadianbob

You can use any brand of good trailer hitch; like Reese. Get a class IV.

Your truck should be all pre-wired to install a 7 pin connector. Just pull the 4 pin and use the same plug for your 7 pin. You can buy the 7 pin from Ford parts and it hooks right up to your wiring.

Any good TBC will work; like a Tekonsha. It will plug in right under your dash. Get a Ford compatible pig-tail to go from your plug to the Teknosha. You may need to install a relay or two in your fuse box for the brakes and for the charging wire to the 7 pin. You won't need to get anything re-flashed with an after market controller.

I'd be careful not to pull too large a trailer because you don't have a transmission cooler. You can install an after market cooler however. A google should turn up numerous options for you.

Good luck. Have fun. Be safe.

Abn150

The job of the TBC, obviously, is to control the trailer brakes. And the electric trailer brakes only work with a 7-pin plug. The 4-pin flat plug controls tailights, turn signals and brake lights. So you need a 7-pin plug. The good news though, is that the wiring harness to support the 7-pin plug should already be installed. Follow the wiring for the 4-pin plug back under the truck bed until you find where it is plugged into the main harness. You nees to replace this with the combined 4 and 7 pin harness and add the 7 -pin plug. Then buy the OEM TBC, install it and get it flashed, and you are done with that part of theproject.

seaeagle2

I was in the exact same boat as you, 2010 F150, 4.6 3V and 6 speed auto trans, 4 wire factory trailer plug, but no cooler, and no brakecontroller. I ordered a Curt Hitch from etrailer. If you follow the 4 wire harness back to the spare tire, you'll find a plug that has 7 pins, now you'll be able to run a 7 wire harness, I ordered it online from white bear ford. You CAN NOT make the factory TBC work with your truck, so you'll have to go aftermarket, but you have the 4 wires under the dash so you're good, most controllers have a harness that will plug straight into the factory harnesss. You need to add a couple relays and fuses to get the brake and battery charge circuits to work. as for the the transmission cooler I got a oem style one and installed it. If you try to use an aftermarket cooler you'll run into issues with the size of the hoses not being the same, my is a Dorman that is an oem replacement style. I ordered the little hose bottom of the cooler so it hooked up just like the stock one here's a link to my post on adding the cooler https://www.f150forum.com/f82/added-...cooler-217865/ I just noticed you're from Canada, eh, so you might have to source you stuff different, but my truck was a Canadian Build truck originally licensed in Alberta. (DLR, XLT trim without foglights in the bumpers, and a Block heater)

smokeywren

Depends on your definition of "trailer". Also depends on exactly which 4.6L engine you have, and your rear axle ratio.


My 4.6L had the 2-valve engine and 3.55 axle in a 4x2 Lariat SuperCrew. It was not an adequate tow vehicle for dragging a 4,000-pound cargo
trailer from Midland to Phoenix and back.

As soon as I completed that trip, I began figuring out how to get rid of it and have a nore-powerful tow vehicle.


If you have the 3-valve engine and 3.73 axle, then you may be happy with a TT that has a GVWR of up to around 7,000 pounds.

You can install a class IV receiver. Class IV means 1,000 pounds or more hitch weight. Here's one for your 2010 F-150:
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc...eid=2010308409

Yeah, it sounds like you talked to the village idiots at the Ford service desk. Ask to speak to the service manager, or maybe the tech (mechanic) that handles such jobs.

You can buy the intregated trailer brake controller (ITBC) for your 2010 from the Ford parts counter, or you can save a few bucks and buy it from a discount Ford parts dealer. Just plug it in to the wiring harness that will be there. But then the service department must plug your truck into the Ford diagnostic system and "flash" your computer so it will recognize your ITBC. You also need the electrical harness that goes from the plug for the trailer wiring to the back of the truck for the 7-pin connector. Your Ford dealer sells that wiring harness , or you can order it from E-Trailer or other aftermarket source.

Have a heart-to-heart talk with your service manager. He should be able to satisfy your concerns before you spend the money.

So now you've got the receiver, the ITBC and the wiring so everything works on ther trailer. But you still have to spend some more money before you begin towing a trailer. Since you don't have the trailer tow pkg, then you also don't have the other items that are part of the regular trailer tow pkg. You've gotta keep that puppy cool!

1] Auxiliary tranny ATF cooler: Easy way is to buy the parts that are in the trailer tow pkg from the dealer. But don't even think about trying to tow a trailer without that tranny cooler, or the results will be a cooked tranny and torque converter.

2] "Super Cooling" radiator. Replace your radiator with the heavier-duty one that comes with the towing pkg.


3] And if it's mine, I'm going to install an engine oil cooler. Use a "sandwich" adapter that goes between the block and the oil filter. Plumb that into a heat exchanger (oil cooler) you mount in front of the radiator. Here's the adapter:
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...ductId=1032937

seaeagle2

I'm pretty sure if you don't have the factory 7 wire harness and the tow package, you CAN NOT "flash" the factory TBC. Also get the Ford 7 wire harness from the spare tire to the bumper, the aftermarket ones won't plug in, you'll have to do some splicing to get it to work, (not that it that hard but the oem harness will just plug in).