Originally Posted by DutchmenSport
Invariably, there is someone who makes a post on this, and other RV related forums, asking the question, "Can my truck tow (this) or (that)?"
And what follows is a discussion that often leaves the original poster frustrated because he is not accepting the answers to justify his under-par vehicle for the trailer in question.
And all too often, such bull-headedness results in a post 3 months later stating, "I just purchased a heftier tow vehicle." Often times, these posts are made by folks wanting a "daily driver" more than a tow vehicle.
I have repeatedly made this statement:
“You really need to think in terms of what is the ultimate extreme usage you'll be experiencing with your tow vehicle, not what is the lightest usage and hope it's OK when the extreme happens."
Well, the extreme happened to me last week, and these words kept echoing through my mind which made me glad, and thankful, I bit the bullet on the cost of a dually, the cost of diligent upkeep, and the cost of simple operation.
We left Central Indiana, Friday Sept 17 for a KOA South of Chicago where we spent the first night of our current journey. The second night (Saturday night) we stayed at another KOA in Wisconsin. By now we were over 400 miles from home.
When we pulled out Sunday morning, we hadn't traveled more than 3 miles when I realized there were no trailer brakes. Of course my wife and I had a very diligent and serious discussion about how to handle the problem. I decided to keep driving the additional 250 (plus) miles to make it to Baraga State Park in Michigan .... without trailer brakes.
This was Sunday and we had a week long reservation for this State Park. Rather than going to another campground for an indefinite length of time to get the truck repairs was, well, ... simply not an option.
Three things were now in our favor.... first ... I know my trailer. Second I know my truck. Third, I know my driving skills.
Yes, the front tires of the truck skidded a couple times when I attempted to stop too hard and too fast. Under normal conditions with trailer brakes, a second incident would have not been an incident at all, but a stop light turned red faster than expected causing another squeel from the tires. But all was well.
I must attribute the successful arrival at Baraga, Michigan on my truck. A smaller, lighter, 4 wheeled vehicle could have never extremely challeng to brake for truck and 14,000 pound trailer in tow. Careful driving, slowing down far, far ahead of turns, stops, and exchanges paid off, making the actual "braking" a very short distance. I know drivers behind me were probably annoyed. But one thing I noticed about Michigan .... folks here are really nice! No one honked at me, gave me the middle finger, cut me off in a rage, or yelled obscenities at me when they passed. .... Dang, I wish people in Indiana were this nice.
So, we got the trailer parked at the State Park and Monday morning we found a GM dealership that could service the truck. The appointment was Thursday at 8:00 am and we had to get out of bed at 5:00 am to make the drive. All worked out well.
It turned out to be the trailer brake relay that's located near the rear axle. I'm glad it wasn't the integrated brake controller, or something worse. $280 and 1 and 1/2 hours after we arrived, we were on our way back to Baraga.
We leave Baraga on Sunday for Wilderness State Park in Michigan on Sunday for our second week.
So, in this case .... bigger is better. Bigger paid off. Bigger got the job done. Bigger proved to the right choice in 2014 when we purchased the truck!
I share this ramble with everyone to seriously consider, how would you handle your trailer if it lost all brakes and you were a few hundred miles from home. Hopefully, your tow vehicle is hefty enough to brake for both truck and trailer, and hopefully your driving skills will proved to be excellent!
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