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Simple and compact, this proportional brake controller has an intuitive design that's easy to use. Includes a simple digital display, 9 sensitivity settings, a slide-bar manual override, and built-in safety features.
Features:
Specs:
Note: If your vehicle's 7-way trailer connector has LED test lights built into it, the TriFlex brake controller will not be compatible.
The above diagram shows the controls and components of the Curt TriFlex trailer brake controller.
Output Control
Use the thumbwheel on top of the TriFlex to set the maximum amount of power that will be applied to your trailer's brakes. How much braking output you need is determined by the weight of your trailer; a heavier trailer will need more power to bring it to a stop. You want to go as high as you can without the trailer brakes locking up. To get more power to your brakes, rotate the wheel to the right. To get less power to your brakes, turn it to the left. The output setting will appear on the digital display when you press the brake pedal or activate the manual override. Once you've set up the brake controller the first time, you shouldn't need to adjust this setting unless the trailer load changes, you switch trailers, or road conditions change.
Sensitivity Setting
Once you have the overall power set, you can fine-tune the power output by adjusting the sensitivity of the internal sensor. This controls the aggressiveness of your trailer's braking, meaning how quickly the brakes reach the maximum braking level. You can adjust this when you're towing heavy loads and you need more umph to bring your trailer to a stop. Your tow vehicle doesn't need that much power to brake in time, but your heavy trailer does. The sensitivity setting gets the braking power to your trailer brakes faster and with more intensity so that it doesn't push your tow vehicle forward. If your vehicle takes too long to come to a stop, increase the setting. If it stops too abruptly, lower the setting. You may also need to adjust the sensitivity based on your own preferences, or when the trailer load or road conditions change.
There are 9 sensitivity levels (boost levels), with 1 being the least sensitive. Move the switch on the side toward you to increase the boost and away from you to decrease it. When you change the setting, the display on the TriFlex will flash the level before reverting back to showing the power output.
Manual Override
The Curt TriFlex comes with a built-in, easy-to-reach, slide-bar manual override, great for stopping sway or controlling your trailer's momentum in emergencies. To engage the manual override, just push the slide-bar. This will activate the trailer's brakes and brake lights without you having to apply the brakes on your tow vehicle, perfect for limiting trailer movement while you're cruising.
Safety Features
The TriFlex offers key safety features to prevent damage to various components of your towing setup. This starts with built-in protection against shorts and positive and negative power reversal, as well as continous diagnostic checks to alert you to any potential problems as they come up. To minimize the drain on your vehicle's battery, the TriFlex will automatically go into sleep mode when not in use. This feature will turn on after 5 minutes of inactivity and turn off again the moment you press the brake pedal.
Another great way that the TriFlex protects the longevity of your setup is a hold feature that saves wear on your brakes. When you're waiting at a red light, you don't need your trailer brakes on at full power. The longer you sit there, the more they will overheat. But with the TriFlex, any time your tow vehicle and trailer are at a standstill for a prolonged period of time, the controller will reduce the power output to the brakes. This will keep your trailer in place while saving your brakes.
The self-leveling feature of the TriFlex ensures that the brake controller continues to function even as you drive up steep hills or through the mountains. Simply mount it in your cab at a vertical angle that is within 90 degrees, and the controller will level itself automatically. Make sure that the controller is also positioned so that the side-to-side angle is within ±20 degrees.
Installation is a snap. With its compact design, the TriFlex will fit easily in your cab. If your vehicle already has a plug-in brake controller wiring harness, just connect the unit to it. Otherwise, you will need to purchase a vehicle-specific wiring harness (sold separately) to plug into. If a harness is unavailable for your vehicle, hardwiring will be necessary.
Installation Accessories
See also etrailer.com's exclusive 7- and 4-way brake control installation kit (ETBC7 - sold separately) if you don't already have a 7-way plug at the back of your vehicle.
Note: If a custom brake control wiring adapter is not available for your vehicle, either a 20-amp or 30-amp circuit breaker (sold separately) may be required for installation.
The Curt TriFlex brake controller comes equipped with proportional braking to give you the best towing experience. Proportional braking means that your trailer brakes mimic your tow vehicle's brakes. If you slam on the brakes in your vehicle, your trailer brakes will activate with the same intensity; if you brake lightly, your trailer brakes lightly too. The trailer's braking is in proportion to your vehicle's braking. This saves wear and tear on the tires and the brakes on both your vehicle and trailer.
The TriFlex uses an internal inertia sensor to detect how your vehicle is braking so it can send the right amount of braking power to your trailer. It measures the inertia of your tow vehicle and activates the trailer's brakes to slow at the same rate. The result is uniform braking across your towing setup. No push-pull action - just smooth, proportional braking every time.
