Trailer Brakes Do I need it ?

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by captpete13

hey Destroyer I got one that should get you fired up. At the marina I work at there are 6 trailers that we use for hauling boats. Only one, the biggest one, has brakes that work. Every fall and spring I haul almost 150 boats mostly to and from our inside storage facility which is over 7 miles from the marina. Usually if the boat is over 30' it goes on the trailer with brakes. But that trailer is also the tallest and we are restricted to 13'9" due to a low bridge close by. So sometimes even the 30'+ boats go on the trailer without brakes. I drive with common sense and keep plenty of room between me and the car in front of me.

Ummm... well, that's good Pete, but I used to live in So. Toms River (right on the Beachwood border) and know a lot of
the streets in the general area. (I'm not a BENNY) They're filled with vacationers, kids, people walking their dogs, etc., and a lot of the streets don't have sidewalks, so ppl walk in the street. So the plenty of room you keep in front of you if fine... right up until the point that some kid darts into the street after a ball or something.

I've seen a lot of people pull trailers without breaks in my day in that area,
and truthfully I've pulled a lot of them myself. That didn't make it any safer for me than for anyone else.

But I think you misunderstand me here. I really don't get fired up about stuff like this. I'd like to think of it more in the vein of a teacher trying to teach a lesson for some of the younger guys that are just getting into boating and think they can pull a 2 1/2 ton load at 55 and stop on a dime without anything happening. The plain truth of the matter is that the laws of mass and inertia don't care what kind of a vehicle you are using to tow. It's still going to take a longer distance to stop then you would be able to normally. And braking distance aside, the brakes on a trailer help keep your trailer from fishtailing or jackknifing in a panic stop. Can you tow safely without brakes on a trailer? Of course you can.... if you keep a safe following distance, and are mindful of changing road conditions, etc.
The problem is, most people aren't, or they get lulled into a false sense of safety over the length of a long trip. To me, trailering without brakes is like going boating without any safety equipment aboard. Can you do it? Of course. But to me, knowing that I have life jackets, fire extinguishers, etc. on hand is well worth the piece of mind.

God forbid anyone here should get into a situation (and it only takes one) where they need to stop in a hurry and cannot. Is anyone here willing to risk the life of some kid because they felt that the upkeep of brakes on their trailer was just too much trouble? How do you face the parents of the kid you just killed and tell them it wasn't your fault? How do you live with yourself? Like I said, to me it's a no brainer.. brakes are simply a piece of safety equipment, just like life jackets, radios, flares, distress signals, etc etc etc. I won't go boating without any of them.

PS.. for those that don't know what a BENNY is, see the BENNY post.

[captpete13]

Geez Capt. buzzkill. I'm just messing with you. I understand the importance of brakes too. Being a Benny (which if you wern't born here you are) has nothing to do with it.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by captpete13

Geez Capt. buzzkill. I'm just messing with you. I understand the importance of brakes too. Being a Benny (which if you wern't born here you are) has nothing to do with it.

LOL Pete. I love to turn tables on ppl. Looks like you're the one that got fired up. I'm just messing with you also. It's all good.

I totally disagree with you on the Benny qualifications though. To me anyone that lives in that area, buys a house and raises 2 kids through high school while there qualifies as a local. It's true, I'm a Benny now, since I don't live down there anymore, (Gotta go where the business and the jobs take you <sigh>) but I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could. I love that area, even with the Benny invasion every summer. You could find me at Betty & Nicks or the North jetty almost every night and at about 4am on most any weekend. God I miss it.

