Originally posted by Maugan_VX
The brakes on the VX are more than adequate to stop IMO, but just be careful because of theshort wheelbase.
Good tow vehicle brakes don't mean a thing when the tow-ee outweighs the tow-er. There are two reasons for this and transio will be happy to draw you some diagrams! javascript:smilie('')
wink

kpv, I'm sure your VX pulls a m/c just fine but DO NOT rely on the VX brakes in this case. Somewhere in that 460 miles of driving, you will probably need to slow down quickly. If you have 5,400 lbs behind the VX and no trailer brakes you WILL jack that rig.

Even with a longer wheelbase towing that much mass is not safe without trailer brakes. You may get by with it but you'll be pushing your luck - which is fine if you're the only one to suffer the consequences but unfortunately sometimes when you push your luck other people pay for it. Against my better judgement a couple months ago I pulled a 1957 MGA on a tandem axle, steel deck trailer - without brakes. The gross weight was around what you're talking about. The tow vehicle was a longbed 3/4 ton pickup with close to 1,000 lbs of parts in the bed - as far back as possible to prevent brake induced jacking. Coming down off the Blue Ridge Parkway on those steep, winding little roads it was getting pushed all over the place. I could hear the inside rear tire skipping on the braking bumps. It wasn't even in contact with the pavement a lot of the time. What a hell-ride. The VX wouldn't have made it past the first off-camber downhill turn. I'm just thankful I didn't kill anybody...

Bottom line:

If the trailer has brakes, go for it. I'd also see if U-haul rents weight-distributing hitches too because with that kind of tongue weight, you'll need one on the VX.

If the trailer doesn't have brakes... uh... find one that does!