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This brake controller is slim and easy to place. At just 1" thick, it sits flush against the dash using the included low-profile bracket and hardware. Because it doesn’t rely on inertia, you can mount it at any angle. It stays out of the way yet is simple to reach when you need it.
Wiring can be intimidating, but this controller uses a custom-fit harness that plugs right into your vehicle’s built-in brake control port. Once connected, the other end goes straight into the controller—no hardwiring required. Installation takes only a few minutes, leaving a clean, factory look under the dash.
The LED display shows settings as a spectrum of bars so you can confirm gain and load at a glance. It also displays error messages for quick troubleshooting. You can dim the screen or use night mode to keep glare down while driving after dark.
Fine-tune your trailer brakes for different loads or conditions. Set the *gain* to limit maximum braking power for up to 3 axles (6 brake assemblies), then adjust *load* to control how fast that power ramps up. Time-delayed braking applies force at your chosen rate every time you hit the pedal, keeping stops steady and consistent.
When parked, auto-sleep mode keeps the controller from draining your battery. Built-in self-diagnostics constantly monitor for shorts or disconnected wiring so you can tow with confidence. It’s compatible with low-volt, PWM, ABS, cruise control, and electric-over-hydraulic trailer brakes for dependable performance trip after trip.
Alternate Instructions
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:
97% were satisfied with this product
3% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I finally got around to installing my new brake controller. It was very easy and I had it installed in about 15 minutes. I used one of the bolts under the dash to mount it so I didn't even drill any holes. Still need to do a few more test runs with my trailer with different weight loads.
Installed it on my LR-4. The dual axle Alum Trailer (Aluma) works great so far! Only a few Land Rover dealerships will install the trailer Brake system. Trailer dealers want touch Land Rovers?? That's why 4 stars. $350 to get it installed!! LR Fort Worth,Texas
I purchased this along with the Curt C51140 controller and 7 way harness to replace the mess that was spliced in on my truck when I bought it. Don't bother with splicing your controller in. Buy this harness, plug it in, don't look back. Service was great.
Product worked liked a charm!! I have a 2010 Ford Explorer XLT, and the Curt brake controller with the factory adapter cable was a perfect fit!
Note: Even though it doesn't specifically say on the etrailer website, the adapter connector WILL fit a 2010 Ford Explorer that has a Factory Tow package installed. The factory connector is located next to the steering column underneath the kickboard. It is kinda of hidden away, but it's up and next toe the brake pedal switch connector.
After a little research by the etrailer team it was determined this was the correct cable for a 2013 Tiffin Allegro with a pre wired 7 pin plug to go itch the Curt controller. The team worked and researched and was great with customer service.
This cable made the job very easy. took 10 minutes to plug in and mount with Curt Venturer Brake Controller. Very inexpensive solution. This is an old vehicle (2001 Expedition) and didn't want to put a lot of money into a brake controller setup. These parts and directions from the website made it quick, easy and inexpensive. I have not towed with the controller yet.
Made installation in a Land Rover Discovery Sport a breeze! Note: This option isn’t listed on either Curt or eTrailer, but it is absolutely an option if you have the factory installed OEM trailer tow package. Your factory tow package must be dealer activated in your vehicle’s software to use the quick connect harness shown here.
Total plug and play. Zero cutting, splicing or tapping required! Fantastic.
TIP: Select your model year and Land Rover Evoque (Shares the same chassis and tow electrics as the Discovery Sport) if you want the right part numbers for your quick connect options.
This is well worth the money. The cord ends appear to be high quality and fit the wiring connectors on the truck and brake controller perfectly. It makes hooking up your new Curt brake controller as easy as plugging in a cord. The only way to make this any easier is to have someone do it for you. The hardest part of the whole installation was finding the factory connector to plug this cord into. Hint: On my 2004 Ford F150, the brake controller connector was just above the factory diagnostic port underneath the dash.
Easy Install with the Harness I bought for it. Works great.
We purchased our new Ford Explorer with the towing package but the dealership said it didn't come with a trailer brake controller and nothing was made for our SUV so we would have to get an aftermarket controller and have them run the wiring. After looking online I found a video on etrailer.com and it was just as easy as the video to install, the hardest part was finding the Ford plug under the dash, very happy with this product and ready to haul our RV everywhere.
Plugged right in to my 2003 Ford F-150, and other end into the Curt Venturer brake controller. Worked great.
Works great and easy to install. Would recommend it to anyone.
Made installation a snap. Just mount the break controller, plug one end into the vehicle's factory plug and the other end into the break controller.
Nicholas
8/3/2020
Still working great
Excellent. Perfect fit, exactly what was needed. Connected the Curt C51110 Brake control to factory wiring. Only thing that could make it better is if it came with someone to plug it in for me and save me 10 seconds.
Mike R.
1/28/2015
The products worked great up until about a few weeks ago Thats when I sold the truck where the items were installed. lol. Really though, I very much liked how the products listed and purchased from etrailer.com were easy to find, fit exactly as described, and performed as needed. etrailer.com is always one of the first places I look when searching for items for my new truck.
Installation pics on my Ford F-150
Plugged right in to my expeditions factory plug quick easy install.
works greatthanks
The Curt wiring adapter was fine, however our coach was not wired with a plug in the harness, so installation required a little wiring work to complete. No big issue, the product was great
Great job came on time. Installed easily. Works great. Better still is the service from etrailer. New what I needed for my truck. Deserves repeat business
Easy to install plug n play literally
Everything was as described. Easy easy installation in 10 minutes. Not the top of the line controller but it's all I need. Very fast shipping as well. Couldn't be more happy with etrailer. I will be purchasing my fifth through etrailer soon!
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.
Do you have a question about this Trailer Brake Controller?
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Rmt
5/20/2015
so far so good. no issues.