Surge brakes are brakes. But they rely on the slowing of the tow vehicle - however a surge braked trailer, properly configured, should not “shove” a tow vehicle because the actuator is in the hitch and that much pressure would lock up the trailer brakes. Something is not properly configured there, but that’s besides the point.
I wouldn’t tow a conventional trailer with a wrangler. I have towed my bockmann with a v6 wrangler unlimited and it was fine, but that is a specialty trailer.
Nope. I have owned a lot of Jeeps and currently have a Wrangler. A Liberty or Grand Cherokee maybe but never a Wrangler. Too short. Too light. Tail wagging the dog comes to mind.
Yes, surge brakes are brakes - and they work very well when operating properly. Our boat trailer has them, as does my Brenderup.
technically, surge brakes are hydraulic while brenderup/bockmann brakes are mechanically actuated. The principle is the same, however.
the OP wrote that she has a 4door Wrangler, so everybody who is talking about the vehicle to short doesn’t know what a 4door is. I had one and I towed my Boeckmann with it for 2 years without any problems… Not sure about a stock trailer though because they are not as well balanced and throw the car around quite a bit… Before I got my Boeckman we rented a Stocktrailer once so I know what I am talking about. OP you should have asked before you bought the Stocktrailer… The car could work, but with another trailer…
Yes I do know how short of a wheel base they have and no way in hell would I tow a horse with it. Well unless you don’t like your horse or your Jeep very much- then by all means have at it.
Ok now that everybody got started with the short wheelbase… maybe look it up in the Internet…somehow in the internet it doesn’t look that short. The Grand Cherokee has a shorter one… just saying…
And as I said I towed my Boeckmann for 2 years without feeling unsafe… i even had friends riding in the car with me who were amazed how well it worked… But the Boeckman is very different from a Stocktrailer
It’s too damned short to tow a stock trailer with, that’s for sure. We lost a friend when her trailer turned her Durango over on the freeway. The wheelbase would be approximately equivalent.
The Boeckmann is an entirely different beast. She doesn’t have one of those, though.
Huh??? Where did I say that I would tow with a Grand Cherokee either? You understand what wheelbase is right? And why it’s important?
I’ve hauled all over this country in everything from a 2H BP to a 6H head to head GN with my own personal horses and professionally. And in no way would I think a small SUV is an appropriate tow vehicle.
I bow my head for your experience… Yes I know what a wheelbase is… I lived in Germany until I was 50. I got my drivers license with 18 since then I hauled horses with sedans and later with a SUV (in the early days we did not have SUVs) And everybody else was doing the same thing… There were no trucks in Germany. But as I said, it depends on the trailer. German trailers are designed for these cars…
The Durango wheelbase is longer than either a grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. The Durango is 5" longer in the wheelbase, which is actually a pretty big difference.
For example, the Sequoia is often touted as being an acceptable vehicle to tow a small trailer with, that is only 2" longer in the wheelbase than a Durango.
I can’t say I have tons of experience driving in Europe, but with what experience I do have there, it seems pretty different. I will amend my statement and say for typical driving in the US (where you have an excellent chance of a semi flying past you at 75 MPH or having to cross a long, open bridge with high wind shear) most SUVs are inappropriate tow vehicles for a horse trailer. Believe me, when you’re traveling at speed down the interstate with a fully loaded trailer and have a blowout- you will be extremely thankful for that bigger, stable vehicle.
I’ve towed my Bockmann with my Yukon XL (granted, longer wheelbase than we are talking about here) across the GW bridge in 45mph wind blizzard conditions and it was completely fine. And I drive it on the truck side of the Jersey turnpike regularly. All fine. Even with semi trucks.
I know this is not the kind of trailer the OP was talking about, but it simply does not tow like a normal trailer and it is what Manni is referring to.
Um congratulations? Not sure if you were just looking for a pat on the back here or what? Glad everything has been fine for you so far.
Well, since you seem to believe that everyone needs a 3500 dually to pull anything, yet have no experience with the kind of trailer being discussed, I’m not sure why you’re expecting people to agree with you.
They’re not saying you need a 3500 dually to tow anything. You’re talking about towing your lightweight, specialty-built horse trailer with a full size SUV. You have more than enough tow vehicle for that rig. That is not the same conversation as the points tabula rashah was trying to make - it’s almost the opposite of the original discussion about towing a stock trailer with a Wrangler. Tabula rashah said that “most” SUVs (I’m interpreting that as small or mid-sized SUVs) are not appropriate tow vehicles if taken in the context of hauling traditional stock trailers since that was the OP’s question. A mid-sized SUV with a lightweight trailer built to be towed with a smaller vehicle? Different discussion.
The wheel base on your Jeep is ~ 116" max.
the wheel base on a 2016 GMC 3/4 ton (which is appropriate for pulling a stock trailer) is ~133"
then theres the towing capacity of each vehicle.
then there’s the ability to stop quickly without jack knifing the rig or flipping the trailer; especially if it’s raining and a big dog runs right out in front of you.
the worst accident I was ever in, was under three miles from home – in the car, so don’t think “only” three miles from home is safe because it isn’t — ask your insurance company.
You will probably discount all the sound advice that’s been given and hook the trailer to the Jeep anyway. The best and funniest thing that could happen on your three mile trip would be the police pulling you over and ticketing you for an unsafe rig.
Thank you!
If that’s the case why on Earth were you repeatedly arguing with Manni that she has no idea what she’s talking about, and further imply that she or I are going to kill our horses?
Cause if what she posted is what you were trying to say, it sure isn’t what you actually said.
We decided not to get the trailer due to safety concerns. But does anyone know of any 2 horse BP trailers for sale in Florida for a cheap price? Our budget is 800$ Or so. Very low, I know, but we’re in a financial crunch right now.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
