Is a Brake Controller Needed to Activate Electric Trailer Brakes

Published 08/19/2016

Question:

In the Features section of the electric trailer brakes, it says that an electric brake controller is required. In the installation video, it appears that one need only connect one wire to ground and the other to the trailer plug blue wire. Is a separate controller required?

asked by: David

Expert Reply:

If you need to activate the brakes of a trailer then yes you do need to install a brake controller. There is no other way to activate trailer electric brakes than with a controller. If you were just going to run a power wire and ground to the brake assemblies the brakes would be locked up all the time. The controller allows you the ability to control how much braking is sent to the assemblies so that the trailer can stop in a smooth effective manner.

For a brake controller I would recommend the Prodigy P2 Brake Controller part # 90885. This is our best selling brake controller because of how well it works and how easy it is to setup. This is a proportional brake controller that senses the amount of braking the tow vehicle is applying and applies a proportionate amount to the trailer brakes.

expert reply by: Jameson C