trailer brakes

woodlot · Oct 20, 2004

I have to haul a tractor and brush hog (approx. 3,500-4,000 lbs) on my new car hauler tomorrow. The concern I have is that the brake controller I purchaced and installed is defective. Long story short, I don't have brakes on the trailer for this haul. My rig is a F-150 w/ 4 wheel disk brakes. The haul is about 50 miles on country roads with a few stop signs in small towns along the way. Is this going to be a problem? (BTW I have hauled a RV about the same weight in the past with w/o brakes) Thanks for any advice.

RichNJKubota · Oct 20, 2004

My personal opinion:
I would not tow anything that heavy without brakes.

Rich

rdln · Oct 20, 2004

I am a man of few words and wont give you the third degree, people get away with this all the time but if you have to stop suddenly you probably wont and will have to pay the consequences.

Have you thought of buying another controller??

RobS · Oct 20, 2004

Like Steve suggested, get another controller. It's an hour to put it in and would be well worth it. On the other hand, do you know for sure it's the controller or a wiring problem of some sort?

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

woodlot · Oct 20, 2004

The controller is defective per the tech from the company that manufactured it, they are sending me a replacement but it will not arrive for a few days. Yeah, an hour to put in in (more like 15 minutes) but a 4 hour dive to buy a new one!

Bird · Oct 20, 2004

( Thanks for any advice )

Now you know no one's going to advise you to go ahead without brakes, even though many of us have done it ourselves many times with no problem. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif How good a defensive driver are you? How well do you anticipate what might happen and plan what you're going to do if the unexpected does happen?

woodlot · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks Bird. I normally drive 35 mph with my flashers on and a light-bar on the roof with two yellow rotators and one strobe! Ha, right! Seriously though I take it very easy, I'm the one always getting passed not the passer. I think its all the years of constantly scanning for deer on the shoulders. My state has a deer population in the millions, my neighbors 20ac field had 75 deer in it the other evening. Needless to say I will be hauling at mid-day. Get the idea, I'm so defensive I have planned the trip at the low-point of deer activity. I guess the fact that I even asked this shows I'm a defensive driver.

Bird · Oct 20, 2004

( constantly scanning for deer )

Yeah, we'll be going to West Virginia next weekend (no trailer /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif) and I like to do a lot of the driving during the hours of darkness, but I'm really concerned about the deer. We saw way too many of them on that same trip last year and even on the Interstate there's too much traffic all night to use the high beam headlights very much at all and I don't like the distance I can see with the low beams. I hit a deer at Ogden, UT, about 5 a.m. one morning several years ago. It sure wasn't good, and did a lot of damage to a 4WD Dodge pickkup, but at least I was able to drive on and wait until I got back home to get the damage repaired. I'm afraid this Ford Windstar might not fare that well. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Soundguy · Oct 20, 2004

Any way to wire up an emergency momentary switch to fully engage the brakes.. or the breakaway portion of the controller.. that way you could hit it in an emergency?

Soundguy

hillslider · Oct 20, 2004

Bird...

Not to pry into your business but what do you have planned for your trip to WV.

As far as the brakes on the trailer......I hope you do not find out you need them!

Drive carefull,

Rob