4-pin to 4-pin & 7-pin?

[Jonnie T]

I ordered my Badlands with the tow package, however, it only comes with a 4-pin connector.
Since there are travel trailer options that would fall well within the 2200lb limit, and, most of these come with electric brakes, I would like to install an electronic brake controller, and, 4-pin & 7-pin connector like this one from Ford below, replacing the original 4-pin connector. I don't want an aftermarket version that attaches somewhere else on the rear of the vehicle. I want a nice clean OEM look installation.

Has anyone else thought about this, and, does anyone have any experience installing an electronic brake controller in the Bronco Sport?
Mine is a Tekonsha P3.

Thoughts?

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[Adam06]

I ordered my Badlands with the tow package, however, it only comes with a 4-pin connector.
Since there are travel trailer options that would fall well within the 2200lb limit, and, most of these come with electric brakes, I would like to install an electronic brake controller, and, 4-pin & 7-pin connector like this one from Ford below, replacing the original 4-pin connector. I don't want an aftermarket version that attaches somewhere else on the rear of the vehicle. I want a nice clean OEM look installation.
They sell plug and play harness for the brake controller’s for most cars and trucks. I did this on my wife’s 09 Subaru Tribeca.was pretty simple I think I had just run a power wire from the fuse box that was not included in the harness

Has anyone else thought about this, and, does anyone have any experience installing an electronic brake controller in the Bronco Sport?
Mine is a Tekonsha P3.

Thoughts?

 

[zedsdead]

I ordered my Badlands with the tow package, however, it only comes with a 4-pin connector.
Since there are travel trailer options that would fall well within the 2200lb limit, and, most of these come with electric brakes, I would like to install an electronic brake controller, and, 4-pin & 7-pin connector like this one from Ford below, replacing the original 4-pin connector. I don't want an aftermarket version that attaches somewhere else on the rear of the vehicle. I want a nice clean OEM look installation.

Has anyone else thought about this, and, does anyone have any experience installing an electronic brake controller in the Bronco Sport?
Mine is a Tekonsha P3.

Thoughts?

You really don't need trailer brakes for 2200lbs...
But, if you're serious about it, here's the wiring diagrams.

You can buy a kit that utilizes your 4 pin. Then, you just need to run the Auv 12V, Brake, and reverse lights to your battery and brake switch.
Also, a brake controller is needed to mount in the cab.

I just did it in my truck this year. It's pretty easy.

 

[Adam06]

I saw these at my local rv shop. They are Bluetooth

 

[MKohlman]

I ordered my Badlands with the tow package, however, it only comes with a 4-pin connector.
Since there are travel trailer options that would fall well within the 2200lb limit, and, most of these come with electric brakes, I would like to install an electronic brake controller, and, 4-pin & 7-pin connector like this one from Ford below, replacing the original 4-pin connector. I don't want an aftermarket version that attaches somewhere else on the rear of the vehicle. I want a nice clean OEM look installation.

Has anyone else thought about this, and, does anyone have any experience installing an electronic brake controller in the Bronco Sport?
Mine is a Tekonsha P3.

Thoughts?

Yes, it is something I did take into consideration when adding my trailer wiring:

Trailer Wiring Install for Bronco Sport Using Factory Power Circuit (Part Two – Installation) | 2021+ Ford Bronco Sport Forum - Broncosportforum.com

Ford did provide a 40amp circuit in the Battery Junction Box that would/should provide sufficient power to pin 4 of a 7-way and when I ran the 12+ line to the back of my Badlands I made sure that I used a 10 gauge line if at some point we get a camper and I upgrade the connector from a 4-way to 7.

For a brake controller, like @Adam06 I would likely lean towards getting the Curt mobile brake controller if I end up towing something that needs one.

 

[omahafordowner]

Does anyone know if dealers will convert 4 pin to 7pin?

I know nothing about brake controllers, but more interested in having the ability for the campers battery to recharge while driving.

 

[nhchemist]

I have an Expedition MAX and it just supplys a trickle charge to the camper battery. If you are driving down the road with more than a few amps draw on your battery, it will not keep the battery fully charged. I get around this with a separate cord from from the 12V outlet in the back to the trailer battery. It keeps the trailer battery charged at whatever the voltage the alternator supplies to the vehicle.

 

[omahafordowner]

Does anyone know if dealers will convert 4 pin to 7pin?

I know nothing about brake controllers, but more interested in having the ability for the campers battery to recharge while driving.

I called the service department and the guy was completely lost as to what I was asking.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Does anyone know if dealers will convert 4 pin to 7pin?

