What is the heaviest bumper pull trailer you would tow without trailer brakes assuming a half ton v8 crew cab 3.73 rear end with trailering package. Sway bar but not weight dist bars. Relatively flat ground, low altitude about 130 miles. mix of city and hiway miles.new brakes on the truck.

you gonna a broad swath of answers here.

personally I've never pulled a trailer without brakes with a 1/2 ton of more than 2-3k lbs. Say a 3500lb trailer with 2 fourwheelers on it.

You always here folks bragging about what they can pull with their trusty ole half ton. The stories make me glad I was no where around.

Its not the going, its the whoaing that'll get ya.

Legally, it varies greatly by state. Here's a site with state by state regulations: TRAILER BRAKES

I've pulled 2 tons brakeless with a 3/4 ton without any problems but if you get in an accident, it'll be your fault, no matter what else happened. A local guy spent 4 years in the pen for bad brakes on his gravel truck. A motorhome cut in in front of him and slammed on the brakes to make a turn. He hit it and 2 people died. It was entirely not his fault but they saw the worn brakes and it was all over.

You can tow anything you want without brakes, no problem. You WILL have a problem when it comes to stopping.

I would not tow anything larger than maybe a snowmachine trailer without brakes. Bad juju.

In California, brakes are required on any trailer coach or camp trailer having a gross weight of 1500 lbs. or more.

Phil

I have had the ABS computer fail while hauling a 53' four axle trailer with over 60,000 lbs of paper on board. I got it stopped but it took a while.

Hell, you need a helmet and a HANS device too in California.

For me, the heaviest load I tow w/o trailer brakes is my 700lb (+\-) Can Am 800cc, 2 up Outlander ATV on a 5'x8' utility trailer. I'm guessing the trailer weighs about the same as the ATV. Any more than that (boat, camper, etc) it's going to have surge or electric brakes on each axle. I mostly use my 1/2 Ton Chevy Tahoe, but my wife's Trailblazer pulls (and stops) the trailer/ATV combo effortlessly also.
YMMV. -TomT

I've driven every conceivable type and combination of vehicles in my over 45 years of driving, and both with and without breaks. Electric, Air, Hydraulic, and Air over Hydraulic. And one thing I can guarantee you is, if you don't keep them adjusted, your driving without brakes!

Phil

I don't tow much myself other than the occasional small trailer with my Kawasaki mini-mule on board but see people pulling large boats behind half ton and smaller Trucks and SUVs all the time around my lake house. Can't imagine they all have brakes.

Heck just go look at a public boat ramp any nice Saturday and you'll see all sorts of stuff the people on this thread would apparently never consider

Your owners manual will clearly state the maximum. The lower of the owners manual and state law will apply to you. I agree about the keeping them adjusted part.

I've had a few mis-adventures towing heavy, uneven loads without trailer brakes. One I was sure I would not get through unscathed, but I did. I don't do that chit anymore. To quote Clark Griswald (National Lampoon's Vacation) "It's nothing to be proud of, Rusty"'.

Idaho's law is a bit different. They require brakes on any trailer over 1500lb EMPTY. That leaves a lot of leeway when you start stacking on the load. You can have a load weighing far more than what's safe and still be legal.

Ski boat. 19ft jet, shallow V, big block and fiber glass. Maybe 1500#'s + trailer?

Any more is scary.

brakes?

If your not worried about staying within the confines of the law.I would limit it to 2500/3000lbs and do not tow at high speeds keep it under 60 and watch your corners as the trailer will want to push you in a corner if you apply the brakes.

If you have little experience towing I would avoid doing it at all but if you have experience remember a little common sense will go a long ways.

I can't answer directly but am currently towing +/-2500# with no trailer brakes and a Dodge 3/4 ton and it's a non-issue. Prior to that, I towed 4500# with trailer brakes and a 1/2 ton Chevy and it was a total goat phug trying to get things slowed down...

You ain't just a-whistlin' Dixie...

Not me. I've always gone by the rule of thumb that 'you can never have too much truck'..

Spot on.. Most trailers at 3K GTW won't have brakes.. Most over that weight will have at least one axle w/brakes up to 6K, then both axles over 7K...

