towing

Most small boat, snowmobile, and utility trailers don't have brakes here. There must be a weight limit.

I must be blind. I went through this thread post by post and can't find any reference except Michigan. Can you point me to it please? I want to make sure I am kosher.

Sorry I'm coming late to this party. Yes, I towed my 181G short a distance with a 2002 Jeep TJ (3300#), I was in a bind and had to bring it home, a distance of 80 miles. I Planned to travel on secondary roads, travel at about 30 mph and depend on my towing experience, not my best decision. I installed an old brake controller (turned all the way up, nonadjustable from the driver's seat) that had worked fine with an even heavier trailer towed by a 1973 Jeep CJ with a V8. (but that's another story)

No fun, two "white knuckle" stops, you see, I didn't plan on dealing with careless drivers that day. Started off in a light rain, the TJ pulled OK for 190 hp, we were going slow, but it felt "uncomfortable" during a medium to hard stop, seemed to "wander" slightly. The r.pod was new so it was completely empty, at about 2750#, and it still "manhandled" my TJ. On the two hard stops, it didn't "overwhelm" the brakes, but the front tires. The tires were Goodyear Wranglers, one size oversize and they had plenty of tread, so that wasn't the problem. The Jeep's front wheels would lock up just a split second after if I applied them, if I was too "aggressive". I guess as the trailer brakes were applied it shifted additional tongue weight on the Jeep's hitch. The additional tongue weight would then unload the front axle allowing the wheels to lock up, obviously a marginal condition existed even without the brakes applied. I think it would have been worse if the Jeep wasn't a manual transmission or had a longer ball mount. I have come to the conclusion that it's not just the trailer weight or tongue weight we need to be concerned about, but how our particular vehicle handles the change in tongue weight during a stop without a WDH.

Newer Jeep two doors, JKs, weigh about 500# more, have a longer wheelbase, and disc brakes on the rear too, but are still rated at the same 2000#. After my experience with "short wheelbase" vehicles, I'm not sure I would feel entirely comfortable towing my 181G with the even the longer wheelbase, Wrangler Unlimited 4 door.    

Pod a terre you are correct. Legal is fine, civil is a different story.

Originally posted by Keith-N-Dar Most small boat, snowmobile, and utility trailers don't have brakes here. There must be a weight limit. I must be blind. I went through this thread post by post and can't find any reference except Michigan. Can you point me to it please? I want to make sure I am kosher.

No problem.  It blends in with the rest of the post.  Here it is, but you will have to copy and paste it.  I am sure there are several more sites with the same information, but this is the first one I saw.
http://www.boatwheels.biz/brakelaws.pdf

Bob

Originally posted by Pod-a-terre Sleepless; It is my understanding that as long as you are legal in the state you are licensed in and tagged in the you are ok  in the other states. Just like if you had a class A that required a modified CDL in your state you would be legal to drive it in the rest of the country. That is my understanding otherwise you would be basically state bound to your state.

My expertise in in Federal law, so I based my comment only on a limited experience with state laws.  Normally if you are outside your home state, the laws, ordinances, etc. of the state you are entering apply.  Examples are speed limits, load limits, making right turns on a red traffic signal, and so forth.  It stands to reason (this is only my opinion) that the same applies to trailer requirements such as safety chains, break-away switches, fenders, working brakes, license plate lights and other similar items.

Some states have reciprocal agreements with neighboring states on carrying firearms and other non-vehicular matters, but I am not aware of any states having reciprocal agreements regarding trailer requirements.

Again, this is only my personal opinion, based on my limited knowledge and experience in the issue.  I do know that once when I lost a fender on a small utility trailer, I received a warning notice from a local municipality in another state.  In that instance, local jurisdiction had the authority even though several other states at the time did not require fenders on small trailers. 

Personally, I believe that most new travel trailers meet the safety standards of all the states, but not always.  One exception that we are all aware of is the exterior light recall of our older R-Pods.  Technically, I am breaking the law by towing my pod until the lights are installed.  But that is another story.

Bob