Anyone get stopped at the huge MD DOT ckeckpoint today?

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by herler

They make those trailers without brakes for good reason, it costs close to what the trailer is worth and it only adds maybe 10 percent more brake to your rig.
80 percent of our stopping power is in the truck's front two tires, when we step on the brakes ALL our weight shifts to the front and no matter
how many brakes get put in back, it is still the weight bearing down on the front that makes two wheels carry almost the entire responsibility.
Ultimately it's about making sure we have enough space in front to stop.

I've pulled a 7,000 pound travel trailer that had 4 wheel brakes. It makes a significant difference over 2 wheel brakes on a tandem axle trailer.

[Bashby]

Originally Posted by Richard Martin

I've pulled a 7,000 pound travel trailer that had 4 wheel brakes. It makes a significant difference over 2 wheel brakes on a tandem axle trailer.

+1 for trailer brakes, the weight of the trailer wont transfer to the front of the truck as much as it will push forward on thne tow vehicle. I used to tow a 5x10 box trailer with a couple motorcycles and gear that weighed around 2500 gross. Towed with a 98 cherokee. I added brakes to the trailer and the difference was huge. IIRC it only cost about $250 to add brakes to the trailer, got the parts from Northern tools. That does not include the brake controller.

[orangemower]

Originally Posted by herler

They make those trailers without brakes for good reason, it costs close to what the trailer is worth and it only adds maybe 10 percent more brake to your rig.
80 percent of our stopping power is in the truck's front two tires, when we step on the brakes ALL our weight shifts to the front and no matter
how many brakes get put in back, it is still the weight bearing down on the front that makes two wheels carry almost the entire responsibility.
Ultimately it's about making sure we have enough space in front to stop.

I already know all this. I spent most of my life working on autos. ASE certified tech. Having brakes on a single axle trailer will help considerably if the trailer is loaded. Having brakes on a trailer will lessen the amount transferred to the front of the tow vehicle. I've pulled dozens of trailers with brakes. You can all but stop the tow vehicle without touching the brake pedal, depending on the trailer.

[orangemower]

Originally Posted by Greenery

Why are the regulations crap?

What's the big deal about being in the 10,001-26,000 range?
There's really not that much more to comply with compared to what your running. You're probably gonna get pulled into those type of checkpoints anyways.
Posted via Mobile Device

Why? Because The weight limits are stupid. I can't use a 3/4 ton truck with a gross over 6500lbs when all I'm doing is cutting grass. Same with the trailer. I'm limited to a 3500lb gross just to keep from having to log all my working hours, have flairs, a reflective triangle, fire extinguisher, medical card. It's a bunch of crap to deal with just to cut grass. If the DOT would bump the weight to 17K it would make it better for most guys that just cut grass and other maintenance jobs.