I have a 16' tandem axle trailer rated at 7000#, no brakes and a 1/2 ton Chevy. We got rear-ended last fall going 45 mph with about a 3500# load. Hitch and hitch lock failed, safety chains failed. Trailer came around and got into side of truck. Not pretty. Hit and run. I will always wonder how brakes would have affected the outcome.
About a month ago I put 3 tons of gravel on same truck and trailer. I only had to go about 10 mi. on flat ground. It was about all the truck wanted. I wouldn't recommend it for any distance or uneven terrain.

3 k # is the law here.
Seems reasonable.

How do you move tractors, small equipment, etc?

10 yrs ago i pulled a 35ft donzi that weighed a little 10,000 from st petersburg fl to corpus christi tx with my 1/2 ton dodge, no trailer brakes. didn't have any problems, but did have replace the brake pads afterwards and only got about 6 mpg.

3000 lbs. here requires brakes. Have a boat and trailer weighs 2800. No problem behind a 3/4 ton pickup, switched to a 4runner and did not hesitate to put brakes on it.

Any trailer w/ GWR over 3000#, must have brakes.

I don't see how brakes would make a difference when you got rear ended unless you had the brakes set hard at the impact. Out of curiosity - what size of hitch ball did you have? Did the ball break or the hitch on the trailer? Hitch balls are rated for a certain towing capacity but not for much higher load of an impact.

I have an old stock trailer that had tandem 6k axles under it yet it only has a 2" hitch. If the axles were loaded to capacity, the hitch would be WAY over it's capacity. Both axles were bent so I replaced them with 3500s and lighter springs.

[/quote]I don't see how brakes would make a difference when you got rear ended unless you had the brakes set hard at the impact. Out of curiosity - what size of hitch ball did you have? Did the ball break or the hitch on the trailer? Hitch balls are rated for a certain towing capacity but not for much higher load of an impact.

I have an old stock trailer that had tandem 6k axles under it yet it only has a 2" hitch. If the axles were loaded to capacity, the hitch would be WAY over it's capacity. Both axles were bent so I replaced them with 3500s and lighter springs. [/quote]

My thought was the trailer brakes will lock if you "lose" the trailer. It was a 2" ball and it held up. The receiver hitch bent and the trailer receiver disintegrated. One safety hook snapped in half, the other bent straight.

The trailer brakes will only lock if you have an onboard battery. A locking brake mechanism will have a cable that connects to the truck's hitch. Usually, it's connected to the safety chains so it'll be jerked before the chains are fully extended. When it's jerked as the trailer comes loose, it will set the brakes using the battery. Your truck battery won't do much as usually the light cord will be pulled loose.

Likely, when you got rear ended and the trailer was shoved forward, it wouldn't have locked until the chains failed. If the trailer was sliding sideways as it came around, the brakes wouldn't have mattered. I'm just guessing here as it's hard to say without seeing it.

If you're only doing it a couple times....consider renting a U-Haul trailer. Some of them have surge brakes and they tend to be regularly maintained. That said, some of their larger trailers they won't rent to you with a half-ton. Prices are reasonable, if you return them to point of rental. While I own two trailers, I rented a U-Haul last year for a larger load and I was impressed with the quality of the trailer and how well it pulled.

Geez... Pull that up here and the WI State Patrol will have a field day.. Your fines might run in excess of $500 AND you'll be forced to park the trailer until you (1) have brakes and pass inspection or (2) you hire a hauler with legal equipment to load YOUR trailer on and haul it away..

Same here..

I see dudes pulling stuff at times that I KNOW is way outta bounds re: vehicle capability and just shake my head - thanking my lucky stars I'm not behind 'em or meeting 'em..

Early this spring some dude was towing an OLD camper/trailer with an out-of-spec hitch, severe angle on the camper and no brakes on it while he tried to go north on Hy 63.. State boy was sittin' off to the side.. I think he lost about 10K miles of rubber scootin' to head that nightmare off.. When I came through an hour later that camper was all by its lonesome at the 'park-&-ride' waitin' for a flat-bed tow truck that could load that pos up.. I'm bettin' the driver was accompanied by the Trouper facin' the ATM and hoping he had enough in the bank to satisfy the fines..


Sorry boys - but no excuses; when you haul something on/in a trailer you BETTER have the truck/hitch for it... Otherwise, somebody might die from your negligence and the lawyers will eat you up like a fatso loading 4 plates at the Country Booofay..

