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Cab space is tight, and no one wants a bulky box in the way. The Curt Venturer NEXT mounts flush to the dash with its included bracket and measures only 4" long, 3-1/8" wide, and 1" thick. You can install it at any angle since it’s not inertia-based. That means full freedom to mount it wherever it’s easiest to reach without cramping your knees or cluttering your interior.
When you hit the brakes, this controller applies power to your trailer brakes at a preset intensity and rate. The rocker switches let you easily fine-tune both gain (overall power) and load (how quickly that power builds). Dial in smoother stops for lighter trailers or harder braking for heavy loads. Once it’s set, you get predictable braking every time.
The LED display keeps things simple with bar indicators showing brake settings and error messages so you can troubleshoot at a glance. Brightness adjusts automatically, and there’s a night mode to cut glare after dark. You’ll always know exactly how much braking you’re sending to the trailer—no squinting or guessing required.
Splicing wires is no fun, and with the included custom-fit harness, you don’t have to. Just plug one end into your vehicle’s factory brake control port and the other into the Venturer NEXT. It’s a quick, clean hookup that gets you towing faster. No cutting or hardwiring needed.
Whether you’re running electric or electric-over-hydraulic trailer brakes, this controller has you covered. It works with trailers up to 3 axles (6 brake assemblies) and is compatible with ABS, cruise control, and PWM systems. That wide range means reliable braking performance across different trailer setups without extra adapters or adjustments.
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
Super fast shipping and great prices!
Slimmer than most of the others. Easy install with the additional pigtail.
I believe I entered the correct vehicle type and the cord did not match my 2024 e350 super duty. Luckily there were extra wiring harnesses with the new van. I spliced the correct end that matched my brake controller left behind my coin tray by the manufacturer. I was able to use the rest of the harness to the brake controller so it still was useful. Who knows. My manufacturer could have wired it incorrectly.
Perfect, plug and play
Product fit just like it should and as you said and your video or picture was very helpful in finding the plugin at such a weird location that ford put it.
Cable worked great,watched video couldn't find factory plug.It was behind coin holder below radio.You guys are the best THANKS
brake controller.
This break controller was easy to install and
Works grat.
Didn't work poor info from customer ser vice
Sierra K.
9/1/2021
I see that you ordered the C51140 brake controller with the C51432 adapter. Since you said you have a factory 7 way, the adapter will plug into the built-in port behind your vehicles dash. If you cannot find the built-in port and are not sure if you have a factory 7 way, you can call a local dealer with your vin number and they will tell you. Please note, if your vehicles 7-Way trailer connector has LED test lights built into it, the TriFlex brake controller will not be compatible.
This is the second of these units I have purchased and installed. The quick connect ends make it soooo easy, just plug the matching ends together (NO splicing wires). I highly recommended this unit with the pigtail extender
This product was perfect for my use. The wiring harness worked just as I was told and very easy to install. I have bought several items from etrailer and everything has been good quality. The items arrive in good working working condition and in a timely manner.
Etrailer employees are very helpful and professional.
Brake controller and adaptor installed and connected in less than 10 minutes, I am very happy with the purchase and the included instructions and information.
My husband installed easily. Makes towing our camper much easier.
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.
I recently bought a Kurt trailer brake controller with adaptor. I have to say, that it was the easiest thing to hook up. The product was also shipped to my home very fast. I did not think I was going to receive the package until the next week, but it came just in time to use it the following day for my work. i Love ordering products from etrailer, I have only had really great service and good products from them. I will for sure, order from them again.
I bought a weight distribution hitch w|sway control, and a trailer brake controller for my Four Winds RV. I received my order today, within a few days of placing the order. I have not installed it yet but it appears to be user friendly. Both pieces are made by Curt so the quality & performance should be good.
My thanks to etrailer & Stacy??
Product installed in 5 minutes, tested and setup in 10 minutes. Shipping was fast. Superb value
Kenneth T.
9/16/2017
Works great
Easy Install with the Harness I bought for it. Works great.
Ford 2013 F250.. This brake controller fit like a glove. I have a 2013 F250 and I finally found the plug behind the coin box on the dash. It fit just right and after I finally found where the factory plug was and routed all the wiring behind the dash it took about about 15 minutes to get everything working. I have use e-trailer for several projects and the shipping is amazing and they totally understand what they are doing. Thanks to all at e-trailer.
Jim S.
4/1/2015
works like is it suppose too, not any problems
Jim S.
4/1/2015
hooked right up and not any problems. 2013 F250 connectors were behind the coin
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.
Wiring adapter worked great, AFTER I re-pinned 2 out of 4 of the connections to line up with my 2022 Ford E-350 cutaway harness correctly.
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?
Info for this part was:
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Katrina D.
2/21/2024
I have gotten in contact with the manufacturer and I see that part # C51432 (Curt Custom Wiring Adapter for Trailer Brake Controllers) is only a confirmed fit for the 2014 e350 Super Duty, not the 2024. So, it does not seem like it was your installer wiring it incorrectly. I am sending in this information to our fit guide team for them to get this corrected on our site. I am sorry for the inconvenience, let me know if there is anything I can do for you.