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Has anyone added a second brake controller to their truck with the factory brake controller? I am setting up my new 2020 F450 to pull doubles like I did with my previous truck and I am concerned on how to go about this and not mess up the factory brake controller.
On my last truck I split all of the wiring other than the brake wire at the controller and shared the wires with the second controller. I ran a separate Blue 12 Gauge wire to the bumper 7 way plug and disconnected the factory brake wire from that plug so that plug was controlled by the second brake controller and the 5th wheel plug in the bed was controlled by the factory controller (in my 2001 that was an aftermarket brake controller).
So my concern is if I wire the new controller this way will this in any way mess up the factory sway control or ABS that is built into the factory brake controller? I was thinking I would make the factory brake wire going to the bumper 7 way a quick disconnect so when I am not pulling doubles and wanted to just bumper pull I could re-plugin the factory brake wire and then use the factory brake controller.
My setup is a 5th wheel travel trailer pulling a enclosed box trailer. Where my 5th wheel has a separate wiring harness that allows the secondary trailer wiring to be output at the end of the 5th wheel trailer then the enclosed trailer is plugged into that harness.
Last edited by BrianRich; Jan 20, 2020 at 09:11 AM.
Reason: Misspelled Brake
Pretty sure the factory controller can power 4 axles. What’s your reason to separate them besides desiring different power settings? Assuming both are elec and not eoh/elec
The reason I have to run 2 brake controllers is because I am towing 2 trailers. Since each trailer has a different weight I have to adjust each brake controller's gain to each trailer. If I used only one controller and had one gain setting for both trailers then I would either have to much or to little breaking for either trailer and could possibly have a jack knife issue during a panic stop.
I have done it a couple of times, farthest I have had to backup was about the length of a football field. My last truck was a 6 speed manual now that made it worse. I was out at a race track and the only place their was to park and camp was down a narrow dead end that I had to back out or drop one trailer and back each one out individually, I took the challenge and did without unhooking.
Run the factory one and an aftermarket one. I ran an aftermarket one on my 2011 as it didnt have factory trailer brakes. They had it all hooked up quick and easy.
Just screw it on a place you can change out easy later or velcro it. They plug and unplug pretty easy with a connector.
See what the in bed camper guys are doing to get 2 sets of lights and run the brake controller independent the old fashioned way.
You can also pull the trailer brake wire pin out of the bumper mounted 7way and put your independent one in.
And have you tried hooking them both up at once yet? That will answer your questions. Would be nice if it logs in 2 trailers with different settings....
I will try hooking both up first just to see what it does with the factory controller. That would be great if it could do that I just don't see in a panic situation where you need to activate the rear trailer to straighten things out it would be easy to decipher both trailers. I want to be allowed to use the factory controller when not pulling doubles so I figured wiring in a plug where I can switch out connections from stock to aftermarket controller when pulling doubles.
