garbill2003

Trailer breaks are easy to hook up not to expensive either

zap

Trailer brakes aren't needed until you need to stop in a hurry, then they are nice. They are only half as effective as modern disks on the vehicle though but that can still mean the difference between a crash or safe return home.

My normal pull vehicle and trailer is a 06 Dodge with a Common Rail 5.9 and a 14K lb rated 24' bumper pull with only front axle braking on the tandems. In instances where I have had a 6500lb Kubota and XJ on there (or just my F150 for long haul transport purposes) it doesn't like to stop going downhill (as 8% or more). Kinda like driving a semi, gear down and save your brakes for when you need to get stopped and keep them nice and cool. Hard on a pre-exhuast brake Mercedes built for a 4 cylinder and not the 5.9 tranny though.

pissedoff92

i cant really install trailer brake controller if im using a uhaul trailer though.

Goober

Uhaul will have trailer breaks if required.
Perhaps surge brakes.
Work without controller.
Hydraulic piston controlled.
I have used those, have no bad opinion of them.
Next up: can your rig tow this weight?
I no speak 4.6.
No tranny cooler is a concern.
7k lbs is much less than 9k lbs..
Do the math.
2k lbs is a big trailer!!!!
(you looking at a tilt bed?)
Someone needs to speak for 4.6 capacity.
I do not know.

90turbo1

its got the 5.4L with e40d trans, and factory cooler up front. 3.55 gears. I beg to differ on the trailer brake answer in another post. A trailer with that much weight will quickly over whelm good brakes on a truck, dont even get me started on the simply undersized brakes ford fitted to the truck that I have. When the trailer brakes are set up correctly the truck will stop far shorter for emergency and normal stopping than with out them. I am just waiting on the controler and wiring adapter to arive in mail then mine will be operational. Just dont forget the trailer brakes themselves need to be inspected and adjusted on a regular basis..

pissedoff92

yep the last uhaul i rented was 2400lbs with only the emergency tether brakes

90turbo1

really? i rent there car trailers and they have the brakes, so did the med size moving trailer, there is a teather hooked to a box on top of tongue if you look inside the box there is a brake master cyl very similar to a car or truck master cyl. as the lead vehicle brakes the tongue pushes in on the master cyl and the brakes work. if you become unhooked the tether pulls it and activates the brakes and they will stay on..

all the u haul trailers i have rented used this set up if I rember correctly.

Goober

Had to have surge brakes, no???
That's alot of trailer for no brakes!
I admitted in another thread that I had towed near 12k lbs with my 07' FX4 / tow package.
No brakes.
I only did this because I really didn't know how much the damn thing weighed.
(until the scales at the dump)
It was about 12 miles, and not a happy memory.
Being a man, well, once I started I couldn't simply just turn around now, could I??
Word: sod weighs much.

zap

Only those with tandem axles. Maybe one or two of the models that are enclosed single axles. Problem with surge brakes, you cant go backwards uphill...unless you have the surge brake bypass (which uhuals do not).

pissedoff92

You know I never looked into that aspect of the trailer but Ill tell you what as I recall it didnt feel like it had any brakes