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Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (564 Customer Reviews)
Simple and compact, this proportional brake controller has an intuitive design that's easy to use. Includes a simple digital display, 9 sensitivity settings, a slide-bar manual override, and built-in safety features.2023 VW Atlas SEL w/factory tow package. I attempted to use my existing Curt Echo BT wireless controller. I was receiving error messages that directionals were nit working. All lights and brakes worked fine. VW had gor a week, found a bliwn fuse snd a bad “brake control module “, but they told me if I had the same issue again, it would be my responsibility. So decided to go the wired route. Install was easy, after I found the trim rivet behind the hood release lever! Need to pop that and driver side kick panel then comes out w/o having to remove hood release lever. Factory harness was hanging inside this panel. Curt VW specific harness (C29JR)plugged into this and Curt controller,no issues. Unit was simple to program, but I haven’t driven trailer yet so will update upon road test! Emily at etrailer was very helpful, I sent her a photo of my VW harness plug and she confirmed the wiring harness was a match
Works well and not a bad install with the etrailer videos, my 97 Dodge Ram Sport 1500 5.2 is a””Wood” truck so I installed the truck flex where the ashtray was, works well
Had same brand unit prior to this one on an earlier truck. Different trucks and trailers. Both hooked right up to truck wiring and adjusted perfectly to get the trailer stopped without drama. Easy to get the trim just right,good confidence builder.
Don
3/9/2023
Like a trusted tool, its a quality item and after installation it just gets used without worrying about it. It gets the job done.
I bought a 7 pin trailer wiring/brake connection for my Dodge pickup. I installed it myself, the instructions were absolutely clear and correct. It was an easy installation. In the year since, I've pulled my trailer (tandem axle, 16') many times. The brakes continue to work perfectly as well as the lights. The connectors are solid, all work just like new. I recommend Etrailer parts and their people 100%!
Howard S.
4/6/2018
Still using the products no problems, everything’s works great.
Easy to set up and operate. The controls are less than intuitive. There’s a sensitivity dial and a force level slider that seem to affect the application of the brakes. It’s not exactly clear which one is more important or has the most impact. The unit works well at highway speed but at low speed operations seems to apply the brakes aggressively to the trailer. This is my first experience with a brake controller so can’t compare with other units. It does make parking lot operations somewhat clumsy. It definitely gets the job done though.
Jason J.
6/25/2020
Poorly. The tekonsha prodigy is so much better than this unit.
Installed in a 2015 Jeep Grand cherokee. Tow package was already included with the vehicle so installation of the Curt triflex trailer brake controller was very easy. It was simply Plug and Play. Upon plugging in the trailer, the controller did its calibration and was ready to go Within seconds.
The only current issue I'm having is that the turn signals do not appear to be working, however at this time I cannot fault that to the trailer brake controller as the pop-up camper I am connecting is used, and was wired with the seven pin plug by someone other than myself.
The brake controller worked very well on my 2020 ram 1500 classic. My other controller on another vehicle is the count down type which worked fine but this controller works like it is not there (on the same trailer, single axle, 5000 pounds). It arrived on time.
Installation was easy. Make sure to order the adapter cable for your vehicle. Videos for my truck showed removing the center dash piece with the radio/navigation/vents but I could have reached the connector without removing anything if I knew where it was and how it was "hidden". It was buried in the same foam the wiring harness is wrapped in. Sorry, no pics but you can try feeling around and pull out the connector and unwrap the sticky foam. It is a relatively large connector at the end of a 4 inch pigtail off some part of the harness. Mine was curled into itself and the harness so it did not stand out.
Fairly easy to install and set up. I set it up in a 2013 DODGE Durango and pull a 5200# camper with electric brakes. Stopping is very smooth and controlled.
Bill A.
4/7/2021
Still like it
Installation was easy with Adapter cable and Controller which I installed on top of dash board cover and required only one hole to be drilled. Installation location allows for easy access to adjust settings, apply the trailer brakes alone and see the display.
Tough part was locating the 2010 Ford F53, Wennibago, Vista, OEM connector which was out of sight. Remove the dash board cover, which was easy, then look for the big harness (see pictures) and the smaller cable which splits away from it. None of the literature explained that the connector is gray for six pins although only for pins are in the connector. Once found, just plug things together and it all works.
I connected the Curt Brake controller into my 2007 Toyota 4runner. It took 5 minutes to hook up using the curt wiring adapter for my vehicle. I pulled a 16' aluminum stock trailer with one horse in it. There were no problems with braking and the braking action was very smooth on the trailer. I also have a weight distribution on the trailer which helps with using the Toyota in an "emergency" tow. The horse had an easy 3 hour tow with smooth braking and no swaying. Thanks etrailer for all the tools that make farm life easier.
