At what weight do you need a trailer brake controller and weight distributing hitch?

I have a 2015 5.7 4wd with tow package, but no trailer brake controller. I've only ever towed a buddy's little aluminum 5x10 for mulch/furniture, etc and has never been an issue. But just curious, at what weight would you start looking at a brake controller and weight distributing hitch. I only have a standard 2" ball rated at 7500lbs.

Reason i ask is if i'd rent a machine at home depot (2 miles away with some decent hills) and the combined weight of the bobcat and trailer is 6000lbs, can i just hook it up and go? or even at that weight would you suggest a brake controller? i know they're not expensive, and easy to install, but i'd rather not buy something i dont need (or even understand how to use).

My sticker says GVWR: 7100lbs and GAWR: 4150lbs with 255/70/18. I have 275/65/18s and plan to do 275/70/18s when they wear out. the other one says "the combine weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1425lbs"

Thanks!

 

i think the manual says you need those at 5000 pounds, but if you are just towing a load around town, i think that you will be fine. i pulled a 5000 pound travel trailer on a vacation last summer and i did not have a weight distribution hitch. however, i really felt that trailer behind the truck. any heavier of a travel trailer and i would want to have a weight distribution hitch. that being said, however, a travel trailer is a much different load than a bobcat on a flatbed trailer. the handling between the two is much different. really, if you just take it easy, you should be fine.

 

If you are never going to tow again You will probably be alright. Go slow (like traffic behind you is annoyed slow if you need to) and you will be alright. You have to leave a lot of stopping distance especially on an incline. The loader will be easy to dial in just the right amount of tongue weight so you can get by with out the WDH if your springs are in good shape.

 

no need for an occasional tow unless it is heavy.

That said, having functional trailer brakes is a game changer. I tow a pop up camper, probably around 3000lbs. It is old and when I first got it the brakes never worked so I pulled it no trailer brakes. Cleaned up the plugs and elect connections and next time I used it the brakes did work and wow, what a difference. Much better towing experience and MUCH safer.

 

Home Depot equipment trailers use hydraulic surge brake couplers, so a brake controller will be completely useless for that reason.

 

What 2mchfun said. When I worked at an equipment rental place all of our trailers had surge brakes. You did not need a controller. When we put the equipment on the trailer we would load it in such a way that you really did not need a WDH. I can't ever remember a time when we could not load one to have the correct tongue weight. Positioning the equipment on the trailer correctly is not to difficult.

 

As others have stated, most trailers at the rental yard will have surge brakes since not every tow vehicle will have a brake controller. As for how much weight before needing brakes on a trailer, I would start looking into brakes on a trailer north of 2000lbs on a 1/2 truck. 3000-3500lbs on a 1 ton truck.