Parts Bin: Redarc’s Tow-Pro Elite Brake Controller is Specifically Designed for Off-Road Towing

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you’ll probably recognize the name Redarc. The company has an impressive catalog of 12-volt power solutions (like solar panels and battery chargers) that are practically tailor-made for the overlanding and off-roading crowd.

And you can add trailer brake controllers to that list too.

For starters, Redarc’s Tow-Pro Elite brake controller is compact, so you can easily tuck it under your dash. In fact, the only thing a passenger will see is a small, intuitive rotary knob with an integrated button. Not only does that tidy-up your install, it means there’s no “knee-knocker” control box dangling in harm’s way. Better still, Redarc gives you a handy mounting panel that’ll snap right into many factory accessory dash blanks.

We sat down with Redarc a while back to talk about 12-volt vehicle accessory power systems, but we also chatted briefly about trailer brakes. You can hear it all in our podcast with Redarc here.

But installation aside, the Tow-Pro Elite controller is incredibly handy, particularly for off-roaders. That’s because most ordinary brake controllers are designed to apply proportional braking based simply on your rate of deceleration—which is fine and dandy for driving on paved roads, but not so great when heading off the grid.

The Tow-Pro Elite does that proportional braking thing too, but it has a bypass feature that allows you to manually adjust the amount of brake power your trailer receives.

So for instance, if you’re driving in mud or sand, you can lower the brake power so your trailer doesn’t turn into an anchor every time you tap the brakes. Conversely, you can dial the knob up to apply more braking when you’re descending a steep trail with switchback turns.

Pushing the knob activates the controller’s handy sway control feature, which overrides the brake controller for better trailer behavior at highway speeds. (Ever had a semi truck blast past you on the interstate? Then you’ll probably really appreciate that sway control button.)

Finally, Redarc’s Tow-Pro Elite brake controller is self calibrating, which means setup is a breeze, and it’ll work with both electric and electric-over-hydraulic brake systems.

Want to see how easy it is to install a Tow-Pro Elite brake controller? While there are plenty of other how-to videos over at the Redarc YouTube channel, we figured this one for a Jeep Wrangler JL would give you a good walkthrough of a typical installation procedure.