Trailer Brake Controller

I bought this controller years ago but never got around to installing it in the Excursion. Given how much lighter the Ridgeline is, I’m more concerned about being pushed about by the trailer.

I opted for the Liberty (highway) model over the Elite (off-road & highway) for the two obvious reasons – price and the fact that I don’t take a trailer off road. That being said install for the two should be identical.

The Tow-Pro consists of two parts and the wiring to connect them. The controller itself is mounted anywhere. It has a 3-axis accelerometer so it doesn’t need to be level & parallel to the direction of travel. It can be mounted behind panels on the truck to avoid banging your knees into it & maintaining a factory appearance.

The control knob gets mounted on the dash anywhere convenient for the driver. In order to maintain a factory appearance Red Arc makes switch inserts for some vehicles (No love for Honda, though😡) so you can pop the knob into a blank switch.

Blank switch.

I purchased a blank switch from Honda, note the part number on the photo above. I had to cut the guts out of the blank. After struggling to figure out how to get on there with the Dremel and oscillating cutter, I was surprised to learn that a regular utility knife cuts this plastic easily & cleanly.

I had a reasonably convenient empty switch, but it was out of my line of sight, so I rearranged the left panel.

The knob is connected to the controller with what appears to be an Ethernet cable.

I only use one of these buttons.

I want the trailer brake controller to be in clear view in case of trailer sway. I can press the knob to activate the trailer brakes without the Ridgeline brakes.

The control unit is attached to this panel between the top of brake & parking brake pedals.

The controller needs a wiring harness to connect to the truck. You can either purchase a universal pigtail or a vehicle specific harness. According to Red Arc, the TPH-013 harness only works with Ridgelines up to 2019, but the folks at ROC have told me there have been no wiring changes to the truck up to my 2024 model. Fingers crossed.

Of course for this to have any value, I’m going to have to add brakes to the utility trailer (spoiler alert).

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Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

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