Are trailer brakes required when towing your rig? I have been looking around the net and I see references to anything over 1,500 lbs needing brakes on at least one axle. Do any of our cop friends on the bbs know that the law is?

I am looking to purchase a new trailer to tow my rig behind my recently purchased motor home. I have seen sevral different simple trailer desigs that have a 7,000 lbs gross load rating. My rig is 3,700 loaded and these trailers are about 1,000 lbs so the total gross would be 4700, well under the 7,000 lb limit of the trailer. Most of these smaller trailers don't come with brakes.To keep the trailer cheep and simple I would rather not deal with adding brakes, controller and wiring.

So my questions are, is it legal to tow a 4,700 lb trailer without brakes.
If not has any one actually received (or know of someone that hasreceived) a ticket for this?

I do not know the leagle part but having towed with and with out brakes I have a much better peice of mind with the brakes. I think a great alternitive would be a exaust brake on the engine, is it a oilburner or gas?

Geiger I am a officer in n.c. for the state and under our state law it is mandatory for any wheels (tires) that actualy turn on the road are required to have brakes that work , this is also found in fmcsr titile 49 which most states adopt , which is a federal law as well. While it may never be enforced on you for not having brakes in the event that you were in an accident you would be liable do to neg. :D :D

Chris - get brakes.... They are worth it, even if only on one of the trailer axles.

i have hauled all kinds of over weight trailers over the years and never had trailer brake till the last few years. i have never heard of anyone getting a tickit for no brakes. i have heard of a couple of tickets for no safty chains. i have towed from all over the east coast to texas and back and throught the rockies. but i have to say spend the extra bucks if your getting a new trailer and get some brakes. you will be miles ahead and the piece of mind is worth the money. i hauled my 24 ft. wells cargo trailer with about 10 or 11k on it. to moab via the millon dollar highway in colorado behind my motor home. i would have never attemped it, with out brakes. mike

If you travel around different states, you will find no two states have the same laws regarding trailer brakes. Additionally, break-a-way backup systems are also required in some states...especially is this trailer is considered commercial or business related.

I've run with and without trailer brakes on my 27' class C Ford with a 460...I've done without once, when I had a wire problem. NEVER again. My setup tops out at 17,500# FULLLY loaded and stopping that in traffic is tough enuf with brakes, much less without.

I've also towed my trailer/Cruiser all over the MidWest pulled behind my 1995 Toyota pickup with a 5-speed and V6. Even with the load weighing more than the pickup, it stops and controls great with the brake controller.

IMO, buy a Tekonsha controller....NOTHING else I've had is as nice. Their base model is like $60 or so and very nice.

Also, unless your RV has the longer wheelbase and shorter rear overhang for towing (some manufacturers have this option), you may also find a weight distributing hitch to be nice....JC Whitney has them for $200 or so...get the 1000# rated one, not the 750# like I did. This made a huge difference in ride and handling, especially if you are running with a lot of semi traffic (wind gust changes) or in areas with lots of construction (One of Wisconsin's two seasons...lol)

I would go with the brakes they are well worth it and they are not bad to wire into a motorhome.

oh yeah...single axle brakes on a leaf-sprung trailer with the center shackles will be on the rear axle, since this is the one that dives under hard braking....4 wheel trailer brakes on this type of setup are useless, since the front tires will actually leave the ground when the back two are locked tight....I've tested this on the driveway.

Additionally, there's nothing nicer than a good set of trailer tires....Goodyear Marathon's are my choice, and ride much nicer/handle better than the LT rated truck tires that were on there. No blowouts in 2 years either....(knock knock...)

NJ requires one set of brakes up to 7500lb GTW. I got tired of replacing those wierd "one way" drum shoes and went with bronco D44 discs. I'm debating on adding another set to the other axle, but am not sure if MC (1 " bore, 10,000 lb actuator) is large enough to operate 4, D44 calipers. I had to use electric cutout solenoid to be able to back up. Hope this image works, if it doesn't go here. http://www.thecore.com/~luxjo/MISC1099/Broncitis1.jpg


http://www.thecore.com/~luxjo/MISC1099/Broncitis1.jpg

Get brakes on both axles. You won't be sorry. As for one axle leaving the ground :confused: never happened with mine empty or loaded. But, I HAVE locked all 4 of 'em (empty & loaded). Not sure why you consider this to be a big expense. You should be able to get a new tag-a-long with treated deck, proper tires, brakes, etc for under $2k pretty easily.

