Does anyone have any clever ideas for a good location to mount a trailer brake controller in a 2015 E-450?

It has that silly coin storage compartment (or whatever) where the factory upfitter switches (and factory trailer brake controller?) would go if they were there. I think I've seen people cut those out and have the brake controller sticking out there. But I'm not thrilled with the aesthetics of that, so I'm hoping for a better option.

I've looked at trying to mount it to the big flat panel below the steering column, but I'm not sure there's a location there where I won't bang my knee into it getting in and out, or getting out of the driver's seat to go into the back (this is actually an E-450 based class C motorhome). If anyone has been successful putting one there I'd love to see it.

I'm starting to think my best bet is on top of the dash, off to the left (pretty close to the "A" pillar). That location isn't level (it leans out), so I'd need to do something to mount the brake controller level. And it would probably mean cutting a hole in the top of the dash to run the wires up, and I'm not thrilled with that.

So does anyone else have any clever ideas?

 

Sorry no help, mine is an 07 and has different dash. I mounted mine on the center console sup holder.

However i I am surprised to hear that an E450 doesn't have a factory brake controller..?

 

As I understand a brake controller was an option from the factory, but apparently the company that built this motorhome didn't check that box.

However, I'm probably glad they didn't. The "trailer" I tow is my '71 Bronco, flat towing with a tow bar. I set up something that the RV crowd calls "toad" brakes (brakes on the towed = toad vehicle). There's an air cylinder in the Bronco that pushes the brake pedal, with a proportional solenoid giving air pressure that's proportional to the voltage signal coming from the trucks trailer brake controller. It works fine with cheap brake controllers, but it has a lot more resistance that typical electric brakes, and "smart" brake controllers are too smart to be tricked into thinking that it's a real trailer. So the factory brake controller in my '08 F-250 simply didn't send any signal and the toad brakes didn't work at all.

So if my E-450 had the factory brake controller I'd probably have to take it out and put a cheap one in so my toad brakes would work.

 

I threw out the option of the "center console". At least on my 2015 that's part of the engine doghouse, and I didn't want to be wiring that to the rest of the vehicle.

 

Usually it is located on the left.....same vicinty as the E-Brake Pedal...Just Higher....on the subframe of that panel.....

 

I had looked above the e.brake pedal, but if I went below the trim panel it seemed like I'd be kicking it every time I used the e.brake (and the motorhome needs the e.brake applied for the slide to work, so I will use it pretty frequently). And higher seemed to be in the way as well.

But I did get it mounted. I decided on the top of the dash. The controller is well out of the way and still very accessible, both to see the display and to work the manual control or the adjustments. The only real downside is that I couldn't get the connector to be out of sight without cutting a big hole in the top of the dash. So instead I drilled a 3/8" hole in a small cover (over a dash mounting bolt?) and have the connector on top of the dash. The wiring is pretty visible, but it seemed like the best option. Even my wife was OK with it!