2003 Ranger XLT
Installation was fun! I tend to ignore instructions especially when those instructions mount the device where my knee is constantly banging into that device. See the photo. Would loved to have a longer extension cable to reach into engine compartment. If you are not mechanically and electrically gifted, have somebody that is do the installation.
Had the device not initialize once at the beginning of a trip. After thirty minutes of trouble tracing, decided nothing was wrong, unplugged the cable for a few minutes then reconnected and initialization completed correctly and I had brakes. Now I unplug the device whenever I'm not towing.
Watched one of your installation videos. With the factory wiring harness adapter, that came with the Curt Tri Flex controller, installation was a breeze. It took longer to decide where to mount the controller, than it did to make the electrical connections. Used it with my tent trailer on a 2 day trip, worked perfectly. Very pleased with performance and price. See attached photo of finished installation.
I purchased the trailer brake controller for my 02 Tahoe. Right out of the box it had issues. This controller required a very high setting before it would even work. No less than 7.5 on the screen. Even with all the other settings set to max. The screen also would randomly flash while driving and change the settings. All of my trailers are serviced regularly and brakes start working around 1.5 or so on the other controllers. I have verified all my electrical connections on my vehicle and compared them to another Tahoe, the issue has to be inside the controller. I contacted etrailer about it and they did offer to bench test mine and replace if necessary, but unfortunately I needed to haul trailers almost every single weekend and couldn’t send mine in to wait. The controller has never stopped working which is a plus just very annoying.
Jenny N.
9/8/2022
I recommend replacing the controller under warranty.
I have not completed my installation but service is the real topic of discussion. After a rocky start, managment got involved and handled my business which was paramount. Mistakes happen, how they are handled is everything! Good job!
Great controller! Easy to adjust even on the fly. I had the controller adjusted a little aggressive and as I was trying to get out of Buffalo to go south for the winter we ran into some snow accumulation and was able to quickly dial back the controller to avoid locking up on thick snow covered roads. Literally a potential disaster! Very happy with the controller
Wonderful product and product support, I bought a second for my newest truck a 2014 Chevy Silverado LT and the installation was very easy thanks to the videos. I put it where the ash tray would go if they still had them and when closed you cannot see it.
Ordered an in stock item on Sunday. Part wasn’t pulled and shipped until the following Friday. Way too slow for todays options. Won’t shop at etrailer again.
Fortunately my F150 had the trailer package so the pigtail plugged right in. Only snag
was I had to fabricate a piece to attach to the instrument panel (lower right) to get the correct angle they specify. That took some work. But it all came together nicely.
See attached picture. The brake control works great. Good price.
Bought a Kurt TriFlex brake controller. The switch on the side had been broken. So I returned it and received another one. I installed it and my trailer brakes didn’t work. I pulled all four wheels checked all the brakes checked all the wiring spent hours on the trailer found nothing wrong. Then I had to get another controller from the manufacturer as etrailer did not want to send me another. I install that my trailer brakes did not work I inspected everything on my truck and found nothing wrong. I then purchased a prodigy brake controller and everything worked fine I would never buy another curt product in my life
I got home early today from work and found my brake controller waiting for me.(The one thing I did not like seeing was that, although I have a drop box for all parcels next to the fence, it was placed on top of the box. LAZY DELIVERY PERSON! ) Anyway, I took it in and looked it over and decide to do the install. It took longer for me to get the cover off the box where the plug goes,then to do the entire install. Since I didn't want to drill any holes(yet) I used an existing screw down low. Now, I'm just waiting for my son to bring his dump trailer over,which he will leave with me for a few months. Stay tuned,more pictures and review still to come.
Just what I ordered. Was a bit tough finding the vehicle's wiring but after that it was a breeze
Easy to install and set up. I can't believe the difference between this proportional controller and the simpler time delay type. Between the power output adjustment and the sensitivity adjustment, you can quickly and easily adjust the controller for your trailer. It took me about 5 minutes to dial it in perfectly! No more jerky trailer brakes! Thank you E-Trailer!
Yes I received my order and installed the brake controller. All seems to be
fine, although I have yet to tow with it yet. Here are a couple photos of
the installation in my 2010 Toyota Tundra.
after installation, I didn't have to adjust a thing
Worked as desribed,I had no problem installing after watching video.After taking fuse box cover off my wires were hooked up already,no work to do there.For me a straight up easy install that seems to work great.Drove 130 miles after install ,no issues.
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Scott
8/24/2022
Worked so well I bought another for my Silverado