OK to tow 3,000 pound trailer without trailer brakes? (1 Viewer)

[Grumvee]

Hi Mud!

I'm going to be towing a single axle trailer that weighs about 3,000 pounds (it's a trailer for my kids' mountain bike team).

No trailer brakes.

The dealer we bought it from doesn't recommend trailer brakes if towing with an SUV unless the trailer weight EXCEEDS 3,000 pounds.

We will be towing it 3-4 hours to the destinations (mountain bike races), sometimes partway up mountain passes in northern California.

Personally, I would of course prefer trailer brakes ... but since we don't have them, I'm looking for some advice/thoughts on the risk of towing without them with my LX570.

Thx!

 

[kcjaz]

Hi Mud!

I'm going to be towing a single axle trailer that weighs about 3,000 pounds (it's a trailer for my kids' mountain bike team).

No trailer brakes.

The dealer we bought it from doesn't recommend trailer brakes if towing with an SUV unless the trailer weight EXCEEDS 3,000 pounds.

We will be towing it 3-4 hours to the destinations (mountain bike races), sometimes partway up mountain passes in northern California.

Personally, I would of course prefer trailer brakes ... but since we don't have them, I'm looking for some advice/thoughts on the risk of towing without them with my LX570.

Thx!

I think 3000 lbs GVWR (weight of trailer plus payload) is a general cut off for trailer brakes. At least most of the light weight utility trailers I've seen are GVWR 2990 or something just less than 3000. When you get beyond 3000 is where the trailers will come with brakes. Are you saying your trailer has brakes and you are trying to decide if you will use them or not? I wouldn't be too worried about 3K trailer and no trailer brakes for occasional towing but I also live in KS. Mountains might change my mind, especially if my trailer had them.

 

[GordJ]

Boy, this going to garner some interesting comments. I will be close to the first to respond, do you have pictures of the trailer?
I can't believe that the dealer would ever recommend any trailer without brakes. Did you get the impression that he was trying to get rid of a particular trailer by any chance? Even though I would say that the odd trip with an unbraked trailer wouldn't be a problem for me hauling a 3,000 lb trailer in the mountains, and probably with kids aboard the tow vehicle, doesn't sound like something a dealer would normally recommend. In BC the rules say that
"Gross trailer weight of 1,400 kg (3,080 Ibs) or less – Brakes are required if the trailer and its load weigh more than 50% of the licensed weight of the vehicle towing it."
I have towed my 6,000+ lb rv home without brakes and it is tiring to be looking that far ahead all the time but it is possible. Personally, I would be looking at getting brakes installed, they are going to cost less than the price of one of your bikes probably.

 

[Rgill]

Depending on your tow vehicle I think in a panic stop or going down a long grade you will be wanting brakes. That seems like a heavy trailer for mountain bikes. I had a three position motorcycle trailer that weighed about 900lbs empty.

 

[Grumvee]

@kcjaz - The trailer does not have brakes.

@GordJ - Here is a picture of the model of the trailer (not our actual trailer, but this is the make/model).

 

[Grumvee]

@Rgill - We're not hauling the bikes, we're hauling gear for weekend races (tents, tools, grills, propane tanks, etc.)

 

[Rgill]

Looks like total weight is 2990. So based on what your using for a tow vehicle you might squeak by. I thought the trailer was 3k empty.

 

[TeCKis300]

I have shared towing responsibility of a very similar trailer for my daughters camping group. Also no trailer brakes as most cargo trailers of this size don't come with them. We're often in the mountains too.

The trailer has been towed by many trucks, Range Rover, GX460, my LX. It's a non-issue and the LX will tow it with a lot of confidence and stopping power. Slow down early, watch what's ahead, and leave a gap.

