I have a 4.5 Blue Fin Barracuda with a Dunbier trailer that is fitted with brakes. I'm wondering if the brakes are necessary? A mate has the exact same boat and his trailer is not fitted with brakes. If they are not needed when they are due to be replaced I'll just get rid of them, or is it not that easy?
Can't hurt to have em there but if the whole package fully loaded is under 750kg you don't need the brakes
Load it up and weigh it
Hey,
If your trailer has brakes, chances are the ATM is over 750kg. If that's the case, you can't simply remove the brakes legally. By law, you must have brakes on the trailer as it's rating is over 750kg, even if you think your package is under that weight.
Only way to know for sure is to take it and weigh it.
I'd bet your mates trailer is illegal to not have brakes.
Darren
G'day,
Take the advice given in earlier posts.
I will add the risk dimension.
If your car has an unbraked trailer mass of less than 750Kg then score a big point for the dealer who sold you the BMT with trailer brakes. He knew you would have to have a braked trailer.
If you are confident that you can bring the unbraked towing mass of you BMT - fully loaded - under the unbraked limit of the towing vehicle you could consider ditching the trailer brakes, but why would you? They add an extra layer of safety. It's like the ABS braking system in your car. Why would you disable it?
The only condition that I would warn of is if the BMT trailer brakes are locking and causing the BMT to overtake the towing vehicle under hard braking there is a problem with the GTM of the trailer and the trailer configuration.
The risk is that any of these conditions could result in a crash and any non-compliance could void your insurance on the BMT, your car and whatever you hit.
Get the whole thing weighed and come back to us or just leave it as is if it works OK.
Regards,
White Pointer
Last edited by White Pointer; 03-03-2011 at 10:09 PM. Reason: strange dashes and dots!
Don't forget the brake can be handy for keeping your trailer in position when it's not attached to the car, particularly on a slope. It's sort of like having chocks for both wheels that you can manipulate using a handle up near the front of the trailer!!! Plus you can ease the brakes off when doing some manual moving of the BMT down a sloping driveway. Just don't snap a brake cable like I did once - then it becomes all about steering a runaway train/boat!
As far as legality goes, as has been said already, you need to weigh your loaded BMT (and check the plate on your trailer) as well as know the legal tow weights of your car (especially the unbraked trailer mass).
cheers.
Jono.
In NSW the 750Kg cut off does NOT include the weight on the towball so your rig could weigh all up 800Kg or more & still be legal.
(Not sure about the QLD regs on this)
Originally Posted by Fed
Oh be so careful with this. Trailer would still need brakes
That's my interpretation of the regs Comorant but I'm all ears if you know something different.
If you take the brakes off you'll have to get it re-assessed for registration purposes otherwise you might get a defect notice for not having brakes....and the rego is a lot cheaper with no brakes.
But if you need them...you need them. Simple as that.
So first thing is to weigh your boat and trailer with all the bits and pieces in it.
2nd step would be to see if your car can legally tow that weight un-braked..and then take it from there.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Having done this before I can tell you that is the best way to get siezed on brakes. Never use the handbrake except for short periods during launch and retrieve ifyou want a bit of extra security.
Thanks everyone for your replies. My ute can tow 750kg unbraked and 1800 braked. Not sure of the total weight but with a full tank of fuel it may be close to 750kg. I'll have a look at the plate on the trailer and on the boat. By the sound of it I might just leave it as the factory intended.
I agree with your first sentence Camhawk, and I should have been less ambiguous in my post. I would only leave the bmt parked on a slope using the brakes for a very short time. In my case, it's usually while I wash it if I also had to move the car for some reason. Once it's done, I will man handle it down the short (not very steep) driveway and store it on the flat with the brake completely off. If I had to park the BMT on the slope for an extended time (more than a day), I'd be using chocks and have the brake off.
I'm not sure about using the brake during launch and retrieve...it sounds interesting, but how does it help?
cheers.
Jono.
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