Quote Originally Posted by sawmilleng View Post
Do the laws in your state allow a 3500lb rated trailer without brakes? In my area you can't haul a trailer plus load totalling 1000 lbs without trailer brakes.

In any event, I would be VERY cautious when pulling any sort of significant load in that trailer without brakes on it. A 3500 lb trailer on a pickup that probably doesn't weigh much more than that....4000lbs? could give you the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog at times...

Pickup looks nice! I doubt you will regret trading for it!

What I normally do when getting a used vehicle is to (a) check the steering components, like tie rod ends, steering dampers, steering box for wear or looseness, (b) check all the brakes and wheel bearings, (c) change all the oils in the vehicle, (d) check the suspension wear parts for wear or looseness, and (e) check the driveshaft universal joints.



All the above items don't need to cost a lot because they are checks--only fix what is necessary. But if you do this you have a reasonable expectation of getting in the thing and not having something go really wrong, like suddenly finding you have no brakes. If you have a buddy who is pretty good with wrenches and is willing to help, so much the better (and cheaper!). Get a aftermarket service manual and a box or two of beer on a Saturday and have some fun!

The peace of mind this kind of monkeywrenching does for me is worth every hour of grease and busted knuckles!

You can't go too far wrong with a trans oil cooler; if you do that give your cooling system a flush at the same time.


Jon.
If his truck's anything like mine it already has a trans cooler under the front bumper on the drivers side and weighs 5400lbs empty(the truck not the cooler), but the rest are good points.