Recommended Hitch Trailer Wiring and Brake Controller to Tow Pop-Up Camper with a 2012 Jeep Compass  

Question:

Helpful Expert Reply:

You son's Compass can be equipped to tow that pop-up camper, as long as its fully loaded and ready to tow weight does not exceed the towing capacity of the Compass, which is 2,000 lbs according to my research.

For a hitch, I would recommend the Draw-Tite Class III, part # 75712. You would also need a ball mount, part # 2753 and the appropriately-sized trailer ball, # 19260 for a 1-7/8 inch ball or # 63845 for a 2 inch ball. The coupler on the pop-up should say which size is needed.

For wiring, you would need to begin with the # 118539. Then to install both the brake controller and the 7-way connector needed by the camper, you would need the Brake Controller Install Kit, part # ETBC7. The kit contains everything needed to install a brake controller, including the adapter to convert the 4 pin connector to a 7-way, all wire, circuit breakers and hardware.

You would then need to choose a brake controller. You don't necessarily need one with all the bells and whistles, but I would still strongly suggest a proportional controller. A proportional controller uses a built-in accelerometer to determine how quickly the vehicle is braking. It will then send the correct amount of voltage to the trailer brakes so that the trailer and tow vehicle stop at the same rate. This leads to safer, more predictable braking and prevents either the trailer brakes or the vehicle brakes from wearing prematurely. The Tekonsha Primus, part # TK90160 is a good, budget priced unit that is easy to use.

I have linked you to product description pages for the products I recommended. I have also linked you to installation details and videos that you might find helpful. I have also linked to an FAQ article that runs through the brake controller installation.

expert reply by: Mike L

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