Brake controller for towing a trailer

My son has a 2007 Explorer EB with the V8 and towing package with class 111/1V hitch and 7 pin plug. He wants to buy a trailer capable of handling a 3,400 lb payload. He is looking at a 5x10 tandem axle utility trailer with a GVW of about 4,400 lbs. In Canada brakes are required for a trailer GVW of 2994 lbs and above. Electrically operated brakes are usually recommended by the dealers. I have been helping him with his research, but I only ever towed a double snowmobile trailer without brakes.

The Ford electrical diagrams show a brake controller in the circuit to power the brakes. The module is tied to the BOO electrical circuit for the brake pedal, but no apparent input on brake fluid pressure. There is no explanation of how this works that I could find. In particular, how the amps sent to the trailer brakes are modulated. My concern is to prevent trailer brake lockups under varying braking loads or trailer weights (1,000 lbs empty or 4,400 lbs fully loaded). Does anyone know how the Ford unit works?

Aftermarket electronic brake controllers seem to be quite varied in their design and generally require the driver to set a couple of variables on dials to effect proportional braking with loaded and unloaded trailers. In the diagnostics in the manual, Ford says "The vehicle is supplied with wiring to support an aftermarket trailer brake control module". Is an aftermarket brake controller required where the trailer weight can vary significantly?

There is a plug for an optional electronic brake controller under the dash on the driver's side, and you will need to purchase a controller to operate the electric trailer brakes. The controllers have a control which you set to adjust the amount of braking for the load you are pulling and ramp up the braking to that level when you press the brake pedal. It essentially is activated by the brake light switch and not how hard you press the pedal. Controllers vary in features ranging from a fixed time delay and a simple light up to digital display of the brake level and other adjustments, but they all do the same thing and include a manual trailer-only brake control if you need to steady a fishtailing load. We pull a 5000lb horse trailer with ours with no problems and use a simple controller that I got for something like $25 and have had no problems at all.

=Vic=

Thanks Beargap that is very helpful.

Town -

I have an 06 v8, and tow with it for the past 5 years. I just bought a simple brake controller from Walmart and used the connector that came with the truck to plug it under the dash, That was it. My trailer is double axle 7000 lbs with one axle with electric brakes. It works just fine for what I am doing. The max I load it was 5-6000 lbs and that was a lot for the Explorer. I think 5k is the max I would go. I used to tow that trailer with a HD Dodge Ram, but then sold it.

i don't like the solid state brake controllers has they apply all the brake to the trailer you gonna get when you hit the brakes enough to activate the brake light (this is the kind you get at walmart)

i really like the Tokonsha prodigy and they have a step lower called the voyager

these have a pendlelom inside them that works on inertia the harder you hit the brakes the more brake power you get out of the trailer and doesn't give you the jerky feeling of a properly set solid state brake controller

Thanks Explorer PL, I was wondering if a 7,000 lb trailer might be too much for the Explorer. The hitch receiver says that a weight distributing hitch is required for 7,000 lbs, and 5,000 lbs is the max for a normal weight bearing hitch. So its reassuring for you to confirm the Explorer will handle 5,000 lbs ok.

Thanks KWT2000 for your info on the proportional brake controller. I was looking at the Tekonsha Primus IQ as a proportional braking controller. The Prodigy P2 is more expensive since it can operate an electro/hydraulic brake system that we don't need but otherwise seems comparable to the Primus. Since the trailer is going to be operated in the winter with lots of snow and ice a smooth operating trailer brake system is important, so your observations are important to us.

Thank you both for your practical insights.