I'm assuming a photo(s) will appear in the near future as some of us may want to also install an electric brake controller to our FEH.

 

It's one of the easier things I've done.
The brake controller has only 4 wires:

Battery Power (+) In
Battery Power (+) Out to trailer
Battery Ground (-)
Stop Lamp Wire

The only tricky part is where do you find the stop lamp wire under the dash?
The brake pedal actually has 3 switches:

Brake Pedal Position Switch
Cruise Control Cancel Switch
Stop Lamp Switch

You need the Stop Lamp Switch, which is a little 2 wire plug with a light green wire and a light green wire with red stripe.

YOU NEED TO TAP THE LIGHT GREEN WIRE.

The manufacturer says to ground directly to the battery and not a piece of metal frame, so that is what I did. The manufacturer says to use a 25 amp fuse, and that is what I did. But then I realized one axel takes very few amps to stop. But my brake controller is capable of powering up to 4 axels of brakes, so that's when the 20 amps may be required.

Here's what's going to knock your socks off...
When I used the U-haul with just two stop lamps, I tapped the brake light wire(s) on the FEH for power, knowing I would not be over on amps.
Then, this new trailer has I think 14 marker lamps plus stop lamps, none are LED. I was in a hurry and said what the 'ell and used the same wire tap.

ALL 16 bulbs ( plus the FEH lamps ) on one circuit and NO BLOWN FUSE!!!
( I've used it on 3 nights now. )

It is TOTALLY BOGUS that you need to pay extra for one of those fancy lamp controllers. I used the splice & tap method and it works fine. And I've really pushed the envelope here. ( a blown fuse may occur in the future, and I'll be out 25 cents ) I'll post if that ever happens.

HTH,
John

 

Goin' for Broke!!!



This is how it looks when fully loaded with my equipment.
I loaded it up to 3200 lbs GVW just to see how it would balance and ride and how much it would put on the rear of the FEH. It rides fine. I've only taken it around town, but I've gone up to 50 MPH. Stops easily. I've tried stopping with the trailer brakes disconnected, and the FEH still handles well, it just takes a longer distance, but not greatly more.

THIS IS NOT NORMAL OR RECOMMENDED TO DO THIS!
I have always been a slower, right lane driver.
Towing this I will NEVER EVER exceed 55 MPH.
I will go even slower if there is wind.

Do something like this at your own risk, and be very careful. This is more of a trailer than Ford recommends. P.S. I am beyond my powertrain warranty period, so any repairs will be at my cost. Within a year I will be past 100,000 miles.

P.S.S. I loaded it up with EVERYTHING I could ever possibly need to = 3200 lbs. Most of the time I will carry closer to 2700 lbs.

 

Is a Toyota Highlander Hybrid rated to tow 3500 lbs?
Anyone know of any other Hybrids that tow?

EDIT: Yes, the HiHy is rated for 3500 lbs. of towing.

 

Thanks for the additional details. It makes me more confident of hauling a 1350lb load I may need to do in the future with my FEH.

Years ago, I used my long-gone Taurus Wagon (140hp 6 cylinder engine) to haul an enclosed higher height trailer that was around 1400lbs. I blamed the addtional resistance created by the height of the trailer for the several vapor lockups I experienced. Opening the gas cap and letting out the "pressure" provided a temporary relief for this issue.

 

gpsman1:

Is that a 5x8 trailer?

I am looking into buying a 5x8 enclosed trailer to haul my drag bike around with. From what I have been seeing, they are 1,100 pounds empty, and my bike weighs 550 pounds. I am thinking I should be okay after seeing your results.

 

don't the trailer weight limitations have something to do with the reliance on one of the electric motors for reverse? Basically the same reason you can't back over a curb you are stoppped against.

 

Matt- The while box trailer is a 7x10. The U-haul I used first was a 5x8.

To be honest, the 7' wide is hard to see around, so I added extra wide side mirrors to my FEH that are temporary.

Wh4tig0t- There is MORE than ample power in reverse. There is a stall limiter on the electric motor used for reverse. If the wheels don't move within ( 1 second? ) of power being applied, all power is cut to prevent overheating.

As long as you can get a "running start" or even "rock" the vehicle just a little so that motion is detected, you have all the power you want for reverse. Yes, it "feels" a little different the first few times, but is not hard to work with once you figure it out.

It is correct that if you block or "chock" the wheels, such as against a curb, you cannot slowly build up enough torque to climb over it, due to the stall limiter.

HTH,
-John

 

That's exactly what i was referring to.I thought this was supposedly one of the reasons ford set the tow limit at 1000lbs's

 

OK, I know I've been absent from the forums for a good long time now, but the dual scangauge pics really got my interest, how are folks doing that? is it just a splitter cable?

I gotta know, somebody point me in the right direction.

BTW, outstanding data on the towing performance. Knowledge is power!