6 Cyl Dodge Diesel 30 mpg?

JJBIRISH wrote:

noplace2 wrote:

sch911 wrote:

noplace2 wrote:
The problem with nearly all of these types of threads is that few consider the ability to STOP the thing. Sure, with an only slightly modified VW bug I could haul a 9K rig atop Pike's Peak. (slowly) Coming down, could I stop it when I absolutely needed to?:S

I respectfully disagree. The onus of responsibility is upon the person who mis-matches what they are towing, with what they are towing with. In my less than humble opinion, trailer brakes should be viewed as an accessory, not a fail-safe. In an emergency situation they are virtually useless. I know that my truck can stop both it and the 10K 5'er without use of the trailer brakes. Have been there and done that, not happily but successfully.

And I respectfully disagree with your assessment…

Maybe the TV will stop it, but in how many more feet would it take, and how many times would it stop it in a reasonable distance before the rotors are junk... and how about down long steep down hills…

trailer brakes are not an accessory at all and shouldn’t be thought of as such, they are an important safety item for any combination vehicle…

And I will disagree with you as I had the trailer brake wires on my rig catch something on the road as we were descending a rather steep hill and break and I was able to stop after a fashion without the trailer brakes. I was pulling a 35' 9600# TT with an '01 Excursion and even with the brake size on the EX and the weight of it it got pretty hairy a couple of times before we got it stopped safely. I was not mis-matched. You never want to take something like that for granted. Sure it's got the power to pull it,but does it have the weight to safely stop it w/o the trailer brakes. 1/2 ton p/u able to pull a 9000# TT,sure,but can it safely stop it in an emergency w/o TT brakes? I don't want to be around to see that.