I know nothing about brake controllers, but more interested in having the ability for the campers battery to recharge while driving.

You might want to check with your local U-Haul retail store if you have one around. They install a lot of hitches and wiring so they may be able to help.

 

[omahafordowner]

You might want to check with your local U-Haul retail store if you have one around. They install a lot of hitches and wiring so they may be able to help.

I did and they stated that they could only convert 4 pin to a 7 pin that only does brake lights and turn signals. LOL. I really wish companies hired people that knew anything about their job.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

I did and they stated that they could only convert 4 pin to a 7 pin that only does brake lights and turn signals. LOL. I really wish companies hired people that knew anything about their job.

It shouldn’t be much of a stretch to get power and reverse since reverse is back there all ready and they need to run 12v for the conversion box. But as you say……do I need to know about anything?

 

[timg]

I've been researching this for the Bronco Sport as I need to connect to a travel trailer with a 7-pin and trailer brakes. I found this thread helpful, along with Trailer Wiring Install for Bronco Sport Using Factory Power Circuit (Part Two – Installation) | 2021+ Ford Bronco Sport Forum - Broncosportforum.com, so thanks very much to the posters in those threads.

Additionally, eTrailer now has this video: etrailer Trailer Brake Controller Universal Kit Installation - 2023 Ford Bronco Sport

Since I have the tow package with an installed 4-pin already, I plan to follow the eTrailer plan, although I'll run the wiring inside the vehicle. Also, I purchased the components I needed from Amazon since I already had some of the components in their kit.

If you're installing without the tow package, I highly recommend using something like this: Active Tail Light Converter to isolate the vehicle wiring from the trailer. The stock 4-pin tow module does this by using the canbus signals to activate the various 4-pin functions. Unfortunately I've never seen one of these isolators that also includes the reverse lights, so if you want to isolate that as well you'll need to use a separate relay (which you can power using the +12v wire feeding the 7-pin).

While I am installing the relay for the reverse lights pin, I also plan to turn off the license plate light when in reverse using the same relay (NC for the reverse lights and NO for the license plate lights), so at night they won't glare off the rear camera and make it utterly useless.

As far as brake controllers go, I would never use a bluetooth trailer brake controller. If you are already running a wire for the +12v power for the 7-pin (which would be needed to power a bluetooth brake controller), just run another for the brake and use a proper brake controller.

Here is my reasoning: The bluetooth module will let you adjust and control the proportional braking that is triggered by the accelerometers located in the bluetooth plug, like a hardwired controller would. In normal operation, that's all you should hope to need, as the trailer brakes will engage automatically when your vehicle is slowing down.

Now imagine you're traveling down the highway towing your 2000lb camper and a gust of wind induces uncontrollable trailer sway. Since trailer brake modules work by detecting a slowdown of your vehicle to engage the brakes automatically, what will you do if you cannot slow your vehicle because the front and/or rear wheels have no traction (i.e. they are being lifted by the trailer)? Do you really want to try, in an emergency, to grab and unlock your phone, find and open the trailer app, and then try to tap on a button on your touchcreen while your vehicle is bouncing back and forth, up and down, in increasingly larger swings? And you'll have to do all of this in a few seconds.

In the same scenario, with a proper brake controller with a manual trailer brake button (or better yet a proportional slide switch), you just have to reach over to the brake controller and pull the slide.

I would definitely recommend installing and using a brake controller if your trailer has brakes. A 2000lb trailer can easily lift the front or rear tires of a 3500lb Bronco Sport off the ground during uncontrollable sway, causing you to lose traction and end up with your vehicle and trailer smeared across the road. A trailer brake is just extra insurance against any number of factors that could cause uncontrollable sway, some of which is in your control (proper tongue weighting for example) and some of which is not (weather, unexpected road bumps, steep declines, and passing semis).

Everyone has a different appetite for risk, and this is just my opinion.

 

[Bucko]

I did and they stated that they could only convert 4 pin to a 7 pin that only does brake lights and turn signals. LOL. I really wish companies hired people that knew anything about their job.

I understand what you want to do, but to defend most, a 7 pin is targeted at travel trailer type applications. Our BS's were never designed to haul what an average travel trailer weighs

eTrailer is your best bet as another post suggests.

I have one on my Ford F-150; not hard to wire up along with the brake controller, just time consuming

 

[Agalliani]

I saw these at my local rv shop. They are Bluetooth

Do you know if this fits / works with the BS?

 

[Dude]

Do you know if this fits / works with the BS?

Good find!
https://www.etrailer.com/question-511608.html

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brake-Controller/CURT/C51180.html

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