Need info on wiring harness to purchase.

[Lockman]

Looking for correct wiring harness to use with the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 controller on our 2017 Jeep Patriot and the Scamp 13. The vehicle has the factory tow package installed, which to my knowledge from Jeep means, the extent of the wiring harness is the 4 pin connector at the hitch area.



The Jeep service said to get a 4 pin to 7 pin wiring harness to make the hook up, but could not answer about hooking up the P2 controller. Anyone know if this is the correct way to go and how does the controller get connected to all this.



Better yet has anyone had this exact problem,and how did you solve it. It seems that the factory tow package on this vehicle presents a problem with wiring harnesses. They say "not for factory tow package".

Newbie still learning.


Thanks in advance. Jack

[Gompka]

Jack, most small suv's are only prewired with a 4 pin harness, this is good for turn signals, brake lights and parking lights. You will need a 4 pin to 7 pin adapter at the rear of the jeep, you will plug your 4 pin harness into the 7 pin harness, also you will have 3 extra wires on the 7 pin harness, one for brakes, one for reverse lights, and one for battery charging. You will have to use the universal harness that comes with the brake controller and manually wire it into your car. The brake controller requires a ground, a 12v directly from the battery, a brake light switch connection, and then the 12v line which will go from the brake controller, to the back of the car and get connected to the brake wire on the 7 pin adapter. Its a fairly involved job, i just did this on my lexus nx200 recently.

[frank_a]

I had this same exact problem with our 2012 Ford Escape with factory tow package back after we bought the trailer. First we towed it with my 2001 F150, which had nothing for towing, except ease of installation. I installed a class 3 hitch and 7 pin wiring in that vehicle in the dark in less than 2 hours. Unfortunately that truck died an untimely death (ate a spark plug), so heck, that's what we bought the Escape for right? Argh. It took forever to get the 7 pin hooked up, but IIRC the brake controller was easy if you followed the instructions.

Best of luck to you. It can be done, I'm just a bit hazy on how I did it...

Frank

[tractors1]

Chat or give eTrailer a call. They'll walk you through the parts you need to make it as simple as possible. Incidentally, a P3 (which I upgraded to from a flaky 5 year old P2) uses the same wiring harness connection as a P2 so it's a plug-and-play upgrade although the bracket mounting holes are differently spaced.


https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...eid=2017203199

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Chat or give eTrailer a call. They'll walk you through the parts you need to make it as simple as possible. Incidentally, a P3 (which I upgraded to from a flaky 5 year old P2) uses the same wiring harness connection as a P2 so it's a plug-and-play upgrade although the bracket mounting holes are differently spaced.


https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...eid=2017203199

Great advice. Now that I think about it, that's what I did (called etrailer)!

Frank

[Dave Fish]

I don't see how a 4 to 7 pin adapter is going to help. An adapter will still only send right, left, and tail lights to the trailer and the other pins will go unused (except for ground, of course).

You will need a 7 pin plug directly wired to activate the brakes. Otherwise, the brake controller will be sending the signal to nowhere land.

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by Dave Fish

I don't see how a 4 to 7 pin adapter is going to help. An adapter will still only send right, left, and tail lights to the trailer and the other pins will go unused (except for ground, of course).

You will need a 7 pin plug directly wired to activate the brakes. Otherwise, the brake controller will be sending the signal to nowhere land.

Call etrailer (like I did years ago) and they will walk you through what's needed. If I could do it, anyone else can. That's the easiest way.

Frank

[Borrego Dave]

Jack, as others have said, pull up Etrailer on line. Go to the videos they have of the installation of P2/3s. Might even have one for your Jeep model too.

[Lockman]

OK Thanks guys,


I located a Tekonsha dealer nearby from Tekonsha's web site, spoke with him in person to-day and will have him install the unit. Its better know that when I drive the 1300 plus miles to get there, the unit will have been checked out and working properly.



Jack

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Lockman

OK Thanks guys,


I located a Tekonsha dealer nearby from Tekonsha's web site, spoke with him in person to-day and will have him install the unit. Its better know that when I drive the 1300 plus miles to get there, the unit will have been checked out and working properly.



Jack

You are doing the smartest thing by getting a professional to do it. I've seen to many accidents that were attributed to a do it yourself person thinking they did it right. If you aren't 100% sure how to do it and have any reservations on your work then let the people that know how do it. I cringe every time I see a trailer sitting up high in the front or rear because a person decided it didn't matter. Or someone saying you don't need brakes or you can tow a trailer just because your engine is big enough. That person is putting themselves and others at risk with an unstable tow. I just got back from a trip through Hell's Canyon Idaho and saw a horrible accident. Everything appeared to be right but I think the truck was a little light to handle the trailer when it fish tailed after the right trailer tire went off the black top by about 6 inches. Hopefully the pictures will come through. The truck an trailer did a 180 and hit the van in the front. This was a case of the tail wagging the dog.

[Lockman]

Ouch! That looks bad.


Yea, I'd rather be safe than sorry.



Jack

[tractors1]

Carrying a Trager grill on the rear carrier didn't help - those things are heavy.

[Jon in AZ]

"Tail wagging the dog"... implies that a bigger dog would have prevented this accident. I see a lot of things going on here. I've also seen several 3/4T trucks rolled with trailers this size.

I see driver error first and foremost: left the pavement and over-corrected. I also see a large rack hanging on the back of the trailer.

Lots of other things may have contributed- speed, incorrect gear, failure to apply trailer brakes, hitch type and set-up, use of sway control, overall mechanical condition (appears to be an older Chevy pickup), fatigue, distraction...

It is possible the truck was not adequately rated to pull this trailer, but it takes more than that to makes a safe set-up.

The fact that another vehicle was involved is a reminder that our choices and actions impact others as well. Glad to hear you're looking to make your rig as safe as you can, Lockman!

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

"Tail wagging the dog"... implies that a bigger dog would have prevented this accident. I see a lot of things going on here. I've also seen several 3/4T trucks rolled with trailers this size.

I see driver error first and foremost: left the pavement and over-corrected. I also see a large rack hanging on the back of the trailer.

Lots of other things may have contributed- speed, incorrect gear, failure to apply trailer brakes, hitch type and set-up, use of sway control, overall mechanical condition (appears to be an older Chevy pickup), fatigue, distraction...

It is possible the truck was not adequately rated to pull this trailer, but it takes more than that to makes a safe set-up.

The fact that another vehicle was involved is a reminder that our choices and actions impact others as well. Glad to hear you're looking to make your rig as safe as you can, Lockman!

It didn't appear to be an older PU. It was very nice or I should say had been. The sway control was correct according to the sheriff there. He in fact mentioned it to some of us. I think it happened to fast for him to apply the trailer brake by hand when in a fish tail. The speed in the canyon was not that fast but maybe fast enough to cause the accident also. It is a narrow road and I could see how the rear tire could go off the pavement on the curves. The fish tailing caused the wreck since he lost control of it. I am thankful no one was killed or hurt badly.