To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Tight on space under the dash? The CURT Venturer NEXT is only 1" thick and mounts flush, so it won’t crowd your knees or clutter your dash. The included bracket holds it tight against the surface, and because this unit isn’t affected by mounting angle, you can install it anywhere that’s easy to reach. It’s a clean, tucked-away setup that still keeps the manual override right at your fingertips.
Instead of tiny numbers or complicated screens, the LED display uses a spectrum of bars to show your settings clearly. It also displays error messages so you can troubleshoot without digging for tools. You can dial in the brightness or night mode so it’s easy on your eyes after dark, no glare on the dash—just clear info every time you tow.
Every trailer brakes differently, and the Venturer NEXT lets you fine-tune both braking strength and response. Set your gain as high as you can without locking up the brakes, then use load control to decide how quickly that power ramps up. Heavy or light loads, smooth or steep roads—you control exactly how the trailer stops behind you.
This controller activates your trailer brakes with preset intensity and rate whenever you hit the pedal. You decide both values, meaning you can set it for softer stops on slick roads or stronger, faster engagement when hauling heavy gear. It’s compatible with electric and electric-over-hydraulic brakes on up to 3 axles (6 brake assemblies), giving you consistent control across different trailers.
Forget splicing wires or guessing connections—the custom harness plugs directly into the factory brake control port under the dash. Once connected, just plug in the Venturer NEXT and mount it where you want it. The self-diagnostics check for shorts and monitor trailer connection automatically, so setup and towing are both simple and reliable.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi there. I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna take a quick look at this CURT Venturer NEXT Trailer Brake Controller. Now, if you're not familiar, if you have electric trailer brakes on your trailer, you are going to need a brake controller in order to activate those brakes. Otherwise, they're not really doing anything for you. There are several different kinds of brake controllers out there, different features and that sorta thing.
This is really gonna be your more basic option. So it's not gonna have some of the more advanced features that allow you to control the intensity of your braking in the moment, but this is going to be enough to get your brakes functioning. So if you are just looking for the base model that's gonna do the job for you without having to pay a whole lotta money, this is gonna be a great way to go. This will work for your trailers that have up to three axles, so six brake assemblies. Basically the way this works, every time you apply the brakes in your vehicle, a signal is sent via your brake switch to the Venturer.
The controller is then gonna send that power out to your trailer brakes to activate them with an intensity that's preset by you. It does also have the predetermined rate, which is also set by you, and we'll get into what those two terms mean, but this is going to be a time delay system. So unlike some other brake controllers that are proportional, this is going to apply the brakes at the same intensity whether you're tapping on the brakes or slamming on the brakes in an emergency sorta situation, that your trailer's brakes are gonna apply at the same rate either way. Both the amount of your braking power, called the gain, and the rate of the application, which is called the load, can be adjusted to suit your preferences, the road conditions, the type of trailer you have, and the weight of your load. We've got the switches here that are going to allow you to very easily access that and adjust.
So we've got 10 different gain settings. You select a higher setting for your harder braking and a lower setting for your more gradual braking. You do wanna go as high as you can without your trailer's brakes locking up. That's a good indicator that you've gone a little too far, so you wanna come back down a little bit. Typically your gain is only gonna be readjusted when you're experiencing changing road conditions or if the weight of your trailer changes.
So if you've taken off your load, you might wanna adjust it so that it's not engaging as hard with that lighter empty trailer. This also provides nine different load settings, and that's gonna control the aggressiveness of your trailer's braking, meaning how quickly the brakes reach their maximum braking level. So you've got all that adjustability to preset it, but then once you apply the brakes, it's going to apply that same power and as quickly each time. So again, whether you're tapping on the brakes or you're slamming on them, the trailer's brakes are gonna apply that same amount of pressure. So unlike your proportional systems which will apply the trailer's brakes in proportion to how intense you're applying the tow vehicle's brakes, this is not gonna have that feature. It does have a very simple LED display that's gonna show the amount of power output. So you can adjust that in one-digit increments so that you can know where you're at, you know how much intensity you've got. The brightness is also adjustable, so you can view it optimally either. No matter if you're driving during the day or at night, you can adjust that brightness level. We also have the pinch trigger that's going to give you that manual override capability, so very easy to reach if your trailer begins to sway or if you're stopping in an emergency situation. You can activate your trailer's brakes and the brake lights without having to apply the brakes on your tow vehicle just by pushing in on that switch or that trigger there. This is gonna be very quick and easy to get installed. There really are no mounting restrictions. So with a proportional system, you have to have it mounted in a certain orientation for the internal components to sense the inertia. This, you don't have to worry about that. They've got this