Tow rig brakes--Let's see some honest answers!

[Mudbuster]

I've got brakes on the trailer but the cable for the breakaway switch rusted apart years ago and the battery's junk so that don't work.

[RIP_K52007]

I'd like to have trailer brakes and brake away, unfortunatly I usually rely on the front brakes and downshifting. I do usually travel no more than 40mph with my 4 ways on down backroads though.

[Bowtie972]

In the process of redoing my trailer now, widening, new LED lights, stopped and picked up a new breakaway kit today. $45 at Towline on M46. Comes w/ charger too. My last one didn't have that.

[magic]

no brakes but do have the safety chains and our jeep is pretty light so if by chance it does come off i feel sorry for the back of Mr Nasty's truck

[ToughBowtieTruck]

Break-away kits are super easy to install. I picked my Tekonsha kit up for $42 for the gooseneck. When it was built it too didn't have the kit or safety chains, but any hitch besides a 5th is required to have safety chains.

My kit has its own self-contained charger, test button with indicator LEDs, and is charged by the tow vehicle through the 7-pin RV plug. Slick setup. It's only 4 wires. Power charge supply, ground, to break-away switch, and to trailer brakes.







Just remember, your break away cable has to be hooked to its own pull point, NOT on the safety chain hoops or main hitch, should those fail.



I ask because most trailers weigh around half that of the tow rig, then add a bogger or whatever and you have a load on your brakes that is 1 1/2 times what the brakes normally stop! That's a lot of pressure on those brake lines and such.  


The trailer unhooking isn't a hard thing to deal with, provided you have the trailer loaded properly, safety chains, brakes, and the break-away. Cross the chains under bumper hitches so the tongue could catch. Then (this is where the proper load comes in) You can use the manual emergency slide on your trailer brake controller to slow the trailer down and keep the chains tight, so you can get the rig stopped. If the chains fail, then you lose the connection to the brake controller, this is where the break-away will do its job and stop the trailer.

All said and done, a trailer that comes unhooked has the best chance of being saved or hooked back up if it gets stopped. Pretty hard to hook it back up in the ditch or something. But if all you have is chains and no brakes, you can EASILY fishtail the trailer out of control possibly taking the tow rig with it and people around you  . . .

Going back to loading the trailer properly:

[Eroq]

Not trying to be a dick but if you have a half ass rigged trailer get off the road.... spend the money be safe fix the brakes guys

x2 but someones gotta be!   people dont realize this until something bad happens.  I've ALWAYS had good working brakes on my trucks/trailers. the one time you need them, they are worth it! not to mention a tow rig RATED TO PULL THE LOAD. i always see 1/2tons pulling car trailers with 1ton boggers on them....

[ToughBowtieTruck]

Not trying to be a dick but if you have a half ass rigged trailer get off the road.... spend the money be safe fix the brakes guys

x2 but someones gotta be!   people dont realize this until something bad happens.  I've ALWAYS had good working brakes on my trucks/trailers. the one time you need them, they are worth it! not to mention a tow rig RATED TO PULL THE LOAD. i always see 1/2tons pulling car trailers with 1ton boggers on them....

I pull my 25' gooseneck with my half ton. 

[Chevy Racer]

I've installed breakaway kits at work.  They are super simple.  The hydrolic, surge style, brakes also have a brake away.  My trailer has 1 axle with brakes but the wires are not ran and I don't have a brake controler.

[uncletuck]

i just got 3 breakaway kits fro fleet pride in lansing for 39 bucks

[ToughBowtieTruck]

Am I reconsidering some thoughts yet? 

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376271&page=15

This happened to a friend of mine on the way to Harlan a month or two ago.  I'll leave his name out of it but I thought I'd post it to stress the importance of trailer brakes.  The connectors didn't match up (6 vs 7 blade) so he thought he'd just take his chances.  After seeing this happen (I was 30' behind him) I installed brakes on my second axle.  I now have 4 brakes on the trailer.

It wasn't too much load for that cummins too pull but it was too much to stop without good traction.

Before:


After:

[Eroq]

Not trying to be a dick but if you have a half ass rigged trailer get off the road.... spend the money be safe fix the brakes guys

x2 but someones gotta be!   people dont realize this until something bad happens.  I've ALWAYS had good working brakes on my trucks/trailers. the one time you need them, they are worth it! not to mention a tow rig RATED TO PULL THE LOAD. i always see 1/2tons pulling car trailers with 1ton boggers on them....

I pull my 25' gooseneck with my half ton. 

Go ahead, its your life not mine.  Stay away from the DOT. trailer alone is probably more than its rated for

[ToughBowtieTruck]

Not trying to be a dick but if you have a half ass rigged trailer get off the road.... spend the money be safe fix the brakes guys

x2 but someones gotta be!   people dont realize this until something bad happens.  I've ALWAYS had good working brakes on my trucks/trailers. the one time you need them, they are worth it! not to mention a tow rig RATED TO PULL THE LOAD. i always see 1/2tons pulling car trailers with 1ton boggers on them....

I pull my 25' gooseneck with my half ton.  

Go ahead, its your life not mine.  Stay away from the DOT. trailer alone is probably more than its rated for

Per the owner's manual: I am allowed 1500lb pin weight and 8,000lb total trailer weight (I have 4.10s in it). Pin weight is 1,100 lbs and trailer weighs 5,600 total. I never said I hauled heavy stuff on it. I have the red truck for big stuff. Both trucks set up for trailer brakes. I've had the trailer scaled out before I got the title transferred and the plate for it.



So HA! I win.

[CBakes]

My tri axle is set up nice, with electric brakes on front two axles. I also have an electric brakeaway system on it and spent about $50 for this one with battery and charger. Wouldn't go any other way about it!

[TOMAC]

Can you imagine having a load on a PO dunk trailer and u can't stop, rear ending a car?

[bmwallace_88]

My 2 axle trailer has electric brakes on it, and the break away system, with a good battery, just replaced it last week better safe than sorry, especially when using my old dually to pull it around

[four_by_ken]

Wow, a lot of you would have your stuff impounded if you ever got pulled over and inspected.

I don't know where the line is drawn... but anything that will haul a car on it... needs a breakaway box by law.  Not to mention functioning brakes also.

Thats next on my list for the trailer I just got a little bit ago.

[TOMAC]

Wow, a lot of you would have your stuff impounded if you ever got pulled over and inspected.

I don't know where the line is drawn... but anything that will haul a car on it... needs a breakaway box by law.  Not to mention functioning brakes also.

Thats next on my list for the trailer I just got a little bit ago.

or worse get some one killed

[ToughBowtieTruck]

Wow, a lot of you would have your stuff impounded if you ever got pulled over and inspected.

I don't know where the line is drawn... but anything that will haul a car on it... needs a breakaway box by law.  Not to mention functioning brakes also.

Thats next on my list for the trailer I just got a little bit ago.

Any trailer weighing more than 5,500 lbs, empty or loaded, must have functioning brakes at all wheels with a break-away box.

http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=73859.0