TEX

Trailer brakes good thing. We had my 1500 4x4 dodge "superduty" ;) loaded down with competition equipment and a Jeep on a trailer on the back. We figured the GCVW was around 14,000lbs.

We never would have tried that without trailer brakes.... never.

I've towed with no brakes, shock brakes (or whatever you call what u-haul gives you), and electric brakes. I would take electric brakes every time, followed by no brakes as a second choice.

my rig weigh's 3200lbs and i tow it on an 18ft dual axle trailer with brakes on both axles, well since it's a borrowed trailer it's not actually wired for the brakes! my friend (the owner) tows it behind his F350 PSD and i tow it behind my F250, and even yesterday with my 5200lbs 4runner on teh trailer it stopped on a dime

just my $.02

on the cheapie az tex trailers brakes are only about $110 extra per axle, and the controller is about $75 or so. towing my scout on the cheap az tex 7K gross trailer with a 76 32'class a motorhome is much nicer with brakes. the motorhome without brakes and a loaded trailer is just like a freight train, takes a loooong way to stop in a hurry. trailer brakes are my greatest return for "peace of mind per $$ " for an extra $300 investment.

Get the brakes. Makes a night and day difference.

Electric brakes are great. One nice thing other than what has been mentioned is that if you get into any kind of swaying (too little tongue weight) you can actuate the controller and stop the swaying, while just hitting your brakes can make it worse....

I would be surprised if you could get a trailer that only weighs 1000 lbs (unless you go big bux and go aluminum). The one I used was almost 2K rated for 7000 and with my Cruiser it was way up there...

Buy the brakes!

BTW - Shopping around you should find a nice setup new with brakes for between $1200 and $1600

Considering I bought a brand new 2001 model 18' trailer with brakes for $1200 (plus tax, etc) I doubt you can beat a deal like that, even without any brakes. I have run without brakes, and it's kind of spooky. One time I was towing my rig down to the Hammers with no trailer brakes (1 ton dually with Lance camper) and wasn't paying attention. I came up on a stop sign, and had to hit the brakes. Needless to say, I didn't stop till I was 3/4 of the way through the intersection. I got a brake controller ($75.00) as soon as I got home. :D:D:D

I lost my trailer Brakes going down Ice House, i have no idea how some of you guys stop with out them, i was crapping my self going around every turn

Chris,
by now you have gotton the message to get brakes, I'd like to add from my personal near death experience to get a good quality brake controller with a manual brake lever built in and mount it within easy reach. A trailer can get real stupid, especially with a high c/g vehicle with flexy suspension on it.

Originally posted by Lance
Considering I bought a brand new 2001 model 18' trailer with brakes for $1200 (plus tax, etc) I doubt you can beat a deal like that, even without any brakes. I have run without brakes, and it's kind of spooky. One time I was towing my rig down to the Hammers with no trailer brakes (1 ton dually with Lance camper) and wasn't paying attention. I came up on a stop sign, and had to hit the brakes. Needless to say, I didn't stop till I was 3/4 of the way through the intersection. I got a brake controller ($75.00) as soon as I got home. :D:D:D

I paid $1000.00 OTD for my 8x16 trailer. Two 3500lb axles w/ electric brakes. Bought it brand new at AZ trailers in Orange county.If you go where they build them you will get a better deal then if you go to a dealer.

Chris, I don't think it's worth the cost savings to not go with brakes. There are places down here that sell 16" haulers with single brakes for $1095.

Chris,

I agreee, get brakes. My boat trailer doesn't have them, but I wish it did.

From California Vehicle code:

26302. (a) Every trailer or semitrailer, manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1940, and having a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or more and which is operated at a speed of 20 miles per hour or over shall be equipped with brakes.

(b) Every trailer or semitrailer manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1966, and having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more shall be equipped with brakes on at least two wheels.

