DO ANY 13' ft. Fiberglass camper have electric brake ?

[koy]

I'm in the process of looking for a 13' ft. fiberglass camper , do any 13' ft. come with electric brake ? And do you need WDH on any of the 13' ft. ? Anyone that own one of the 13' ft." FG" like Burro,Scamp, ....-Tell me about it, any advice will be great-Thank-you.

[Raz]

I have a 13' Trillium that I ordered with brakes. Despite towing with a small pickup, I appreciate the added braking especially during mountain driving. Thirteen foot trailers typically weigh over 1500 lbs. Mine, with stuff is about 1800. The brakes provide the extra braking needed for the extra weight.

No WDH. It's not needed for my set up.

Typically with a 13' you choose between a front dinette (that can be used as a bed), a couch, or a permanent bathroom. With a bathroom you have to take down the rear bed if you want a dinette. We have a front dinette and a permanent bed and use a porta potti. Works for us. Good luck, Raz

[thrifty bill]

The newer 13 foot trailers seem to all have brakes. The older ones, its really hit or miss. Brakes or not, with an older trailer, the axle if original will be at or beyond its useful life. So get a replacement with brakes. I certainly would not buy a new axle without brakes.

So build into your budget a replacement axle if the existing axle is old.

IMHO, working brakes are ALWAYS a plus. And on larger trailers, a must. Some of the older trailer frames cannot handle WDH. In addition, some tow vehicles cannot handle WDH either. WDH usually comes into play with heavier tongue weight.

I am not too concerned about the lack of brakes on my Trillium 1300, as long as I tow it with my F150. I would not tow it behind my Honda Element without brakes for sure (towing it even with brakes behind an Element is marginal at best regardless). Long term, my Trillium will get a new axle with brakes. Its on the project list.

[Jon in AZ]

Some do, some don't. If it doesn't, look on the axle behind the wheel for a square flange with bolt holes. If it's there you can add brakes. If not, a new axle is indicated. Figure around $1K for a new axle with brakes and wiring if you pay someone to do it.

An older trailer may well be due for a new axle, anyway- rubber torsion axles have a working life of 15-20 years, but can remain functional well beyond with diminishing ride quality. You can test by jacking up one side of the frame near the axle (never jack on the axle itself). The wheel should drop several inches as the axle rises. Little or no movement means a dead axle. You can still tow a trailer with a dead axle, but it will ride rough.

It might be a negotiating point on the price.

13' trailers are not designed for WDH, and I can't imagine needing it if you're towing within specs and not exceeding payload with cargo in the vehicle. With the typical battery and one LP tank, expect a hitch weight around 175-200#, which becomes part of the payload. A friction anti-sway bar is a simple and worthwhile addition, though.

[hrewer]

this is from the CA DMV website;

"In California, brakes are required on any trailer coach or camp trailer having a gross weight of 1500 lbs. or more."

We had brakes on our 2014 13' Scamp that we had installed as an option when we bought it.

[Jon Vermilye]

If it is registered in NY, it must have brakes if it weighs more than 1000 pounds. Most 13's are over that, Not sure what would happen if you tried to register a manufactured trailer without brakes that weighed more...

[Radar1]

Electric brakes are still an optional item on 13' Scamps, and standard on 16' and 19' Scamps. They are highly recommended, especially if towing with a small tow vehicle, since many vehicles have a 1500 lb tow limit for trailers not equipped with brakes. I was surprised even the new F-150s mention that 1500 lb limit in their manuals!

[Lockman]

We have a new Scamp 13 picked up in MI in early Sept. I ordered it with the electric brakes and had a Prodigy2 installed on the TV. Our 13 has the full bathroom with sink, AC unit, TV Ant, etc. Best thing was having the electric brakes, especially when your in traffic on highways. Don't want the rig pushing your TV when you have to brake fast, also remember you can manually control the electric braking system in case of excessive sway if necessary.

I have logged 4,000 miles on it already and looking to take it south this winter as I live in the northeast. This will most likely add another 4k miles. Love my electric brakes.
Jack

[Tony D]

I have a Scamp 13 on order, and I’m getting electric brakes. I also ordered the wireless brake controller. (Autowbrake). It gets installed on the trailer, uses the brake signal from the 7 blade trailer connector, and it receives driver inputs wirelessly. Not to hijack the thread, but is this a good set up? Do you recommend a more traditional brake controller in the TV?

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

If it is registered in NY, it must have brakes if it weighs more than 1000 pounds. Most 13's are over that, Not sure what would happen if you tried to register a manufactured trailer without brakes that weighed more...

The NY registration on our Uhaul lists the weight as 1250. The previous owner had it registered in NY and it had a NY title. NY DMV took my money and said nothing about brakes. Any NY inspector never asked about or looked for brakes. The Uhaul 13's were not built with brakes and are not set up to add them.

[Markz]

When I replaced my dexter axle i ordered it with 7" brakes. I love how it tows now and feel safer with stopping.

[The_Kramers]

We have a SurfSide TM14 that came with factory brakes in 1976, works great.


Garry

[GingerB]

My 2011 13’ ft Scamp w/bathroom has electric brakes. (Want to buy it?)

[JMS]

I had a new dexter axle installed with electric brakes a few years ago on our '83 13ft Burro after seeing how drivers tend to cut us off especially in rainstorms! It's the best thing I've done