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Universal wiring harness allows you to install the Tow-Pro brake controller in your without a factory tow package. Plug one end of the harness into the brake controller and the other end splices into your 's wiring.
Features:
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Ellen: Hey everyone. I'm Ellen here at etrailer.com. And we're going to be taking a quick look at the Universal Brake Wiring Harness for your Redarc brake controller. This allows you to connect your Redarc brake controller to any kind of vehicle even if it doesn't have a factory wiring harness. So you do have to connect these wires in. You will have to do some cutting and slicing to get those in place.
But it's pretty straightforward, so we'll talk about that in just a second. The other end is going to plug into that main unit on your Redarc brake controller. So just plugs in there and it's pretty easy.As far as the wires, you're going to have a white wire that goes to ground. The blue wire, which will connect to the brakes on your trailer. So this will run all the way back to your wiring socket on the back of your vehicle.
Red wire goes to your brake signal. So this goes to the actual electrical signal from your brake. And then this goes to a power source. Typically, from your battery or maybe from the fuse box on your vehicle. But a 12 volt power source, it's where that needs to go.
It does have complete instructions on how to get this installed, and some tips on how to do that. I would also suggest that you want to get some butt connectors to make those connections.And also a couple of zip ties to keep the wiring nice and tidy underneath your dash, so that it doesn't get tangled up with your pedals while you're driving, or your feet, or anything like that. You can find butt connectors and zip ties here at etrailer.com. So if you want to pick those up while you're here, not a bad idea. So that's pretty much all there is to it for our look at the Universal Wiring Braking Harness.
It is made in the USA, and it is covered by a two-year warranty. I hope this video has been helpful in deciding if this is the right one for you. We do have a couple of custom fit options, so check those out if you have a appropriate vehicle, but this one should work for just about anything out there. Thanks for watching..
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (321 Customer Reviews)
Universal wiring harness allows you to install the Tow-Pro brake controller in your vehicle without a factory tow package. Plug one end of the harness into the brake controller and the other end splices into your vehicle's wiring.Worked perfectly, but should have come with the Tow Pro Liberty.
Overall, I’m completely happy with the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty controller. The design and execution is elegant, the installation is fairly simple, and the completed appearance -in my opinion- is unmatched. I’m slightly annoyed that the REDARC product doesn’t come with some basic accessories you need, leaving you to hunt for and assemble things they know you’ll need like a fuse, fuse-holder, and the basic wiring harness to even connect to the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty. So, if you’re price shopping different brake controllers I recommend factoring in about another $50 worth of accessories into the overall cost of the product when considering the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty and comparing it to other brake controllers. The folks at eTrailer.com, of course, make that simple by suggesting the items you’ll need automatically.
There is one “feature” of the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty that is made VERY clear in the owner’s manual, that perhaps should be made clearer when advertising the product: The Brake Sense wire, which is the wire that connects to your brake lights and tells the controller you’ve activated the tow vehicle brakes, is bi-directional. In other words, in normal proportional operation it senses the 12 volts from your brake lights, but when in manual mode it also outputs 12 volts with the intention to activate your brake lights if you manually activate the REDARC controller. This matters a lot if your tow vehicle has factory automatic braking and collision avoidance or adaptive cruise control as the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty can back feed these systems and cause a lot of damage. When the Mazda is in adaptive cruise control, or if the factory collision-avoidance system activates, the Mazda also activates the brake lights. A blocking diode is the solution and the placement is critical.
I have a 2020 Mazda CX-5 with AWD and their turbo 2.5-liter engine and the factory adaptive cruise control and collision-avoidance systems. The vehicle has a 2,000-lb towing capacity. I am towing a teardrop styled camping trailer that weighs 1,200-lbs, so I’m well within the capability of the vehicle. Trailer brakes just enhances the safety. Mazda is curiously quiet on their recommendation of how to properly wire this, and the dealership really wasn’t any additional help. This set me to find schematics and figure it out on my own.
The solution included two devices. The REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty, and the Tekonsha model # 118746 Trailer wiring module; both from eTrailer.com. I installed the Tekonsha trailer light wiring system first, then installed the REDARC controller. Instead of connecting the REDARC brake sense wire to the normal brake lights, I connected it to the positive side of the wire that feeds the rear center brake light on the Mazda. This is where I installed a 50-cent Schottky diode to allow the brake light to send +12v to the REDARC controller but prevent the REDARC controller from sending +12v back to the center brake light when the brake controller is in manual mode. I’ve included a schematic in this review as one of the photos; I hope this helps others.
