[p]I'm picking up my new Quicksilver 10.0 tomorow morning from my dealer in Quebec.
I was reading a other post and I'm starting to be scrared. My new 10.0 is not equiped with brakes.
I didn't think that in some states trailer home needed brakes on a 1000 lbs trailer.
Did someone already got stop or had a ticket because of this? I dont want to spend the extra money to have brake installed.
I already reserved for 5 days in North Carolina for this summer & from what I read I would be illegal.
Thanks for sharing your opinions with me.
Kinyo [/p]
First I heard of this. I do not have breaks on my 10.0 and do not plan on adding them. If you feel safer with breaks go for it. The dealer and the mfg have told me it is not necessary but that it is up to me. I always leave plenty of room in front of me and I would do the same weather I had breaks or not. I'm willing to listen to others here.
Ron
Legalities aside, whether you need brakes or not depends on how much your trailer weighs and how much your tow vehicle weighs. The lower the ratio of TV weight to trailer weight, the longer it will take to stop in an emergency without brakes on the trailer.
My personal rule of thumb is the tow vehicle should weigh at least 3 times the trailer weight for no brakes. If you load your new QS to 1,300 lbs (a not unreasonable number) then your tow vehicle should have a weight of 3 times 1,300 lbs or more than 3,900 lbs. Almost all small to mid size SUVs meet that criteria.
Why the 3 x rule? Well assume that you can stop in 150' from a speed of 60 mph with no trailer. If your trailer barely meets the criteria above you will stop in about 200' with it. That seems reasonable. But if your TV weighs only twice what the trailer weighs you will stop in 225'. That is getting too long for me.
Send me a PM and I will explain the physics behind this.
David
It will also depend on the brakes on your TV. I've driven a Toyota Highlander that stopped slow without tow, and my Subaru Outback stops much better because it has larger disks in proportion to the car weight. Even with trailer brakes, you'll want to be more cautious. I tow my QS10 behind my Outback in NC without trailer brakes.
With regard to laws that vary from place to place, my observation is that some laws/regulations are quite old and when they were written they related to specific circumstances -- ones that may no long apply quite as universally. These kinds of laws tend not to be enforced across the board either. Here in Prince Edward Island it is actually legal for someone to be inside a moving trailer. When the regulation was written there would have been no travel trailers. The majority of trailers would have been farm related, say wagons pulled behind a Model T pickup truck or something. The regulation no doubt was intended to allow farmers to move labourers between fields and things like that. The regulation is still on the books. Now if I loaded a group of kids into the back of my Camplite and proceeded to drive around town you can bet I'd get stopped by the police (or other observers - like a citizens arrest) and get a major tongue lashing. If I received a ticket it would likely be for dangerous driving or something generic like that -- and not for transporting the Pee-wee team in the trailer because that is technically legal. I have no doubt they'd find a way to stop me - as they should!
In places where trailer brakes are required, again the laws are likely very old. Whoever wrote the legislation likely hadn't considered small campers and tiny suburban utility trailers. I'd suggest a large transport trailer without brakes will certainly get a ticket - as they should! On the other hand I'd highly doubt the non-resident tourist with his or her tiny camper would ever see the law enforced. It looks like a resident in NC wouldn't see it enforced either: I just checked the website of a Quicksilver dealer in North Carolina. The 10's they were selling do not have brakes identified in their specifications.
[quote source="/post/9960/thread" timestamp="1429972404" author="Rongee"][div][/div]I will say that anyone pulling a tailor, breaks or no breaks, should drive with caution and always allow extra room in front of you.
[/quote][font size="3"]Tailor? Ouch. That hurts.
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Thanks for your opinion everybody. I pick up my 10.0 yesterday and the 350 Km return trip went really smooth!
With an average of 26.9 mpg at 60 mph.
Here is my rig!
[attachment id="802" thumbnail="1"]
Kinyo
I know you are in QC, but if your axle has square 4 bolt flanges on it already adding electric brakes is not that expensive...Around $100 USD for the pair of assemblies http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes-sf-Electric_Drum_Brakes.aspx. If you don't have the flanges you need a different Dexter axle or have hydraulic surge brakes installed.
If you get electric brakes you would also need a brake controller installed along with a universal 7Pin/4Pin plug. My install for that was around $450 USD
I actually purchased a 2006 QS 10 that has Surge brakes. At this time I do not believe they function, so I will be getting them serviced before we plan a trip out of state. Surge Brakes are what you see a lot on boat trailers and rental equipment trailers as the actuator is built into the tongue, so as the trailer senses your tow vehicle stopping it engages the hydraulic surge brakes. I've heard that they work fine, if they work.
Most people on here say they don't need brakes on their Quicksilver campers. I haven't towed many trailers, so I may either leave mine like it is with surge brakes, take them off or convert to electric brakes once I learn how the camper responds as well as how my TV brakes start wearing. I have a good gauge currently as i've not had to get any brakes on my TV yet and dealer says they don't have a lot of wear even at 40K miles.
[quote source="/post/10124/thread" timestamp="1430314147" author="@hiker74"]Kinyo
Most people on here say they don't need brakes on their Quicksilver campers. I haven't towed many trailers, so I may either leave mine like it is with surge brakes, take them off or convert to electric brakes once I learn how the camper responds as well as how my TV brakes start wearing. I have a good gauge currently as i've not had to get any brakes on my TV yet and dealer says they don't have a lot of wear even at 40K miles.
[/quote][font size="3"]A few comments on surge vs electric brakes. Surge brakes are used on boat trailers because the are constantly getting wet. Electric brakes don't like repeated dunking. Surge brakes are also used on rental trailers because most customers don't have brake controllers installed.
Electric brakes are superior for travel trailer towing. The cab mounted controller provides the ability to adjust and test the brakes anytime and under any varying road, weather, or load conditions. But most important, the electric controller allows manual brake application if sway develops or under steep decent. With surge brake you're at the mercy of several conditions you can't control. Modern electric brake controllers do an excellent job of sensing vehicle deceleration and applying brakes proportionally.
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I fully support Charlie's views above. I have used both types. Surge brakes inherently apply about half of the stopping force that electric brakes apply (if set up properly) in a panic stop. It is basic physics again ;-).
Having said that, surge brakes are all hydraulic and should be more robust and forgiving of neglect than electric brakes. That is why they are used on boat trailers that get dunked frequently.
But electric brakes have proven themselves in RV trailer use.
I would consider surge brakes in a situation where the TV is below 3 times the trailer's weight and up to about 1.5:1. At that point and below you need the stopping power of electric brakes.
My 2013 Pathfinder pulling a 14 TBS is about 1.5:1 and I am glad I have electric brakes.
David