Since you say there is city driving involved, I'd say forget about using the 1/2 ton pulling a trailer w/o breaks unless you're talking about pulling something like this.



City driving is going to likely be your greatest risk of some idiot pulling out in front of you or j walking.

I towed my ATV trailer without brakes for years. Once I put a camper on the truck I added brakes to the trailer. I've now towed it without the camper and it makes a difference as compared to before. It all depends on how fast you have to stop. I really like having added the brakes even though with two ATV's it's fairly light.

Good thing you rigidly obeyed the 45 mph limit Uhaul has plastered all over their trailer.

Hmmmmm, well yeah ....actually it pulled just fine at 80 on the interstate. Tracked very well, even with strong crosswinds and a high center of gravity load. Surge brakes worked perfectly. I did check all the tires, thinking that might lead to the speed rating posted all over the trailer. They were very good quality tires and barely got warm at 80 with a load that was near max capacity for the trailer. I wouldn't have felt nearly as comfortable with my own trailer (no brakes and I hadn't repacked the bearings recently).

No matter what size the vehicles (trailer or tow), having brakes on the trailer is going to save the brakes on your tow vehicle... I wonder which cost more to service!

Phil

I have. 20' x 8' empty shell portable building single axle . It can't weigh over 3-4k pounds. Towed it fine across town 20 miles in traffic no problems with a reg bAll hitch. But only about 45 mph

Now have a heavy duty hitch and sway bar.

The trailer has brakes but not connected or wired and I'm guessing they are rusted up.

I think Uhaul puts those speed limits on them for liability. If someone wrecks one, they can say it was being run beyond their limit so they're not liable.

I don't know, but if you can't stop whatever you're driving reasonably quick you're in for trouble. Dickheads LOVE to pass a person that allows a decent stopping distance between them and the next vehicle, then throw on the brakes.

IMHO it would not be the engine, gears, or size of the truck that was the limit in that situation, it would be the fact it was BUMPER-towed. Most bumpers have a tow weight rating as well as a tongue weight rating. I would not exceed it. A buddy of mine did, had to hammer the brakes, and his bumper buckled. With a receiver hitch, it's a whole different story.

Also, there's "brakes" and there's "brakes." Most trailers for heavier loads have surge brakes even if they don't have brakes integrated with the truck's braking system.

I very comfortably towed a 5000 pound U-Haul trailer for a friend who was moving using a Nissan Frontier with the 4.0L 6 and a stick shift. It'd hold 70 on the freeway on the flat loaded in 6th gear. I didn't have any stopping issues. I'm not sure if the surge brakes were contributing or if it was just deliberately long stopping distances.

I pulled a 2500 pound camp trailer for the same friend a few weeks ago with my new truck, a V6 Toyota Tacoma also with a stick and a class IV receiver hitch .. but no brakes at all. That trailer seemed to push me around a little but nothing I'd worry about.

Off topic, but for towing, the Nissan was a remarkably stronger truck than the nearly identical Toyota despite almost identical equipment, engine, etc.

Tom

Well, there are 2 ways a trailer is pulled: gooseneck/5th wheel and bumper pull, which includes receiver hitches and actual bumper hitches (those things are scary). Bumper pulls are called that even though the bumper isn't used in any way...but I think you know that.

All depends on the driver, tow vehicle, trailer, situational awareness, location, popo & luck.
I've pulled over 60,000# on rural farm roads (pick-up) w/o brakes but I have well maintained brakes on all of my road trailers.
Don't drive or pull beyond your abilities or the abilities of the others on the road.

Error on the side of safety.

short version, give yourself enough room to stop....

Ding ding ding. Exactly okie.

Towed a 6500 lb. skid steer on a 3500 lb. bumper-pull Belshe trailer behind a Dodge 3/4 ton gasser without brakes, about 120 miles. This was in the Texas Panhandle, no big grades (up or down). Yes, I was white-knuckling it the whole way, stayed away from other autos, and planned my stops WAY ahead.

Ordered a Tekonsha brake controller when I got home.....

