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Originally Posted by DocMike
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My questions are: Is there a weight ratio of RV to Toad that dictates the need for a breaking system? Is it the law to have a breaking System for the Toad? Is it a safety issues? My Kia weighs in at just over 2400lbs?
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In Texas I rented small U-Haul trailers in the past with loaded weigh rating up to 2,000 pounds that didn't have surge brakes. The larger tandem axle trailers did have brakes. Anyway, a 2,000-pound GVWR trailer behind my 3,500-pound pickup was legal at the time, and didn't feel that unsafe to me as long as I took much longer stopping distance into account. And no doubt it would make a great difference in stopping distance -- extending over 50% based on weight alone.
Some would argue that extending stopping distance by 50% is unsafe in itself, and it's a valid point of view. On the other hand motorhomes in general don't stop as quickly as sports cars, so if unsafe to stop longer than 120 feet from 60 MPH, not many motorhomes would qualify as safe.
You are correct that proportionally speaking, that same 2,000-pound trailer behind a 12,000-pound motorhome would make much less of a difference, and behind a 40,000-pound DP even less.
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