Do I Need Trailer Brake?

[fried1765]

The question that you need to ask your insurance is. If the trailer becomes disconnected from the vehicle does the vehicle insurance still cover any damage. In my state the answer is NO. The catch is you ask your insurance if they cover the trailer connected to an insured vehicle and they say yes, but don't tell people that it is not covered if not connected. So if it disconnected, bye-bye insurance coverage.

Though I have many times reconfirmed that trailer coverage is extended from the towing vehicle, I just did so again.
I called my insurance company (USAA), and they once AGAIN confirmed that trailer( liability) coverage extends from the towing vehicle.
They explained that if the trailer breaks away from the towing vehicle, the trailer accident/impact (whatever it might hit) occurred because it was part of a failed (tow) combination, and the towing combination is covered.
Perhaps it is different in Illinois.
My inquiry was for Florida, and Massachusetts, because my vehicles are insured there.
If your trailer were to be parked alongside the highway, and not connected to a vehicle, it seems that you might have liability for leaving a "vehicle" in/on the roadway.
Maybe call the cops for that, and have them use cones, or flares?

 

[timswi]

The question that you need to ask your insurance is. If the trailer becomes disconnected from the vehicle does the vehicle insurance still cover any damage. In my state the answer is NO. The catch is you ask your insurance if they cover the trailer connected to an insured vehicle and they say yes, but don't tell people that it is not covered if not connected. So if it disconnected, bye-bye insurance coverage.

Either way--That's why I carry an umbrella policy.

 

[bcp]

Pamphlet page from MO Highway Patrol:



Bruce

 

[My Gym]

I have followed this with great interest. The fact that the question was asked, indicates that the poster lacks experience pulling a trailer. Experience , practice, and training would help him more than brakes. Are brakes on trailers safer than no brakes.YES. Since the trailer has brakes and the truck has a controller. Hook the brakes up, it will cost very little time and money. Pulling a trailer is like driving on ice and snow. It takes longer to get started, longer to stop, and quick movements will get you in trouble under ideal driving conditions. If it is rainy, muddy, snowing, or icy, Leave the trailer behind.

 

[timswi]

Pamphlet page from MO Highway Patrol:

View attachment 538947

Bruce

Holy COW!!! No restriction on people riding in trailers on the highway--. Adding an "or" in the brake section would change the whole dynamic of the reg...Anything goes I guess.

 

[Travelover]

You can buy whole new brake assemblies for less than the parts to rebuild them . Eastern Marine is one place with good prices. Also SW Wheel. When you rewire it, don’t use the frame as a primary conductor. Just buy some extra wire and run a separate ground to the lights and brakes. You can connect this to the frame, too, but avoid depending on frame connections.

 

[RickB]

I guess not everyone read my original post in its entirety.

YES, my vehicle already has a brake controller.

NO, my state does not have a requirement for trailer brakes unless the trailer is gooseneck/5th wheel or carrying 3000lbs or more of hazardous material. Therefore, NOT required for me.

I read and understood your post. Wire the brakes and make them work. I strongly urge you to install brakes on the rear axle. If youæ±*e looking for someone to give you a pass, keep looking.

 

[frugalangler]

You can buy whole new brake assemblies for less than the parts to rebuild them . Eastern Marine is one place with good prices. Also SW Wheel. When you rewire it, don’t use the frame as a primary conductor. Just buy some extra wire and run a separate ground to the lights and brakes. You can connect this to the frame, too, but avoid depending on frame connections.

And hitch for ground between vehicle and trailer!

Also, although it's recommended to brake both axles on a tandem, if you use a load equalizer setup, the brakes need to be on the REAR axle, as the rotational torque when braking will rotate the spring down in the front pushing down on the back side of the equalizer, effectively unloading the front axle which transfer more weight to the rear axle to aid in braking action. If the brakes are on the front axle, the opposite occurs, the front spring rotates pushing up on the rear of it, raising the equalizer in front and pushing down on the spring in the rear, effectively removing weight from the brake axle.
You'd be surprise how many single braked tandems are running down the road with the brakes on the WRONG axle, and I've even seen some documentation to the contrary posted online. The internet is a great resource of false truth. (But never FAKE NEWS!)

 

[Ford850]

The question that you need to ask your insurance is. If the trailer becomes disconnected from the vehicle does the vehicle insurance still cover any damage. In my state the answer is NO. The catch is you ask your insurance if they cover the trailer connected to an insured vehicle and they say yes, but don't tell people that it is not covered if not connected. So if it disconnected, bye-bye insurance coverage.

Are you sure they aren't saying if your trailer is not being towed it is not covered? For example while parked and detached. Having a trailer disconnect while towing is still an act of towing with the vehicle and seems it would be covered. The same goes for an accident when a person is thrown from a vehicle. Following the above logic, the person would not be insured since their physical injury came while not in the vehicle. :scratchchin:

 

[RandyT]

Are you sure they aren't saying if your trailer is not being towed it is not covered? For example while parked and detached. Having a trailer disconnect while towing is still an act of towing with the vehicle and seems it would be covered. The same goes for an accident when a person is thrown from a vehicle. Following the above logic, the person would not be insured since their physical injury came while not in the vehicle. :scratchchin:

If the trailer becomes detached while towing, it is no longer considered part of the combination, therefore gets treated the same as if it was parked. the question that I asked my insurance was if the trailer becomes detached from my truck while towing down the highway, is the trailer still covered under the vehicle insurance policy, and was told no. this same question has been discussed with other people that I know, and was told the same answer by their insurance also. I know it is a grey area, but comes down to if it becomes unconnected is no longer considered being towed.