I watched a pickup pulling an empty gooseneck horse trailer slide down a mildly sloping road to rear end an old lady stopped at a stop sign. The pickup slid, anyway. The trailer sure didn't. I hinted to the cop that he needed to check the trailer's brakes. I hope he did.

Yup ! same thing when driving a truck.
Every dickhead on the road has to pass the truck then cut right in front. Seems reasonable to put yourself in ones safety zone, and eliminating both.

To repeat a post I made here earlier, a local trucker spent 4 years in prison for exactly that. A motorhome pulled in right in front of him then hit the brakes for a turn. The fully loaded gravel truck couldn't stop and 2 people in the motorhome died. They found the trucks brakes to be worn beyond specs. He couldn't have stopped in time even with new brakes and He was convicted in spite of the fact that it was the motorhome driver's fault.

Unless the passing and then stopping was done in malice, it wasn't the motor home's fault! Any driver has to be driving at a safe speed and be prepared to stop at any given time.

One thing I can damn near guarantee you here in California is that 95% or those pulling trailers "Don't Know the LAW", and that goes for the supposed professional truck drivers also!


Phil

It's plain that you haven't driven a big rig. You can't stop one in it's own length. If someone suddenly cuts in front of you, there's no possible way you can be ready to stop suddenly. In this case, the motorhome passed with inadequate clearance and pulled in right in front of the truck. He then saw his turn closer than he'd anticipated and hit the brakes.

I've driven every type of big rig on the road (and well over a quarter million pounds)for over 45 years! If a motor home passed, and that driver didn't immediately start to regain his safe distance he was in the wrong. And if you haven't noticed a motor home can't just slam on the brakes! Even though that being cut off is used more often than nearly all other excuses for getting into accidents!

Phil

I hope you also ordered a heavier trailer that's made for weights like that.. A Tekonsha will do bupkis if that axle breaks....then where's that skid steer gonna go?? But at least you did what you could to be away from other vehicles - kudos there, and I'm glad to read you made it safe/sound..

Oh, and those who pull trailers at 80mph? You better have a trailer clad with tires rated for that speed; the majority of trailer tires are maxed at 65 mph - anything over that and you're risking a nice, sweet blowout.. I can't wait to see what may happen next.. FWIW, I have a set of tire monitors mounted on the camper. On the run to Sturgis they started out cold at between 77-81 pounds (specified on the tire to be 80# cold). During the trip, pressure went up on all of 'em about 6-8# and temps ran about 90-100 degrees. I only went to 70 mph once when passing a vehicle - otherwise it was 55-65, depending on the states' speed limits. Those monitors are the cat's azz - lets ya know immediately if there's a problem. Saves tires/saves damage to the camper - and one can get ahead of pressure instead of behind...if you get my drift.. I can't recommend them highly enough...

The TT hitches on most pickups are rated for a max tongue weight of about 600# w/o using a weight-compensator rig (class II or III). Before you tow, crawl underneath your truck and read the tag on the side of the hitch...then stay within those limits. If you don't, and have a crash, the other driver's lawyer will be wiping his drool with something the size of a beach towel while perusing some new, expensive property in the Bahamas..

When I ordered my truck in '11 I specified the heaviest GVW I could get - #13,300. The hitch is a class V (2.5" receiver), and the 5er hitch is a Reese Signature rated for 25K. The factory sez this truck is rated/legal for 16,000# max hitch tow, or up to 22.5K using the 5th wheel. Oh, and along with that one better have the correct ball and shank diameter rated for the trailer.. I've seen some 2" balls with 3/4" shanks on a hitch where the dude musta had at least 8K on the back.. Geez...

The tag on my hitch shows max tongue weight w/o comp is 800#, but up to 1600# w/comp. Other than the camper, the heaviest trailer I tow is rated at 8K GTW - therefore I'm within legal specs. The camper has a GTW of 18K, but that's using the 5th wheel unit - therefore I'm still within legal bounds. That beggar has brakes on all six wheels and I have 'em checked every spring to make SURE I can stop when/if I need to.

I know - I'm a bit (well, maybe more than a bit) anal about towing.. But I've seen some horrendous crashes with dudes who use a 1/2 ton truck to pull 12K or more and don't make it all the way from point A to destination B... You do NOT wanna be a part of that, trust me..

Best wishes to all.. Be safe, do it right..and I promise to shut up now..