Towing package & brake controller question

Question for you folks. If my truck has the towing package is there a need for a brake Controller? And can you elaborate your answers with why or why not? Thanks

 

All depends on how big, and weight of trailer you plan on towing. You don't want the weight of trailer pushing you when you try to stop. I always set brake controller to engage trailer brakes to, have trailer help stop truck, vs truck stop trailer.

Towing package includes hitch, wiring, trans cooler, and wiring for brake controller, But need adapter for controller.

 

You'll need one if you're towing a trailer with electric brakes. The controller applies an electronic signal to determine how much braking is needed. If you have a surge brake, typically on boat trailers, you don't need the controller. Also most trailers rated less than 3500 lbs don't have brakes and so don't need a controller. A tow package adds a beefed up cooling system, electronics for trailer lights & power, greater amperage alternator, and hitch. A towing package is better with or without a controller.

 

Ahh that’s kinda of what I was thinking. I knew all of what the tow package comes with. So simply said small/ light trailers don’t require the brake controls and generally the larger heaver ones do?

 

Great info, I should of added the electrics v. surge brakes.

 

I have a tow package. What is my alternator pumping out compared to a non-tow package?

 

I might be wrong but I seem to recall a standard one puts out 90 amps and the tow package one is 120 amps.

 

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small/light trailers do not have electric brakes, and so having a brake controller does absolutely nothing for those trailers.
very large/heavy trailers will almost always have some type of brakes, often electric brakes. Electric trailer brakes won't work without the brake controller.

If you're looking at a large u-haul trailer or similar, it will probably just have surge brakes as mentioned above. That's because u-haul rents to people without brake controllers, so they need brakes on the their trailers that work for everyone.

So the question you need to answer is: will the trailer(s) you pull have electric brakes?

If a trailer has electric brakes on it, it means the trailer is rated for enough weight that you would probably want/need the electric brakes. But if you're towing the trailer empty, you should be fine without the brake controller.