Can Trailer with Brakes Be Towed by Vehicle without a Brake Controller Installed

Published 12/12/2019

Question:

I have another question, hope you can help. I just bought a 2010 River Forest Rockwood Pop Up Camper, Model 2318G. It has a power lift for the roof. Does the camper converter keep the on board 12 volt battery charged when the AC power cord is plugged in? Or does one have to charge the battery on it's own?

asked by: Jim

Helpful Expert Reply:

I don't think I fully understand what you are asking. What are you wanting to disconnect?

expert reply by: Jameson C

Jim

12/3/2019

Jameson, I have a pop up that has brakes installed. My tow vehicle does not have a brake controller. Can I just hook up the 7 pin connector and go, or is there something I need to disconnect?

Jameson C.

12/3/2019

I see what you mean now. As long as you are okay not having the trailer brakes active yes you can connect the 7-way of your trailer to your vehicle and everything else will work just fine. An easy brake controller solution is the Curt Echo Mobile part # C51180. This plugs into an active 7-way and once synced to your smart phone gives you a proportional brake controller that senses how hard you are applying the tow vehicle brakes and applies the trailer brakes with the same intensity. I attached a review video for this for you to check out as well. Keep in mind that if your trailer weighs more than 50 percent of your tow vehicle a brake controller is strongly recommended.

Jim

12/12/2019

Jameson C.

12/12/2019

Yes, your battery will be charged when plugged into AC power using your onboard camper converter like the # PD9260C. These converters are designed to take AC power and provide power for the camper and also charge the trailer battery at the same time.