Installation Guide

The Tow-Pro® Elite should be mounted inside the vehicle cabin using either 5/32" (M4) diameter screws or other secure fitting methods at the mounting points provided. It is essential to mount the unit in a location which allows access to the intended remote head location.

The Tow-Pro® Elite can be mounted in any orientation as long as the installation is secure and the main unit cannot move or change orientation once installed. A change of orientation will affect the system calibration.

CAUTION

• Ensure that the Tow-Pro® Elite is mounted securely in a fixed location. Failure to mount securely will result in inaccurate braking force measurements and incorrect braking of the trailer.
• Ensure that the Tow-Pro® Elite is installed inside the vehicle cabin and away from any environmental conditions that may cause damage, including engine heat, submersion in water, salt spray and humidity. Exposure to these conditions may cause damage to the unit’s circuitry and may cause erratic trailer braking.

Do Not Mount to Cables/Wiring Looms (Must be mounted to a rigid or solid object or surface)

REDARC Electronics manufactures a number of vehicle-specific wiring harnesses for quick and easy installation (refer to REDARC’s website for details). The universal wiring harness included with the EBRH-ACCV3-NA kit is the TPH-025 ‘Universal Harness’ which is typically used for older vehicles not covered by our range of wiring harnesses. Please follow the subsequent instructions for all custom installations.

CAUTION

• A Fuse or Circuit Breaker of appropriate rating must be installed to protect the vehicle system. Please refer to the installation instructions starting on page 9 for specific instructions on where to install the Fuse or Circuit Breaker and for appropriate Fuse or Circuit Breaker rating. The Fuse or Circuit Breaker must be installed as close as possible to the battery.
• Ensure that the wire(s) and all connections used to install the Tow-Pro® Elite are suitably rated to supply the required current to simultaneously operate the trailer electric brakes and stop lamps. Incorrect wiring can result in reduced (or total loss of) trailer braking and/or damage to property or persons.

NOTICE

The Tow-Pro® Elite does not act as a trailer lights voltage converter. If the trailer brake lights operate on a different voltage, damage to the vehicle; trailer and/or Tow-Pro® Elite and associated wiring may result. This may also result in reduced (or total loss of) trailer braking.

The requirements for a suitable connection of a brake controller trigger wire are quite specific. This connection point must:

• Provide a voltage of the same voltage level as the “Start Battery*” while the vehicle brakes are applied.
• Have 0 volts output while the vehicle brakes are not applied
• Accept battery voltage input when the brake controller manual over-ride is operated and illuminate at least the trailer brake lights.
• Accept the battery voltage input as above without causing any damage, spurious vehicle operation or erroneous fault indication.

A relay should not be installed to drive the red wire as this would prevent the override feature from working and may introduce dangerous voltage spikes.

* Start Battery voltage output means directly from the Start Battery and within 0.4 V of Supply (Black wire) voltage.

For 12 V and 24 V vehicle electrical systems, the Tow-Pro® Elite is designed to operate electric brakes without the need for any additional converters.

For wire selection refer to the wiring gauge guide "Wiring Gauge Guide" on page 24.

NOTICE

The Input Power (Black) wire must be connected directly to the positive terminal of the start battery via a Fuse (25 A) or Circuit Breaker (30 A) and not through an Ignition source.

NOTICE

Always refer to the manufacturer’s specifications for your Electric/Hydraulic Braking system prior to installation and usage of the Tow-Pro® Elite.

12 V VEHICLE SYSTEMS

The Tow-Pro® Elite is designed to operate both Electric trailer brake systems and 12 V Electric/Hydraulic trailer brake systems. However, most Electric/Hydraulic systems require a separate 12 V power feed for the hydraulic pump. For example:

For wire selection refer to the wiring gauge guide in Section 6, "Wiring Gauge Guide" (page 24).

24 V VEHICLE SYSTEMS

Since Electric/Hydraulic braking systems can be sensitive to 24 V inputs depending on the electronics within the hydraulic pump system the The EBRH‑ACCV3‑NA should only be used with electric/hydraulic braking systems in 12 V vehicles.

Many modern vehicles use a CAN Bus system for signalling when to apply the vehicles brakes as required by safety systems including adaptive cruise control, stability control, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and hill descent control. For these vehicles, REDARC recommend the following wiring configuration.

This diagram outlines the required wire cross sectional areas for the Tow‑Pro® Elite installations detailed in Section 2.2, "Wiring the brake controller" (page 8).

All wire ratings refer to the minimum required cross sectional area of copper only (not including insulation). Always use a wire gauge equal to or greater than what is specified in this guide.

The Tow-Pro® Elite remote head is designed to be mounted at a distance from the main unit, allowing for a neat, convenient installation and not impeding on lower leg airbags or driver leg room. The Tow-Pro® Elite remote head is designed to be mounted on or around the vehicle dashboard and when installed correctly, complies with Australian Design Rule (ADR) 21, which sets requirements for devices mounted on the dashboard.

The Tow-Pro® Elite remote head can be mounted directly to the dashboard, to the center console or through a spare knock-out switch panel and requires only one hole to be drilled as per the Mounting Guide in Section 2.6 on page 13. For easy access in an emergency situation, REDARC recommend installing the remote head within reach of the driver such as the regions shaded in the diagram.

REDARC offer a range of vehicle specific switch inserts and vehicle specific wiring kits designed to make the installation of the Tow-Pro Elite easier.

The range includes most popular SUV and LCV’s and is frequently being updated and added to. A full listing of Switch Inserts and Wiring Kits is available for purchase on the REDARC website.

Refer to the TPSI-001 installation instructions included with this kit.

Ensure that there is enough space behind the mounting location to fit the Tow-Pro control head and remote head cable before drilling any holes.

CAUTION
Ensure the remote head push-button activates correctly when installed into panels with a thickness greater than 1/8” (3.2 mm). Failure to activate correctly would result in not being able to activate the override function or change modes.

When the unit is first powered, Active Calibration must first become confident in the vehicle direction of travel. Until this time the LED will flash Blue/Green.

Active Calibration constantly monitors the vehicle’s direction of travel and allows the Tow-Pro® Elite to ‘learn’ and continuously confirm its mounting orientation. This process occurs whilst the vehicle is moving and the brake is applied and will occur with or without a trailer connected.

When the Tow-Pro® Elite is first installed it will begin learning its mounting orientation through Active Calibration as soon as you start driving, at this point Proportional Mode is selected but not yet fully operational.

Until the Tow-Pro® Elite has determined its mounting orientation the unit will function as if in User-Controlled mode, this is indicated by the LED glowing green with blue flashes. As the Tow-Pro® Elite becomes more confident of its direction of travel the length of the Blue flash will increase, to the point that the LED is solid Blue which indicates it is now operating completely in Proportional mode.

Under normal driving conditions the Tow-Pro® Elite will learn its mounting orientation within 20 brake applications. Note that the braking must be perceptible (applying the brake while stopped will not assist calibration).

If power is disconnected (for example, if the vehicle battery is changed) calibration memory will be lost and the unit will recalibrate itself using active calibration. This is similar to a radio losing its clock or preset station memory.

NOTICE

If no trailer is connected, Active Calibration may occur as normal without any indication from the LED. The LED will already be Blue when the trailer is connected. Essentially, whether a trailer is connected or not, just drive normally and Active Calibration will ensure the Tow-Pro® Elite learns the correct direction of travel.