Forum Discussion

TucsonJim's avatar
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Mar 10, 2017

Some of y'all are scarin' me!

While at the Good Sam rally in Phoenix last month, a camper was parked next to us. She had an 18ft TT, and was pulling it with an SUV. While there, she purchased a new 22' TT from one of the vendors, but was upset that they were charging her for a "Brake Thingy". I asked her to explain and she showed me the sales contract which had a brake controller listed.

I told her it was probably just a mistake and to show me her current controller and I'd see if it would work on her new trailer. She didn't know what a brake controller was, and didn't know where it was located in her SUV. So I took a look and there was NO controller in her TV. She said she didn't need one because she had a plug on the back of the SUV that she plugged the trailer into and it should connect the brakes.

So I tried to spend the next half hour explaining how it all worked and her final comment was "I should be just fine without it". Hopefully, that dealer won't let her leave without following through and safely equipping her SUV.

Yikes!
:E

Jim

60 Replies

Show More
  • BPRescue's avatar
    BPRescue
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2017
    TucsonJim wrote:
    DownTheAvenue wrote:
    Perhaps her tow vehicle has the factory built in brake controller.


    Nope, I looked.


    Tucson Tim, you ever notice those 90's era SR5 Toyota pickups traveling east along I-10 towing the same SR5 model behind, with both beds stacked 10' high full of appliances, furniture and bikes? Seems as long as the engine pulls and the brakes slow it down, all is well...

    But to the original point, it is scary what you see out here and I would assess that it is the minority who really pay attention in ensuring the trailer is sized appropriately for the tow vehicle. As proof by these debates, even many on here don't really know, or just pay attention to max tow capacity, ignoring true payload or other factors. But it is truly remiss when they don't even try...
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2017
    A guy we camp with was on his fifth trailer with brakes when a dealer finally noticed that the fuse in his truck was never installed. He "never had a problem" and never downshifts ever. Just stay as far as possible from any trailer on the highway.
  • TucsonJim's avatar
    TucsonJim
    Explorer II
    Mar 10, 2017
    DownTheAvenue wrote:
    Perhaps her tow vehicle has the factory built in brake controller.


    Nope, I looked.
  • colliehauler's avatar
    colliehauler
    Explorer III
    Mar 10, 2017
    The final part where she says (I'll be fine without it) after you explained to her what it does is what worries me.

    I can understand people having limited knowledge and educating themselves, but this?
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad
    Mar 10, 2017
    You should be scared. There are an incredible number of folks out there who are clueless both about "how things work" but also about the laws that they/we live under. Not just the way trailer brakes work or the laws governing required equipment, but many, many other things. I encounter folks like that every day just in the course of my daily rounds. Frankly, it is a wonderment to me that any of us are still living.
  • Mfan's avatar
    Mfan
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2017
    At least the dealer sold her a brake controler. A private sale, and still no brakes
  • Johno02's avatar
    Johno02
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2017
    There are a lot of them out there on the road, and yes, it is scary!
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Mar 10, 2017
    It just goes to show that a person who doesn't have basic skills to either understand how things work or fix them is not only going to be spending a ton of money, they're also potentially very dangerous.
  • ford_truck_guy's avatar
    ford_truck_guy
    Nomad
    Mar 10, 2017
    That's amazing Jim...

    I know that when I got my trailer, there was a checklist that the dealer went over before the agreement of sale was signed..
    They even looked at the truck ahead of time..

    It is a scary thought that someone would be running down the road with a TT and NOT a clue . . .

About Travel Trailer Group

44,046 PostsLatest Activity: Aug 02, 2025