More here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd12c3a1.htm

Ok I am going to get the single axle electric brakes!

Better to get it done right the first time, then to wish later I had them.

Originally posted by Brawler


I paid $1000.00 OTD for my 8x16 trailer. Two 3500lb axles w/ electric brakes. Bought it brand new at AZ trailers in Orange county.If you go where they build them you will get a better deal then if you go to a dealer.

Damn, that kicks ass! My trailer is an AZTEX.

Please get brakes on two axles. In Washington and Oregon, it is law that you have to have brakes on both axles. Washington persues it, Oregon does not. You will not pass inspection in Washington till you have brakes on both axles. When we would take trade in trailers at work, if they didn't have brakes on all 4 corners we would have to add them at about $600 when you concider drums, loaded backing plates, extra wiring, and labor to install.

Trailer brakes are a helluva lot cheaper than putting brakes on your truck! Around here they are going for about $50 for a loaded backing plate with new springs, pads, hardware, and plate of course. You can abuse those brakes on the trailer and save yourself the cost of doing them on the motorhome.

I also recommend that you get a Tekonsha brake controller. Get the Voyager. Out of all the controllers I dealt with, they are the nicest controller to use, and they don't crap out like the others do so often.

Chris I would get brakes on both axles motorhomes are over loaded as it is, throw a rig behind one and stopping becomes something you really have to think ahead for. My motor home will stop faster pulling my trailer because it has brakes on both axles.
great piece of mind for the money

Originally posted by ccmtrsprt
Chris I would get brakes on both axles motorhomes are over loaded as it is, throw a rig behind one and stopping becomes something you really have to think ahead for. My motor home will stop faster pulling my trailer because it has brakes on both axles.
great piece of mind for the money

I have a 27' motor home on a f-450 chassis and disks all around. Never had a problem stopping with a loaded trailer and no brakes. However, it is STUPID to tow without brakes on the trailer.

Does anyone have any links or places on where/how to retrofit your existing trailer with brakes? I have been wanting to do this for some time.

http://www.championtrailers.com/index.html#product index
http://www.southwestwheel.com/trailparts/trailerparts.htm
http://www.atwoodmobile.com/Products/chassis/protowd.htm
http://bageco.com/trailerparts.htm


OX

Originally posted by OX
NJ requires one set of brakes up to 7500lb GTW. I got tired of replacing those wierd "one way" drum shoes and went with bronco D44 discs. I'm debating on adding another set to the other axle, but am not sure if MC (1 " bore, 10,000 lb actuator) is large enough to operate 4, D44 calipers. I had to use electric cutout solenoid to be able to back up. Hope this image works, if it doesn't go here.



So you've converted a trailer axle over to "car" disc brakes? How is the m/c actuated? Is there an electrically actuated hydraulic m/c that you're using? A closed hydraulic system on the trailer with a standard electrical system from the tow-rig to the trailer?

Sounds cool!

If that's the case, a person could grab a rear '60 from the boneyard, sell the gears, save the axle shafts for spares, set it up for disc brakes and plumb it into the trailer's hydraulic setup and "build" your own 5500lbs trailer axle..

Originally posted by Chris Geiger
Are trailer brakes required when towing your rig? I would rather not deal with adding brakes, controller and wiring.

So my questions are, is it legal to tow a 4,700 lb trailer without brakes.
If not has any one actually received (or know of someone that hasreceived) a ticket for this?



I've flat-towed a ~3700lbs sprung-over Scout II over 10,000 miles behind a lifted SII.

No trailer brakes. Just the stick-shift and front disc/rear drums in the tow vehicle.

I planned my stops whenever possible and made good use of compression braking.

I also warped my vented rotors. :D

I stepped up to a tandem axle trailer with brakes on both ends behind a 1/2T 4-whl-drum IH Travelall. The T'all stops better with the loaded trailer hooked up! I never tried stopping w/o the brakes functional, but sometimes they wouldn't seem to do much until I got into the pedal a little ways - you could definitely tell when the trailer brakes started kicking in.

For reasons other than lack of braking I stepped up to an IH 1Ton long-box crewcab.