The result is beautiful. You get the aesthetically pleasing factory appearance of the single-knob REDARC controller in the dash, that operates perfectly in both automatic proportional mode and in manual mode, AND the Mazda’s adaptive cruise control and automatic collision avoidance system still operates perfectly and will also automatically operate the REDARC controller and your trailer brakes. The REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty can install in any orientation, which makes installation a breeze, the proportional braking is smooth and confident. I’m extremely pleased with both products: The REDARC controller and the Tekonsha wiring model # 118746 and thrilled with eTrailer.com who offered both at a reasonable price and reliable shipping/delivery.
This sure does look nice when done. I mounted it under the steering column and the knob as in the photos. The instructions were straight forward and installation was easy. I did make a custom panel for the control knob added a couple switches for future use) and I did make a custom bracket for the 7 wire trailer connector.
Not much to say on this product. It plugs in to the controller and then you wire it up. Obviously, if your vehicle has a plug in for a brake controller buy the harness that is specific to your vehicle. My car did not have that ability and I was going to have to wire it myself (no plug and play) and this did the trick.
Josh - 05/04/2023Make install straight forward. Finding a location on my 2016 Haghlander was challenging. If using the existing rubber grommet on the passenger side firewall, on the 2014 to 2019 Highlander order an extra 5 or 6 feet of the black and white encased wire.
I am very happy with the controller and the harness kit. I installed the controller myself in about 4 hours. Over the past year I have taken several trips covering about 7000 mikes, both on and off road, and the controller has worked perfectly.
Flawless!
We have gone on over 7trips with our trailer which almost Max's out the capacity of our Highlander and it only took 2 stops to adjust the trailer brakes, from then on it has performed flawlessly on every occasion, even through the mountain roads of Colorado. The best part, it looks stock and nobody knows it's there.
I really like the simplicity of the controls and the look once installed. I am using this to tow my Aliner pop up and like to keep things simple without creating an eyesore on the interior of my car. I had a competitive bluetooth controller that I eventually gave up on. I had intermittent issues with brakes locking up, and even a few times not engaging at all. This controller brakes perfectly and looks great. I installed this on the fuse panel cover so if I sell my 2016 Sorento, I can potentially swap this out with a new cover if the new buyer does not want it.
This solved potential safety issues with my old controller, and towing is far less anxious due to the smooth braking.
I will follow up after one year, I hope this thing keeps working like it is now.
The only negative thing I can say is I had to buy this separately, it should have been included with the brake controller
Worked great. Decided to add a diode to the red wire so my brake controller wouldn't trigger my Jeep's brake lights when I push the manual button, probably not required, but it makes me feel better.
This connector is required to complete the installation of the controller. Great product!
The only challenge was determining how to connect the harness to the 4 vehicle wires. It's hard to find that on line
Just the pigtail for the Tow Pro it is what it is. I wish it came with it or in the description it made it clear that it did not come with a wiring connector..
Since I had a brake controller installed previously, this harness was very easy to splice in.
etailer told me over the phone that this part is required for RedArc break controller install and emailed me a cart of everything I needed. It wasn't needed and now they want to make me pay $XX return shipping on a $XX item. Are you serious!
I like having the controller hidden so as not to be in the way, but the control is handy I like showing everyone what a neat installation looks like.
have not installed yet, but does fit the controller
Works well for installing the Tow-Pro, especially if you already have the 4-wire setup exposed in your truck from an existing tow package (as I did in my Ford Ranger).
I have a 2004 Honda trike that I built a trailer for 4X6 kinda didn’t want to stop real good so I put electric brakes on it! Now I needed a compact brake controller to fix on the trike the redarc is a great fit
This fit very well in the dash of my 2017 Toyota Highlander. The finish of the plastic was not a 100% perfect match to the existing plastic but that’s too picky to deduct a star for in my opinion. I’m am so happy I have this mount so my brake controller looks like it came from the dealer that way.
The product itself is great quality
Installer was glad to have this hookup kit. the control dial fit into a blank accessory space on left side of dash and is convenient, looks professional, even without being the custom one for the Odyssey.
Company honored warranty
Made installation easy. Should be included with the control.
Made the installation super simple. It was about a year ago when I installed it but if I remember right it took around an hour start to finish. It was a bit of a challenge feeding the wires and setting the controller up behind the kick panel. There isn't much room but it did fit after a little finagling and repositioning. I would say that its worth it.
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