Curt Venturer NEXT Trailer Brake Controller w/ Custom Harness - Up to 3 Axles - Time Delayed
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2005 Ford Ranger
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2005 Ford Ranger
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Most brake controllers are bulky and awkward to place, but this one stays slim at only 1" thick. You can mount it anywhere—no angle restrictions—and the included bracket holds it flush against the dash. It leaves plenty of knee room and looks neat instead of cluttering your cab.
Wiring can be the toughest part of adding a brake controller, but here it’s simple. The custom-fit adapter plugs right into your vehicle’s existing brake control port, then straight into the Venturer NEXT—no splicing or guessing which wire goes where. Once connected, it’s ready to use with trailers running up to 3 axles (6 brake assemblies).
You don’t have to squint or guess what’s happening with your trailer brakes. The LED display uses easy-to-read bar indicators that show your settings and alert you to any errors. It adjusts brightness automatically or lets you choose night mode so there’s no glare after dark.
The Venturer NEXT uses time-delayed braking you can dial in exactly how you want. Set the gain for how much power goes to your trailer brakes, and adjust load for how fast the brakes reach that power. Once tuned, your stops feel steady—whether you’re lightly loaded or pulling something heavy.
Built-in checks monitor trailer connection and shorts so you know everything’s working right before you roll out. When parked, auto-sleep mode kicks in to prevent battery drain. It’s a simple, dependable setup that keeps your trailer braking safely every 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:
95% were satisfied with this product
5% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
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.
Exactly what I needed. It worked great and arrived in 3 days right before an 1600 mile trip. It plugged right into my trailer brake harness and was easy to install. Took me less than a minute.
Just what I needed, it showed up a day early, thanks for your help
The cable assembly made installation quick and easy, all I had to do was locate the Ford supplied connector in my F150. The cable assembly supplied by Curt plugs into the Ford provided connector. Plug the opposite end of the Curt supplied cable into the controller and the electrical installation is complete. Note: the Ford supplied connector has a protective cover on it, you have to remove this cover before this Curt connector will plug in.
Installing and using the Curt trailer brake controller was simple and worked perfectly. I Can say the same about the customer service at etrailer. And will certainly be using them both
Made install easy. I ran my own 12 ga wire to 7 pin connector for trailer brakes. I couldnt find the fuse and or relay needed for my 2011 F150 to complete factory circuit. I NEEDED the trailer the next day with a 3,000 lb tractor on it. Worked well.
Researched, purchased and installed a hitch and brake controller for my 2009 F-150. It was so much easier using etrailer. I have recommended them to several friends for their towing needs.
This pigtail that Dan T. with e-trailer help me get order an shipped worked perfectly. It was a custom fit for 2016 F-150 w/ no tow pkg and a Curt 51120 brake controller. This will almost complete my conversion of my truck that had no tow pkg. In the end it will help my daughter tow her Shooting S barrel horse safely to the shows. Thank you Dan T.
The Curt wiring adapter for my 2009 Ford F-150 plugged into the controller and the truck connector under the dashboard exactly as it should have. It works great.
Etrailer provided outstanding information regarding the technical details of the product along with easy to understand installation instructions. The brake controller provided a cost effective solution for my basic requirements. The installation was a "snap", the only time consuming task was determining the optimal location/position install the brake controller. Item was installed in a 2013 Ford F150 and I use it on a dual axle trailer for hauling a compact Kubota tractor.
Excellent - no hesitation in making that evaluation
I bought a brake controller, interface cable for the F150, and the 7 pin plug that goes on the back bumper. All items are great quality. Parts arrived as expected with shipping as paid for. I am installing the equipment, but don't have any issues. There were no installation instructions, however these are available on line line detail. I do not expect any operational probems but am a few days from making that test.
Easy Install with the Harness I bought for it. Works great.
Just as described. With truck specific wiring harness, installation was simple. Highly recommend!
I purchased the C51436 adapter to install the C51130 trailer brake controller in my 2010 Ford pickup. Everything worked as stated. Good products from a good company with quick service.
Larry M.
2/8/2018
I am very happy with all of my purchases from etrailer. The products are still working fine after a year and your company is very good to work with. Any future needs I have will be purchased at etrailer.
Exactly what I paid for with fast shipping at a good price. Everything looks great and works perfectly.
Kenneth
2/12/2025
Still doing exactly what it is supposed to do. My only hint to you is, unless you have a photographic memory, do NOT throw away the quick reference card.
Jameson C.
2/12/2025
Works well, fit perfectly and functioned great. Seems like great product so far.
This is a perfect fit for our E450 RV chassis. It made the install a five minute job.
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.
Just like advertise, ease and work well on a new trailer.
Kate M. my salesperson, had a most professional interaction with me being certain of my and my vehicle's needs. In addition, she walked me through the complete installation process. This I completed, wiring the 7-way and the Curt Discovery Controller making no errors along the way. On the first test, every terminal on the 7-way tested as it should. When we came home with the RV from the dealer, all the lights and the brakes worked flawlessly. Many thanks!!
Adapted Curt brake controller for my 2014 Ford F150 STX without any problems. Just find your Ford brake control connector behind the coin slot on the left side of the dash and plug it in.
Tommy J.
1/31/2015
After a year of using the Curt brake controller it has been by far the best one of several I have used and installed. i highly recommend the controller.
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
Works fine specially for the price with the adapter harness.
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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John Y.
2/19/2018
perfectly satisfied