[spareparts]

I'm a little late in this thread. So I'll give my opinion. I have yet to see a set of drum brakes that will last down here, even with flushing every time, for more than one season. I used to work at the local SeaRay dealership, we had so many problems(40-50 a year) with easy loader trailers having the brakes lock up, we switched to shorelander with disc. If your drum brakes aren't locking up, then they probably aren't applying. We had over 30 yard trailers to handle anything from a 14' Sea Raider, to 40' Sundacer(fun loading that one at the ramp). We took the brakes off of every trailer that had drum brakes. The only way you can fix drum brakes in salt is with a torch, just cut em off. BTW, most brake manufactures offer no warranty if you are using them in salt water.The disc didn't have that much problem, they will lock up with no load on them, if your brakes are too big for the load or your using too small of a tire, they can lock up, also check you axle weight if you have a tandem. we had some that the piston would stick, but we were usually able to break it loose and get it rolling. If you have repeated issues with a single wheel locking up, even after replacing the caliper, check the brake lines, I've seen them fail, allowing fluid to apply, but letting it bleed off. Don't use hard brake line, use hte flexable, the hard line can get dented or creased, acting like a check valve. Make sure your master cylinder is functioning properlly as well. As far as legalities go, some states outlaw surge type brakes of any type, all trailer brakes must be controlable inside the tow vehicle, can you imagine electric brakes in salt? I've seen a bunch in freash water and they are bad enough

[SkunkBoat]

HAHAHAHA ...you're from Wayne....YOU ARE A BENNY!!!!

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by SkunkBoat

HAHAHAHA ...you're from Wayne....YOU ARE A BENNY!!!!

Ummmm...didn't I just say that? Quote: "It's true, I'm a Benny now, since I don't live down there anymore" unquote

LOL...The difference, Skunk, is that when I was living down there I was a poor to moderate income local, now I'm a moderate to upper middle class benny. Truthfully, I do miss the shore, but I don't miss not having enough money to pay my bills. Not for one split second.

[captpete13]

I was once told by an old timer that would frequent a marina that I used to work at who was told by Charles Hankins himself that if you are not born on the shore then you are never a local. I personally am not as strict. If that were the case than even I being born and raised in Freehold but living in Toms River since 1996 would be a benny. I consider a benny anyone who does not currently live on the jersey shore. Not that I put you in the same category as "snookie" or "the situation". They are the real bennys. But you are still one too,just a little less of one.

[bradford]

My Fred Flintstone brakes work great, even in saltwater.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by captpete13

I was once told by an old timer that would frequent a marina that I used to work at who was told by Charles Hankins himself that if you are not born on the shore then you are never a local. I personally am not as strict. If that were the case than even I being born and raised in Freehold but living in Toms River since 1996 would be a benny. I consider a benny anyone who does not currently live on the jersey shore. Not that I put you in the same category as "snookie" or "the situation". They are the real bennys. But you are still one too,just a little less of one.

I completely agree with you and your implied defination. I believe that anyone that owns a house and lives in it there at the shore for any length of time is a local. To me, Benny's are ppl that vacation at the shore during the summer. I lived in STR from 1969 to 1980. While I was there I considered myself a local. When I moved from there (even thought I still owned the house in STR) I became a Benny again since I no longer lived there. My comment about not being a Benny was in the context of implying that I knew the back roads, the general condition of same and who and what you could expect to find on them at any given time of the day or night.

I have a brain, so I don't watch snookie or the situation (whatever that is). Reality TV isn't. It's staged, poorly scripted, poorly acted melo-drama. In short, it's evening soap opera and I have better things to do with my time.

By the way, I haven't been in that area for a while. Do you know, did they ever find a new place for the museum for Mr. Hankins boats and displays?

[nymack66]

Update , I went Boating this weekend, Low and behold on our way back on the SR 528 two accidents, Pathfinder rolled over and another car ended up in the bushes.
FHP decided the block the road as I was approaching, I was driving along flowing with traffic at yea close to 65 MPH but in the process of slowing down.
Traffic came to a abrupt halt as he step out to shutdown the highway, needless to say I forced to apply my Brakes to avoid a collision.
SUV directly behind tires were smoking before it came to a stop. The Trooper and him was exchanging words from the looks of it it was not kind words.
My Truck, 5 Adults and lord knows the load in the bed came to a graceful stop. I felt the trailer brakes working perfectly like it should.
I think I have adequate brakes..My nickname is not REDUNDANT~SEA for nothing...

I will keep my eyes on the current ones if excessive corrosion I will replace with a better quality in the future.
I am using my pressure washer to clean her up also after my trip.