Is This safe?

[LucasD]

I have already done this twice, im not so sure its a good idea.

Towing my 91 ecsb 1/2 behind my 98cclb 1 ton on a car trailer with no brakes....

[the big d]

no brakes on a 5000lb trailer? do you have to ask?

[LucasD]

Well now that you say it that way i see your point. I could stop when i was driving i was just a little worried incase i need to make a sudden stop.

The brakes on the 98 are amazing but thats a little overboard.

[SilveradoSexy]

Originally Posted by LucasD

i was just a little worried incase i need to make a sudden stop.

Exactly the point, its not safe.

[puma]

IMO not safe without brakes.

Case in point is a buddy of mine pulling his skid steer behind his 3/4 ton diesel Dodge. I told him that I noticed his front brakes were soft and he should replace them.

So he has to make an emergency stop and ends up taking out a pole with the side of his truck. I ask him "weren't your trailer brakes working", he says "NO". With the truck brakes being substandard the trailer brakes could have probably prevented the crash.

[rebelbowtie]

i had the trailer brakes go out on me once. you dont want to tow a big load without them. unsafe.

[TanTahoe]

Im surprised one axle doesnt have electric brakes at least. depending on you axle, it may already have the flang for electric drums brakes. You can get kits online, or maybe local trail parts/repair place,to add brakes for you have the flang.

[OBNOXUS]

Not to mention illegal.

Im sure state law comes in around 3,000 lbs for mandatory brakes.

can you panic stop in the same distance with the trailer as without?

[Redneck Rebel]

Originally Posted by LucasD

The brakes on the 98 are amazing but thats a little overboard.

They must not be the factory brakes then. I don't think I've ever heard any GM truck brakes called amazing.

[addiction2bass]

LOL they probably just have agood feel to them or better pads.

but you already know your answer. try to do a panic stop with the trailer empty... youll fail.
my dad forgot to hook up the brake controls one time drove down the road and stoped at a stop sign and the trailer kinda picked up the rear wheels and pushed him thru the whole intersection.... luckely no one was there to hit.

i got electric brakes to hook up on my truck i just havent installed em yet because i dont need them to haul anything YET.

[Canuck-Z71]

Here ya go:

http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm

IMHO, you can't be too safe while towing any trailer, especially when it's MY family out on the road. Even if nothing bad happens, if you get caught without the proper trailering equipment, the fines can be enormous, and they can shut you down right there. When I'm hooking up my 20' camping trailer (~4,000 lbs), fully 3/4 of the stuff I do is safety related.

[LucasD]

Ya i never thought about it till last night. Stupid i know. But the trailer has brakes. I don't have a brake controller.

It has brand new brake pads and a oem booster.

EDIT

There is no brake weight limit in my state...Oregon

Stupid kinda

[Redneck Rebel]

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TS/Veh_Eq...icle_equipment

3) Do I have to have brakes on my trailer?

Answer: Oregon law requires that any vehicle or combination of vehicles weighing less than 8,000 pounds must be able to stop within a travel lane in 25 feet from 20 miles per hour. If the vehicle or combination of vehicles weighs over 8,000 pounds, the vehicle must be able to stop within a travel lane in 35 feet from 20 miles per hour. Check your owner’s manual of the tow vehicle to see what the manufacturer recommends. Most manufacturers recommend trailer brakes if the trailer and load weigh 1,000 pounds or more. (ORS 815.125)

[LucasD]

I was just going off that page that Canuck-Z71 posted.

So yes, i was breaking the law.

[addiction2bass]

wow different classes for your liscence also? WTF hell i dont even know what class my liscence is.LOL

[LucasD]

lol in Oregon c is a drivers regaler drivers licence. And anything you can tow with a pickup is legal.

[rebelbowtie]

class "c" here is a commercial drivers license. over 26,000lbs GVWR, usually with an air brake endorsement

[94_c/1500]

I don't know about other states, but DOT is out for blood in WV. Almost everytime my dad is pulling a trailer with his Dodge, he gets pulled over. And for no reason, except to make sure we have the proper paper work BS.
Because the combination is so heavy, the truck has to have a special license plate (which costs about double), he has to have a physical once a year, has to have special insurance, has to have DOT numbers on the truck, and he has to have a certain license (can't remember which). He also has to stop at weigh stations.

If you are pulled over, the truck and trailer also get a detailed visual inspection.
With him, I believe trailer brakes are mandatory, but they never check.

Keep to a light truck, and a light load. You should be fine.

[Underpowered]

heck, i don't think my truck without a trailer will stop from 20 in less than 25 feet, let alone with a trailer.

but truck and trailer will weigh over 5000 lbs, so trailer brakes are a very good idea. can it be done without brakes, yes. is it safe? not really.

[Canuck-Z71]

I used to tow a 2,000 lb pop-up trailer with a '00 Sonoma. The trailer didn't have brakes on it, and once when I had to make an emergency stop, I felt every ounce of that 2,000 pounds. I was an instant convert, and I vowed right then and there that the next trailer I got would have brakes, even though that set-up at the time was legal.

Being a requirement in your jurisdiction is one thing. Being safe is completely different. If you "feel" that it's safe, great. Just let me know when you're going to do it so I can be elsewhere. I have my fair share of towing hours under my belt, but I wouldn't tow anything bigger than an empty utility trailer without brakes. Just IMHO.