Towing a camper with our Class A

BirchyBoy · 01-09-2018, 07:26 PM

Hi all. We're headed to Phoenix in March and are caravanning with some family members. One is driving his Wrangler; the other is driving his Ridgeline with a 14' hybrid camper behind him. I'm thinking of offering to pull his camper, which weighs 2,200lbs, so he and his wife can have a more enjoyable drive. I was concerned about not having a brake controller but I'm not sure I need one. We pulled the wife's Lexus hybrid (3,300 lbs) on a Uhaul dolly, and I don't believe they have any brakes, do they? I looked at the specs and didn't see anything about electric brakes.

BTW, we have a '17 Winnie Vista which is 32' long. I know the chassis is wired, but would not likely have to use the controller again.

JBP · 01-10-2018, 06:40 AM

Birchboy what is your class A?
Different states have different laws about aux braking on tows. The type or size of the tow vehicle doesn't make any difference in regard to the law.
To be safe and to follow most States laws you probably should have an auxiliary braking system on any towed vehicle. I know weight has something to do with it in some states.
I used a aux system.
Does the trailer have brakes?

Rogh · 01-10-2018, 06:49 AM

The U-Haul dollies that I looked at did have brakes built into the dolly. Much like bigger boat trailers do. Agree each state is different on the towing with brake laws.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 01-10-2018, 11:20 AM

BirchyBoy-

On a newer coach, such as yours, an electric brake controller installation should be plug-and-play. If your friend has an aftermarket brake controller you could take the controller out of his truck and temporarily install it in your coach. You'd need to purchase the correct adapter cable to match the controller to your coach's plug-and-play wiring. You'd also have to buy or borrow a suitable umbilical cable to connect coach and trailer (your friend's cable may work as-is). Neither of these should be expensive or difficult to obtain.

BirchyBoy · 01-10-2018, 02:45 PM

Thanks everyone. Our RV is a '17 Winnie Vista, 32' long. His trailer does have brakes. I'll talk with him before I go out and buy a controller.