Trailer Brakes - when are they needed

At what weight would trailer brakes normally be needed? I have a Tacoma pick-up with a 4.0L V6. I'm looking to tow a 17'8" Skeeter. I'd estimate the weight of the boat, trailer, motor, fuel ,etc. to be about 2,600 - 2,700#. The truck probably weighs a little over 4,000#.

Welcome to TFF, AZ.

When the trailer pushes you through an intersection is a good indicator.

I'm sure someone has a trailer weight/vehicle weight formula somewhere. But it all depends upon your truck brakes. For instance, the old Jeep Grand Cherokees had BAD brakes, when it came to towing. They are better now..but still not up to snuff. I would be hesitant to pull a 21 foot bay boat with my Jeep and no trailer brakes. The 17 foot Skeeter that I pull is bad enough.

Brakes on the trailer help it to track behind the tow vehicle when braking through a curve on wet pavement. It is not a good thing to be able to see the outboard out of your side window going as fast or faster than you are.

Oldfrog,
I take it you pull your 17' Skeeter without trailer brakes. Is that correct? Have you had any nervous situations due to limited braking?
AZbassdog

I currently pull about 3000 lbs behind a Sport Trac and have never had a problem. I used to pull it behind a full size truck most of the time. The only time I have had a problem was a panic stop on wet pavement. Just be careful when it rains. Most states have regulations. I think that California is one of the toughest with a 33% of vehicle weight requirement. They also require safety chains to have a locking type clip and not just a loop type hook.

By the way the Ca. regs. apply to out of staters too. The only way I know about them is because some magazine(may have been Bass & Walleye Boats) had an article.

Texas law is over 4000 lb you need trailer brakes.

They are a good idea on any trailer but I pulled a 12,000 lb gooseneck thousands of miles with no trailer brakes behind a 3/4 ton with no issues.

Correct. Only once that really got my attention.

I have better brakes on this Grand Cherokee than on the last one.

I'm pretty cautious when I pull a boat anyway. I dont follow anyone too close and try to anticipate my stops much earlier than normal.

It's when something causes me to stop suddenly that the pucker factor kicks in. ( like a dog running across the road)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to try it without the brakes. The salesman also recommended this.