Factory 30 Amp Fuse for Trailer Brake Control vs Auto Resetting Fuse on a Ford F-150

Question

Question:

I have a ford f150 that is factory pre-wired for towing with the jumper harness F85Z-14A348-A under the dash that connects to a controller and the trailer tow harness XL3Z-13A576-A at the rear bumper. It seems all the controllers require a 20 or 30 amp breaker. With the factor tow harness already installed and according to the owners manual it has a 30 amp maxi fuse at fuse/relay location #108 labeled Trailer Tow Electric Brake. Is this ok or do they require a auto reset breaker ? Also the wire that feeds the trailer connector does not appear to be more than 14 gage. Is this large enough ? Depending on where I look or what I read some are as large as 8 gage. I will be towing a 24, 4000lbs trailer with two axels. Not sure what size drums but the tires are 13. Could you also recommend a controller for this application. Thank you for your time

asked by: Joe

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Expert Reply:

Having the factory fuse is perfectly fine for an aftermarket brake controller. The benefit of a circuit breaker is that it can reset itself so you do not have to replace a fuse should it blow. So you are good to go with the 30 amp factory fuse installed.

If the 14 gauge wire is output to the trailer brakes or even if it is 12 volt power to the trailer connector, 14 gauge is small. I would use 10 for 12 volt power to the connector and 12 for the brakes. However, gauge is determined by the actual copper strands inside and not the overall diameter of the insulation. The wiring could just have a thinner layer of insulation and still be the proper gauge on the inside. I would not go larger than 10. The larger the gauge the more resistance there will be.

For a brake controller I recommend the Tekonsha P2, # 90885. This controller is easy to set up, easy to use, and very reliable. I have included a link to the installation details for it. Since you will be using your factory harness you will need to connect it to the controller by function. On the controller, white is ground, black is 12 volt power, blue is output to the trailer brakes, and red is input from the brake switch.

expert reply by: Michael H

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Answer 1

In order to use the brakes on your trailer you will need to start by adding a 7-way to your 2018 Toyota Highlander. In order to add this you can use the Tekonsha OEM Replacement Vehicle Wiring Harness w Brake Controller Adapter - 7 Way Trailer…

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Answer 2

The newest Toyota Highlander we've installed a brake controller in is a 2014 model. I attached the install video to this page to show you the processs. The 2014 and 2018 Highlanders are the same generation though so what you see in the install…

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Answer 3

Hello Dan, We can most definitely get you set up to use your Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty brake controller in your 2022 Toyota Highlander. Since you were looking at the #ETBC7, I’m assuming your Highlander does not have the factory tow package. To equip…

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Answer 4

If your trailer brakes activate when using the manual override but not when pushing on the brake pedal you may have a bad connection or a faulty brake switch. I have also linked below our article on Brake Controller Troubleshooting. Also if you have…

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Answer 5

The weight distribution hitch in the question you looked at was based on the loaded trailer tongue weight. It is impossible to find the right WDH based on the vehicle alone. It looks like your 2018 R-Pod 179 has a dry tongue weight of 292 lbs so…

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Answer 6

The best way to pick out a weight distribution system is to base it off of the loaded tongue weight of the setup when it is loaded and ready to tow. This figure also includes the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. I attached…

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Answer 7

For your 2018 Toyota Highlander the trade off with the hitches is that the mostly hidden ones like the #306-X7250 are not rated for weight distribution systems and the more visible ones like the Curt #C13200 or the etrailer #e98844 are rated for use…

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Answer 8

You can have a Toyota dealer run the VIN number to determine how your 2018 Toyota Highlander is equipped. As far as trailer wiring you can check under the dash for any sort of wiring converter. It may or may not be labeled. Or you can find where a…

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Answer 9

This sounds like the trailer brakes are not receiving the signal from the brake controller when you apply the brakes. I believe what is happening is that you may have a loose, broken, or inaccurate connection on the red wire from the brake…

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Answer 10

My first thought is that the water has corroded some of the connections inside the 7 way port and something is getting crossed. The connections inside the plug are fairly close together so water damage could be the root cause. I would replace the 7…

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Answer 11

The Tekonsha Prodigy P3 #90195 can be installed in any position in the vertical plane but must also remain level horizontally and pointed in the direction of travel. So long as you can meet this requirements with your Velcro installation you'll…

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Answer 12

You asked a lot of great questions so I'll answer them in the order they were asked. For a brake controller, I recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller #90195 to install on your 2018 Toyota Highlander. This proportional brake…

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Factory 30 Amp Fuse for Trailer Brake Control vs Auto Resetting Fuse on a Ford F-150

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