Dangerous Teardrops......??

[Larwyn]

Madjack,

There's no arguing with that.

So, has anyone jackknifed a teardrop trailer due to no trailer brakes to help stop the sway?

[Wimperdink]

Thank you for your bold ending Madjack... That situation should have been taken care of long before hitting the highway. First things first... Something caused the sway whether it be, incorrectly inflated tires / improper loading / out of alignment axle / etc etc.... The trailer brakes would have only been a bandaid on the situation which so would a sway bar. The correct fix would be to have the responsibility to insure proper loading and mechanical condition of the trailer before hitting the hwy.

Lots of accessories out there to remove the need for correct setup. Boats have trim tabs and whale tales to correct improper loading, Trailers can have brakes/sway bars/load levelers. I'm not saying brakes on a trailer are bad and yes they are a great preventative measure, however with the proper setup, loading, maintence on a trailer/TV, brakes on a teardrop are largely unneccesary.

A combination of safe driving and thinking ahead would almost eliminate the need for the added braking power. Oh insurance too. lol

Sorry Lawryn, the thread was going to continue without any of your original desired examples anyway...

[Steve F]

'.....A combination of safe driving and thinking ahead would almost eliminate the need for the added braking power...

Hmmmm, no matter how much I think ahead I cant seem to influence any of the other drivers on the road

As an aside is there any legal requirement for trailer brakes in the US? Down here in Australia if it weight 750kg or more (loaded or unloaded) then brakes are a legal requirement. Have an accident over this weight and have no brakes and you'll find your insurance is not valid and you could be charged with a criminal offence.

Cheers
Steve

[Larwyn]

I have been involved in several arguments on the legalities of trailer brakes, I'm done with that. I did not start this thread to argue the legal aspects, the logic, the physics or the personal feelings about whether or not teardrop trailers should have brakes. I am looking for examples, not opinions, beliefs and theories.


So far there have been close to 350 views of the this thread and no responses that actually demonstrate the effectiveness of trailer brakes in preventing a single teardrop trailer accident. Or contributing to the cause for that matter.

[Steve F]

I have been involved in several arguments on the legalities of trailer brakes, I'm done with that. I did not start this thread to argue the legal aspects, the logic, the physics or the personal feelings about whether or not teardrop trailers should have brakes. I am looking for examples, not opinions, beliefs and theories.


So far there have been close to 350 views of the this thread and no responses that actually demonstrate the effectiveness of trailer brakes in preventing a single teardrop trailer accident. Or contributing to the cause for that matter.

I'm not argueing about legal facts I'm asking a simple question, is there a legal requirement in the US for trailer brakes above a certain weight as there is here in Australia? Just curious. As for opinions beliefs and theories, if you not interested in close calls then this thread is just a waste of time. There are many instances where you can avoid an accident by taking a less likely yet still dangerous option, as in my case, where brakes may have made the whole thing a non issue.

It seems you have your opinion, and thats cool, dont run brakes if you dont want to, and I have mine Anyway I'll leave you thread alone now and let you get back to feeling comfortable that you're vehicle is as safe as it can be without brakes on the trailer

Cheers
Steve

[Yota Bill]

though not a teardrop (or even a TT), I have experienced 2 different situations involving a trailer, neither of which ended in any type of an accident (other then scaring the s#@t out of me)

first one, while driving an F250 and pulling a trailer with a Toyota mud truck on it, I was forced to do a very sudden stop. Slammed on the brakes, and came to a screeching hault, even though the trailers brakes were not functional at the time. I was also slightly veering off to the shoulder, expecting the worst, which didnt happen. No trailer brakes, a load much heavier then any teardrop, and it just came to a stop.
2nd instance, same tow vehicle (1976 F250) towing another guys trailer with his mud truck on it (3/4 ton Chevy) and the electrical connector was damaged so the brakes again were not functional. The truck on the trailer was sitting too far forward, which caused too much tongue weight, and as soon as I got to about 35-40 MPH, the trailer started swaying to the point it was taking up both lanes. Watching the trailer in the rearview mirror and hitting the tow vehicles brakes as the trailer swung back to center got the whole thing stopped without any issues.

In both cases, trailer brakes would not have prevented anything, though they would have helped with the "pucker factor". I am not saying I would not have prefered to have them functional in both cases, either.

[S. Heisley]

I'm not argueing about legal facts I'm asking a simple question, is there a legal requirement in the US for trailer brakes above a certain weight as there is here in Australia? Cheers
Steve

Steve, please look here:

http://www.towshop.com/trailer_suppleme ... g_laws.htm

Pardon us, Larwyn....On with your discussion....

[Larwyn]

I'm not argueing about legal facts I'm asking a simple question, is there a legal requirement in the US for trailer brakes above a certain weight as there is here in Australia? Cheers
Steve

Steve, please look here:

http://www.towshop.com/trailer_suppleme ... g_laws.htm

Pardon us, Larwyn....On with your discussion....

Thanks Sharon, I sent Steve a PM with the answer to some of his questions.

[bve]

I have been involved in several arguments on the legalities of trailer brakes, I'm done with that. I did not start this thread to argue the legal aspects, the logic, the physics or the personal feelings about whether or not teardrop trailers should have brakes. I am looking for examples, not opinions, beliefs and theories.


So far there have been close to 350 views of the this thread and no responses that actually demonstrate the effectiveness of trailer brakes in preventing a single teardrop trailer accident. Or contributing to the cause for that matter.

I'm not argueing about legal facts I'm asking a simple question, is there a legal requirement in the US for trailer brakes above a certain weight as there is here in Australia? Just curious. As for opinions beliefs and theories, if you not interested in close calls then this thread is just a waste of time. There are many instances where you can avoid an accident by taking a less likely yet still dangerous option, as in my case, where brakes may have made the whole thing a non issue.

It seems you have your opinion, and thats cool, dont run brakes if you dont want to, and I have mine Anyway I'll leave you thread alone now and let you get back to feeling comfortable that you're vehicle is as safe as it can be without brakes on the trailer

Cheers
Steve

Well said Steve, opinions other than the obvious opinion of Larwin are not welcomed. It seems only 350 views is all it takes to re-affirm his belief.

Unfortunately the question is flawed, after-all no-one can say with ANY degree of certainty if trailer brakes could have prevented any accident and that's fact (aside from the rear-end example). I also don't get the relevance of keeping it strictly constrained to Teardrops either.

A 1500lb TD being towed by a Toyota Prius vs a 1000lb TTT pulled by a Tundra are 2 completely different scenarios - brakes with the former would be a well considered option, where as the latter it would be of significantly less importance.

Every accident is a matter of circumstance, and each set of circumstances is different. In contrast to Larwin's comment I know of no accidents involving a Teardrop WITH brakes, therefore I conclude they must prevent accidents.

[madjack]

...I think this one has gone far enough...any points to be made to whoever they were meant to be made to have been made...and it ain't gonna get no better...this one's locked................
madjack