Tekonsha RF trailer brake question
 

Hi, I understand that the RF wireless units is probably the most painless way to get trailer brakes In my e70 X5d. I’ll be towing about 5500 lbs of racecar and trailer, so I want to be sure I’ve got everything sorted out. When I buy this unit, it has the controller that’s up front, and the box that’s mounted to the trailer tongue.

Currently, I have the oem bmw hitch, and the oem wiring harness all hooked up and coded in. Everything works on trailers that I’ve pulled, but never done anything braked before. With the rf unit, do I need to supply any extra power to any other pins on the 7 pin connector? Is it just totally plug and play?

It’s my understanding that 2 of the pins on the 7 pin connector are what controls the trailer brakes, and gives them power. If I’m not wiring those pins in, where is the RF unit getting it’s power supply from?


I just want to know if I need to do any extra wiring to get the rf unit on the trailer the power it needs.

People have installed that precise controller before;


There are detailed schematics online at www.newtis.info (and elsewhere)



You have the Controller and its' instructions.


Should be able to look at it and figure it out.... Id help, but I dont have one.

So if you wired your 7 pin connector properly and used the BMW wiring harness then the brake controller is plug and play.

a 7 pin connector provides 12V - 15 amp service to power the trailer lights, brakes, brake controller, and battery charging (if applicable). My tongue mounted controller plugs into the car, then the trailer plugs into the controller. The controller is pulling its power from the car.

The test is to hold down the button on the portable break controller and see if it applies the breaks while moving the trailer. if it does not, something is wrong of course.

I used a prodigy and have been for years with great success. The only issue I've ever had was I blew the fuse once on the 15amp 7 pin power supply. It happened when the alternator on the X5 failed, and the car after the battery ran down attempted to pull more than 15amps from the trailer batteries (to keep it running), which blew the fuse. Once it was diagnosed (I used a voltage meter to test the power output of the 7 pin connector) and replaced everything has been good. I do recommend keeping spare fuses around when towing.

Plug and play.

Been using this setup for years towing an E92 racecar with our E70 X5d without issues.

Great to hear! I guess the pins must have power through the stock wiring, and the brake controller add on is just from the braking signal wire. Looking forward to picking up my trailer this weekend, I'll be pulling it over 400 miles home.

when do you plan on installing and verifying the controller?

I’m hoping to fit it when I buy the trailer but if I have any trouble it’s no big deal. I’ve towed 2000 lbs behind the car before unbraked, and the x5 did totally fine.

Ah, empty @2k you should be fine

I had the hitch and wiring installed by the dealer when we bought our 2009 35d new. I've towed a lot of building material, rock, gravel with our heavy duty 5-9' utility trailer without a brake controller. But now I'm thinking about getting a 16ft Airstream Nest. So I'm curious...

How did the Tekonsha RF trailer brake controller install go?
Are you happy with how it works?
Any other advise?


Funf Dreisig

Installed a Tekonsha RF brake controller on our heavy duty 5x9 utility trailer yesterday. The physical install was quick — mounted with 4 self tapping screws to the side of the tongue with a Makita Impact drill.

Pairing was more difficult because I misread the line where it says “Trailer’s 7-Way connector must be disconnected from the Power Module.” Of course I had it all hooked up before I tried pairing :(

The only other issue was Adjusting the Power to the Trailer Brakes. The X5’s brakes are so good that it is very difficult to tell whether the trailer brakes are working when the trailer is empty. I’ll have to do this adjustment when the trailer is loaded with a couple of cubic yards of gravel.

But the Tekonsha RF brake controller is clearly working when I use the Manual Override. The X5 began rolling forward after releasing the brake on a fairly steep slope. But pressing the Manual Override would slow the whole rig to nearly a standstill.

The plan is to transfer the Tekonsha RF brake controller to the 16 ft Airstream Nest if we get one.

Funf Dreisig

FWIW...with my tekonsha wired set up on a goosneck, I set the brakes by rolling forward, laden, and adjust the power to the brakes until it just begins to lock one wheel. (This using the switch on the controller that will apply only the trailer brake- NO brakes from the tow vehicle) Then I back down a smidge. This is 'full brake power'.


Obviously hard to do with 3 horses **in** the trailer, so its a bit of a guess w animals loaded....

ard,

I think your procedure will work with the RF unit, once I get the trailer loaded. I’ll be getting a couple of cubic yards of road base once the quarries dry out. I’ll post my findings then.

Funf Dreisig

Ah, I'm so sorry I didn't see this until now. To pair, I needed to use a resister "LED friendly" Trailer connection to trick my X5 into sending power back without a trailer hooked up.

I am happy with how it works, and I'm glad it's working out for you!

I notice some pulsing with my unit, but it's strictly because my adjustable channel tongue has tons of play in it, and I need to get around to replacing it. The g meters have no clue what's going on when the trailer shifts in the play, so it wrecks havoc on it doing a good job. I currently just run with it on, and I keep the manual controller close for if it starts to pulse.

I run it on my 2 axle, both braked, car hauler, and it works really well. Trailer with car and all supplies on it is bumping up right against the 6k rating, and the truck tows it wonderfully, and the brakes work great.