Tows MUCH nicer ("what trailer?") and has huge brakes (well, huge everything.. including the 166" WB and huge turning radius that goes with it)

On one tow the trailer brake controller stopped working. I was a little slower down the mountain passes, using compression braking from the 4spd and 4.30 gears.

I had to stop relatively quickly a few times in town, and it did the job just fine.. but that was it. "fine"

On a prior trip it was late at night and I was exhausted after a long day in the sun racing.. and a deer tried to commit suicide (and mess up my recently acquired crewcab).

Between the 1T brakes in the tow rig and 4-whl drums on the trailer.. 12,500lbs of 'Binders *STOPS*.
Whatever was sitting on the back seat had better be relatively light, or you'll feel it when it slams the back of the front seats.

HUGE difference.

Crewcab and no brakes = OK
Crewcab + brakes = WHOAH!
1/2T and no brakes = I sure hope it stops..

Originally posted by tsm1mt


I stepped up to a tandem axle trailer with brakes on both ends behind a 1/2T 4-whl-drum IH Travelall. The T'all stops better with the loaded trailer hooked up! I never tried stopping w/o the brakes functional, but sometimes they wouldn't seem to do much until I got into the pedal a little ways - you could definitely tell when the trailer brakes started kicking in.



Good ol' tom... you see him cruising around town in his travelall with his trailer hooked up... It's just so he can stop. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :flipoff2:

Originally posted by twaldher


Good ol' tom... you see him cruising around town in his travelall with his trailer hooked up... It's just so he can stop. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :flipoff2:

:D I had to be careful to drive more conservatively after I'd unhook the trailer.

Kinda said, ain't it? And that's with new brake shoes all 'round and even the "big" 11x3 front drums!

Drive the crewcab empty and I'm always throwing people forward against the dash.. it's just not safe to drive w/o a load in it! :D

(Yes, they're all buckled in.. but lap-belts won't stop your upper half from flyin' forward)

Chris,
Get 2 axle brakes. Most trailers have only 10" brakes. You are better off with the 5000 and 6000 lb axles that have 12" brakes. Seriously would you want to come down Ice House Road with a 6000 lb trailer and brake assist of 10" drums only. This would be much worse than driving your Toyota with only the emergency brakes (rear only). It does not take long for the 10" brakes to get warm when coming down long grades. I have towed without brakes and usually regretted it everytime so now I have an extra controller that I can wire into most trucks or even strap into the toolbox on my trailer when useing other peoples tow vehicles without controllers. I remember one time going up a steep hill (trail)and meeting up with another truck coming down. I stopped hit the brakes (no brake controller) and my Toyota truck had all four wheels locked up and my trailer was pulling me back. I honked the horn and my buddy who was getting out of his truck had to get back in and back up or I would have hit him!

Jason

Originally posted by welndmn
I lost my trailer Brakes going down Ice House, i have no idea how some of you guys stop with out them, i was crapping my self going around every turn

I know this feeling, MY ford stops my 28' gooseneck fine on leveler ground, but I found out that my brake controller company had a misprint in their install instructions, it called for 1.5" of travel on the actuation cable (jordan research optima 2020 controller, the best on the market IMO) but needed closer to 2.5", also found out later that the previous owner of my towrig overturned the rear drums.:eek: As a result I wound up coming down icehouse in a 7500 LB pickup towing a 4200 LB trailer with a EB and a 93 toyota both weighing about 5000 lbs, for a total of almost 22,000 lbs, we hit the bottom with front brakes so hot that the rotors were cherry red, and the dust boots on the calipers were on fire... with the misadjusted trailer brakes and rear brakes on the pickup with no real stopping power we were at the mercy of the front disks on the pickup, and someone up above looking out for us to keep a 22,000lb load under control...from experience GET THE TRAILER BRAKES!!!

on edit: now that the rear brakes on the truck are fixed, and the brakle controller works properly it stops great everywhere, it's a nice feeling to hit the brakes towing the trailer down a grade, and feel the 4 12"x3" drums on the trailer pull all of the slack out of the hitches, as they try to stop the truck too :D