Hi from South Florida

I am going to finally join the ranks of the RV crowd by purchasing a small (20 ft. box) toy hauler.

When I bought my 2016 F150 I bought the trailer tow package and also have trailer back up assist and anti sway control. It all sounded like a complete package.

I also found a bag in the glove compartment with some sort of electrical trailer tow harness part no. FL3T-15A416-AB.

The trailer I am considering has electric brakes. I was hoping the tow package would handle this, but what is this harness for? Do I need it for electric brake control? I am completely out of my element here. The tow package was a $900 adder, so why do I have to install something with basically NO installation instructions?

Any insight is greatly appreciated...

Regards,
HDJeff

 

The harness is used if you choose an aftermarket brake control. I would recommend having the Ford controller installed if you don't already have it.

 

they make a 20' toy hauler? what do you carry in a 20' toy hauler, a bicycle? lol.

Make sure you're familiar with your payload rating and GCWR and all that good stuff when considering a trailer.

 

Does your truck have a brake controller? If not, the Ford OEM brake controller is recommended. If you install it yourself, it must still be "flashed" by the dealer with a software update to make it functional.

 

Thanks for the details on the trailer brake controller. So I have a tow package, but no trailer brake control. I will call the dealer tomorrow for details on the OEM controller.

Thanks,
HDJEff

 

Yeah I have done my homework on the GCWR, GVWR, etc.

It is just my wife and me, and of course my Ol' Hog....

Regards,
HDJeff

 

I've always thought the OEM electric brake controller was part of the tow package, guess not. Mine has the OEM controller and still came with the harness in the glove box.

 

Yeah, go figure. I called the dealer, and the OEM kit is $141, which isn't bad. There is a useless "cubby hole" in the dash, directly underneath the trailer backup control, which is probably where the in-dash gain control thingy goes. The controller also needs to be flashed, which is obviously a dealer thing. I am tempted to let them do the installation if the installation charge is reasonable.

Regards,
HDJeff

 

Multiple posts about buying this yourself, plugging it in, and enabling it with FORScan. No need to go to the dealer.

 

The integrated trailer brake controller (ITBC) is included in the Max Tow Pkg, but it's optional with the regular tow pkg. That hasn't changed in the last several years.

What changed was tow mirrors used to be included in the Max Tow Pkg, but since the '15 model year they are now a stand-along option.

For my 2012 with the regular tow pkg, the ITBC was an option I ordered, but the trailer tow mirrors were available only as part of the max tow pkg. I didn't want the 3.73 axle ratio that was required to get the max tow pkg, so I didn't get tow mirrors. But tow mirrors are a required safety item to tow any travel trailer or cargo trailer, so I ordered them from the accessories catalog and replaced the dinky little standard mirrors with tow mirrors.

Then from reading here I found out that the 3.73 axle ratio with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine gave others about the same MPG as my 3.15 axle ratio. Live and learn. Next time I'll order the max tow pkg with ITBC, and also order the tow mirrors as a stand-along option.

Like chimmike, I've never heard of a tow hauler with only a 20' floor length. So post the name and model number of that trailer so I can see how they squeezed a garage into a TT with only a 20' floor. My TT with a 20' floor length will barely hold a folding handicap Rollator walker, so we usually just haul it in the back seat with the dogs.