Good day guys, if our trucks are rated for 10000lbs +/-, at what point would you recommend to have assist brake. i have a 2010 cc and will be pulling a trailer weighting 5000lbs. should i be using assist brake. any input would be appreciated.

 

I just towed my 4000lb boat and trailer with about 1000lbs of gear 700 miles and had no brake assist. If all you are towing is 5000lbs I would worry about it. Now having said that if the trailer already has it then why not use it, more brakes is always a better thing!

 

5000lbs isn't too bad, but without trailer brakes its just that much harder on your truck brakes. If it has them use them. If not you should be fine, just allow a little extra stopping room. I towed a u-haul car trailer (surge brakes that didnt do crap) with a 98 mitsubishi eclipse...trying to stop for a quick red light in the rain was a nightmare.

just my .02

 

I would say anything over 4-5k lbs. needs a break assist. That's a lot of weight behind a 1/2 ton, and if you care about your truck and the safety of your family and others, get a break controller if not equipped.... they are great!

 

In MN you're required to have trailer brakes for anything over 3,000#. That just seems to make sense to me. As you approach 4-5,000# you're typically almost equaling the weight of the tow vehicle (a normal SUV or 1/2 ton truck). I doubt whether most tow vehicles' brakes are designed to handle double the normal vehicle weight, at least until you get to 3/4 or 1-ton trucks.

Rob

 

And all that aside, in an emergency/panic situation, I would not want to be without the trailer's brakes in addition to my own. Under normal, expected use, you can probably get away with only having to deal with the truck's brakes on an accelerated maintenance schedule, but in an emergency, it could mean the difference between a safe stop and much, much worse. Being a lifelong motorcycle rider, I've learned to plan and budget for the unexpected and haven't (thankfully) been caught unprepared for it (yet).