Some of y'all are scarin' me!

[TucsonJim]

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

[WNYBob]

Here in NY I've had several 1000 lb trailers inspected which only involved checking lights and pulling the hitch up and down by hand (to check if it is sturdy)

It will be interesting to watch what they do for the inspection of my 20 ft TT next month!

[ford_truck_guy]

RoyB wrote:
You would think that the state DOT inspection station requirements would catch some of this... All of the installed DOT safety lights including the functioning electric brakes are all part of the required safety inspection here where I live.

when all passes then I get a current sticker placed on my trailer...

Roy Ken

Here in PA also... You MUST leave the whole combination when getting the trailer inspected...

BUT - I know that many facilities tell you where to "DROP IT" when calling for an appointment..

[azrving]

Stop looking or you will just be more scared. I often talk to others and have pretty much decided to shut up and not comment on anything. One guy got mad at me when he started asking me about double towing a jeep behind his FW with the lightweight extendable type bumper carrier. I said there is no way you want to pull with that light gauge rack. I also said you should replace all the shackle hangers because you could see oval holes eaten in them. He had a large generator bungee on the rack and a cooler so I guess pulling 5,000 pounds would be ok!
:E

[rbpru]

Hard to believe but folk do get along just fine with some of the worst combinations imaginable. Fortunately, they are few and far between.

I see far more folks towing at 75 mph on 65 mph rated tires than I like also, but again they have been doing it for years and are not about to change.

As we got serious about out TT purchase the dealer asked what we intended to tow with. He knew our mini-van was not an option.

[RoyB]

You would think that the state DOT inspection station requirements would catch some of this... All of the installed DOT safety lights including the functioning electric brakes are all part of the required safety inspection here where I live.

when all passes then I get a current sticker placed on my trailer...

Roy Ken

[BadgerMcAdams]

To paraphrase a line from a show...

Sometimes, Fate protects Fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise...

Commander Riker - Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[BPRescue]

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]

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]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
Perhaps her tow vehicle has the factory built in brake controller.

Nope, I looked.

[colliehauler]

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?

[DownTheAvenue]

Perhaps her tow vehicle has the factory built in brake controller.

[naturist]

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]

At least the dealer sold her a brake controler. A private sale, and still no brakes

[Johno02]

There are a lot of them out there on the road, and yes, it is scary!

[ScottG]

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.