Re: 2 axles no brakes
I'm in NJ and tandem trailers here are common, I've owned more than a dozen that were built and sold with no provisions for brakes. The lightest was rated at 1,500 lbs, the heaviest at 6,400 lbs. The latter was built by Highland Trailer.
(I'd venture to guess that most older trailers don't have brakes). I've also owned more than 30 single axle trailers, most were in the 2,000 lb range but many were 3,500, rated, none had brakes or the provision for brakes on the axle tube.
my concern towing that boat on the road would be stopping, the road you were using would dictate my choices there. I tow 10 miles to the ramp, but most of the roads I run on are back roads and I rarely see any traffic. I have never once felt my truck couldn't stop the trailer in a safe distance, but I also wouldn't tow a boat at highway speeds. In most cases I'm doing only 25-30 MPH. The roads are just too rough and narrow in most cases to go any faster.
I drive an older Ford Ranger, its a 2 wheel drive truck with a four cylinder motor. Since it don't have anti-lock brakes, any panic stop, with or without a trailer results in a slide or rear wheel lock up, so in many cases the added tongue weight from the trailer actually helps it stop since there's more weight on the rear wheels. Without the trailer it just slides the back wheels in a hard stop, with the trailer it stops dead straight.
My biggest concern would be on the ramp, like my Ranger a Subaru isn't a very heavy vehicle, a wet, slimy ramp may make for an interesting retrieval experience. I've got a few ramps near me that are so slick and steep my truck slides backward even with an empty trailer, and a few ramps that are so shallow that I can back in till the front wheels get wet and never even get my boat wet 20' behind the truck. Those ramps are the 'NEW' army corps of engineer designed ramps at a few local lakes.
Brakes as stated many times above are highly recommended and most likely required but at least in my state the law isn't enforced.
(Not only that, I can't count how many times I've towed my boat to the ramp and completely forgot to bolt on my trailer license plate, I even got pulled over once in a spot check with no tag, they never said a word, never even looked at the trailer or boat).
Like an earlier post said, you could tow your boat with a garden tractor if you wanted too, its a rolling load and fairly easy to get rolling.
For those who wish to try launching a 19' cuddy cabin boat with a garden tractor, remember that garden tractors have little no brakes, believe me, they won't stop a boat on a ramp, I watched a guy dunk an older Sears tractor in a lake a few years ago, the panic look on his face was priceless, he ended up sitting in about 4' of water with his head and shoulders out of the water when it finally stopped. When he got off the tractor, the back tires floated and it drifted even farther back into the water. I and about 4 other guys jumped in to help and we were able to pull the tractor and boat into shallower water and tie it to the dock while someone unhooked the tractor and pulled the trailer ashore with a truck. So, while a garden tractor will pull it, it most likely won't stop it. In fact simply heading downhill could get you in a real situation. I use a garden tractor to park my boat, and its only a slight decline into my back yard, coming out of my yard is easy, but backing in is more of a controlled drag down the grass covered driveway in the back. Once I get outback, its fine. Its that 40 or so feet of slope alongside the house that's the killer.