mounting bracket here with the included hardware that you can get mounted flat on your dash, and then it just kinda slips in place there, so basically flush with your dash. Very simple to get installed, and you don't have to worry about getting a certain orientation. You can mount it basically whichever way is gonna work best for your setup. You can see our width there. We're looking at approximately 3 1/8 of an inch wide. Our length, we're sitting at approximately four inches, and then our thickness, call it about an inch. So keep that in mind when determining where you're gonna mount this. Now, to get it wired in, it's gonna depend on your setup. If your vehicle is already equipped with a plug-in brake controller wiring harness, all you have to do is just connect the unit to it, so very simple there. If you don't have a built-in system, there are some plug-in vehicle-specific brake control wiring adapters available that are gonna help to reduce your installation time, and of course, that is gonna depend on your vehicle. So I'd recommend using our vehicle fit guide here at etrailer.com. You'll select your year, make and model of your vehicle. We'll let you know which products will work for you. So specifically for those vehicle-specific kinda products, that's more important, but if you do have one of those available, I'd highly recommend going with that. Otherwise, if you are just going to wire it in place, you are gonna need either the 20-amp circuit breaker if you have a two, three or four-brake application, so with two or four-brake application, or you'll need the 30-amp for a six-brake application. So depending on your setup, you'll need either one of those, and again, if you don't already have a seven-way plug at the back of your vehicle, I highly recommend our ETBC7 seven and four-way brake controller installation kit that you can see on the screen there. So that's gonna give you that plug at the back of your vehicle so that you can plug in your trailer's wiring and make sure everything is connected properly. This does come with a limited lifetime warranty. So if you we're to have any issues with it, you're more than welcome to reach out to us here at etrailer.com, but like I said, this is a very basic model. I think it's gonna get the job done for you. It's not gonna have a whole lot of bells and whistles and that sort of thing, but it is gonna help to apply those brakes on your trailer, and that completes our look for today. Again, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
93% were satisfied with this product
7% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Product seems to work good did not have a problem installing it happy with product would recommend it to others.
Ordered about 1 year ago. It has worked great. Looks great and easy to install. Takes a little getting use to it. Looks very stylish in my 2013 Ram. It goes perfect with the inside trim.
Almost plug-n-go.The hardest part was where to put the controller !
Super fast shipping and great prices!
Slimmer than most of the others. Easy install with the additional pigtail.
Received the control and harness within 4 days. Simple install took about 10 minutes.
Plug and play easy adapt.
Made installation a breeze no problems at all.
This adapter is exactly what I needed for my '13 ram. Plugged right in, no issues.
Arrived earlier than expected. Excellant service. I will use etrailer for my future needs
The brake system worked fine with the wiring harnes hT y'all sent me
This break controller was easy to install and
Works grat.
Product arrived as scheduled. Enjoyed the tracking access to follow the delivery. I have not had the opportunity to install but I am sure everything will go as planned because of the installation video.
Great product and easy installation. I actually installed in the small shelf right below the controls for the seats on my 13 Ram 1500 Longhorn. Looks very neat and functional. Quick shipping.
My husband installed easily. Makes towing our camper much easier.
This is a DIRECT FIT for my 2014 Ram 1500!! I mounted the controller at the bottom of the center console and everything was perfect! The directions were easy to follow and the installation was a breeze!
Installed but not used with a trailer yet, easy instruction and appreciate the extra hardware for the installation.
Compact and not intrusive. Decided to use the adhesive tape included and taped under the dashboard L of the steering wheel.
electric brake control
for 2014 ram 1500
this Curt electric brake control unit and harness fit great .
half hour and it's finished.
Installed on a 2014 dodge ram 1500... The wires took literally 2 seconds to find under the dash, per etrailers instructional video, and took another to 2 seconds to clip on the pigtail. Hooked up the brake controller and powered up fine. Haven't got a chance to use it yet since the car hauler is about 400 ft back on the property and I got the truck stuck going back to try and get it. Its awdul muddy here in michigan in April. Hopefully some warm weather soon so I can get to it and try this controller out! I ordered it on Wednesday, did 2nd day shipping and called to insure I could receive it by Friday, the lady on the phone had them ship it, within ten minutes I had a confirmation email.
Easy Install with the Harness I bought for it. Works great.
It works as intended and the install is super easy; however, the version I got does not allow me to adjust the amount of force that it’s applied to the brakes. So, it’s a rapid increase to max braking force which will lock up the trailer wheels if empty or make the trailer jerky while towing. This option should not be sold.
I am using this for a test fixture. I have found it to be easy to use and having a reliable ramp rate for EOH brake actuation.
I replaced my previous Curt venturer with the new one and it was easy. Just plug it in. Used it this weekend and did great with easily adjustable trailer brakes
Milt
It was easy to install. Just plug in and ot works. Fast shipping.
You guys were very helpful and I'm having the tow hitch and wiring installed with AP Automotive.
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