[rstaichi]

I have to go down to California and help my mom move back here. I guess I need to tow her car (Subaru station wagon) on a car trailer back.

My question is, do these have trailer brakes on them? I don't have a brake set up, the only thing I tow is my #3500 trailer with no brakes.

Any advice or answers?
Thanks

 

[Texascadillac42]

If you are talkin about renting a trailer from U-haul or something like that, then yes it will have brakes on at least one axle. They are almost always hydraulic surge brakes.

 

[NickKent]

and they almost always don't work that well. Uhaul brakes that is. I would put aside some time to adjust the brakes on the trailer if you get one. It is pretty straight forward.

 

[SmokeyWren]

[ QUOTE ]
My question is, do these have trailer brakes on them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Almost all rental single-car hauler trailers will have surge brakes. You don't need a brake controller in the pickup. All you need is a receiver hitch with a ball on a drawbar (ball mount) that has the correct drop to make the trailer perfectly level (front to rear) when loaded and hooked up to your pickup.

So the first step is to load the car on the trailer while the trailer is hooked up to the pickup. Pull the car up far enough on the trailer to result in at least 10 percent of the gross trailer weight on the hitch. If the loaded trailer is not level, then change the drawbar to one with a different drop.

After you are loaded with the proper drawbar so the loaded trailer is level, and with the car tied down to the trailer really good, then find a deserted road and do a simulated "panic" stop from your intended towing speed. If the rig stops okay, you're set to begin the trip. If not ...

 

[69grandecj]

Good info. Thanks

 

[rstaichi]

thanks

 

[Sydwayz]

If you are renting from U-hual, here are my tips from experience:

1. Demand a new style aluminum trailer, and not one of the older painted orange steel trailers. The older steel trailers are beaten to hell, and are mostly kept for local, not one way rentals because of this.

2. Get a full trailer, not a tow dolly. Tow dollys suck.

3. Load the car on the trailer BACKWARDS, unless you are pulling a convertible. (Convertibles are only designed to be waterproof going forward at speed, not backward. Found this out the hard way when I bought a 'vert Camaro for a friend.)

The U-hual trailers are designed to tie the car down using the forward most wheels/tires being ALL THE WAY at the front of the trailer. (They come with wheel straps). This will drastically increase your tongue weight to the point of being unsafe for travel. If you load the vehicle backwards, you will put the heaviest weight of the car; the engine over the wheels of the trailer, and the whole balance of the trailer will ride SO much better. Trust me on this one.

If you are going to provide your own ratchet straps to a U-hual trailer, you can place the car on the trailer however you like, and do not have to drive all the way to the front, but be aware that there are little to no places to fasten a ratchet strap to the trailer without going around somthing.

4. Definately only load and unload when attached to the truck, and double check the coupler latch tightness several time before and after this process. (U-hual uses a hand torque down latch that works well, but needs to be checked a couple times.)

I have rented several U-hual car trailers to the point I should own one for myself. Every one that I have rented had great brakes (surge type). Now the trailer light wiring... that's another story.