That said, couple things to pay attention to:

• When descending mountains, use lower gears and engine braking like it's going out of style. Do not ride your brakes. The LX has great brakes with lots of capacity and stability and 3k won't phase it, but as a general rule for those new to towing, it's worth mentioning. Especially on steeper and longer grades. Don't be afraid if your engine needs to rev 3-4k rpm (or more) to provide sufficient engine braking to hold downhill speed. Don't be afraid to use your regular brakes too when entering curves, and its best to check the speed while still in a straight line before the turn.
• Really important to load the heaviest gear forward of the trailer axles to have sufficient tongue weight. Some people loading the trailer may not be familiar with this, and doing it wrong can have even a small cargo trailer wagging an HD truck.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

My last trailer was about 3200lbs (cargo conversion) and had no brakes. I could certainly feel the LX working harder than normal when slowing down/stopping, but it wasn't a big deal. I gave myself more stopping room and was generally more cautious.

That said, having brakes is never a bad idea, and that dealer is clearly shady AF and is simply trying to make a sale. I wouldn't trust a single word that comes out of their mouths.

If you want that particular trailer, simply budget for a brake installation.

I've previously added drum brakes to a small trailer that didn't come with them. The mechanical parts took about 40 minutes to install per wheel, the wiring was an hour, and total cost (single axle, two wheels) was about $450 CAD. Any trailer axle/brake shop will install brakes for your trailer in a heartbeat.

 

[Sandroad]

Make sure you don’t overload it and use @TeCKis300 advice going downhill. If you do it right with downshifting going down mountain passes you don’t even need brakes on the LX. (Well maybe for the final stopping )

 

[Grumvee]

Thanks all.

I do have lots of experience towing (and just driving) in the mountains, so I'm good on that front. But thanks for calling those recommendations out specifically.

 

[TeCKis300]

As a communal trailer, brakes may not be completely desirable as many tow vehicles will not have the proper brake controller or 7-pin to take advantage of it anyways.

Thanks all.

I do have lots of experience towing (and just driving) in the mountains, so I'm good on that front. But thanks for calling those recommendations out specifically.

You're good to go. LX is one of the best towing IMO, due to its suspension and mass. Do note it has probably one of the tallest hitches and the fact it doesn't sag (and yours looks modded too), so you'll want to have enough of a drop hitch to bring the trailer level.

Here's what my group has and we often load it with too much crap. As a communal trailer, It's abused and put away wet. I try to do my part to check tires and tire pressure as no one else does. I just chopped the coupler off too and re-welded a new one as the last was so tweaked, couldn't count on it being locked on the ball.

 

[linuxgod]

By US DOT law a trailer a trailer weighing 3000lbs or more is required to have brakes. That is why the GVWR is 2990#.

You can tow it legally. Pretty sure the Toyota manual says you should use trailer brakes for anything over 1000# so I'm not sure what would happen in court if you were in an accident. I would not personally tow it without brakes, except maybe to get it home empty.

Edit: confirmed it's in the manual

 

[sedole]

Get brakes.

I've done a decent amount of towing with my LX, trailers weighing anywhere from 1,000-8,000 lbs. Some of the lighter trailers had brakes, others didn't. While the truck will handle it just fine, the driving experience is so much more relaxed with the brakes. Especially if you've got littles in the truck with you and you're doing mountain passes. You won't regret having brakes.

 

[stonepa]

I tow a 2700 lb (wet weight) with no trailer brakes all the time. Ive towed it all over North America for years. Absolutely zero Issues.

 

[JohnJB]

I think you’ll be fine.

 

[jlm43]

I'm regularly towing a 4 place side by side (total machine and trailer weight of roughly 2,600 pounds) without brakes with my 100 series and it does just fine. If the load is to light, the brakes like to lock up and bounce the trailer. So if you do go with brakes, make sure you can adjust the power to the brakes depending on load. The only thing I tow that has brakes would be our small 1,800 pound teardrop camper. I've towed it with vehicles with a controller and without. It's fine either way.

 

[GordJ]

That trailer has a low center of gravity and very little overhang behind the wheels. I had pictured a higher flatbed style of trailer. I would agree with the experienced people’s opinion and not worry about brakes. My main concern was the stability the brakes provide but the design, imo, removes that concern.