remember there's no asymptotic line you're crossing.  it's safer to get a larger tow vehicle. it's safer to tow less weight.  it's safer to get trailer brakes.  all true but there's no hard and fast rules on you buying a car or you deciding on trailer brakes or not.  but yeah - if it says you need them then have at it - get a trailer that has them.  

each pound you add to the vehicle increases stopping distance and decreases vehicle performance.  trailer brakes help even if youre under the limit., a trailer pushing a vehicle, even a full sized truck, in an emergency situation is a terrible feeling.  but technically speaking there are just guidelines - there's no magic line that gets cross....like at one point you don't need trailer brakes - oh it started raining and the weight of the rain pushed you over the magical line where you now need trailer brakes.  it doesn't work like that. 

every pound you tow decreases safety and trailer brakes mitigate that.  granted there are imperperceptible, impractical limitations to this illustration, but even when you get up into the range where trailer brakes help, are recommend, or required, there's no hard and fast lines. 

people are towing crazy high loads over the weight limit without trailer brakes....not recommending it of course, but it's just an increased risk, just like driving without trailer brakes whether or not it's recommended or not. 

 

 

8 hours ago, idosubaru said:

remember there's no asymptotic line you're crossing.  it's safer to get a larger tow vehicle. it's safer to tow less weight.  it's safer to get trailer brakes.  all true but there's no hard and fast rules on you buying a car or you deciding on trailer brakes or not.  but yeah - if it says you need them then have at it - get a trailer that has them.  

each pound you add to the vehicle increases stopping distance and decreases vehicle performance.  trailer brakes help even if youre under the limit., a trailer pushing a vehicle, even a full sized truck, in an emergency situation is a terrible feeling.  but technically speaking there are just guidelines - there's no magic line that gets cross....like at one point you don't need trailer brakes - oh it started raining and the weight of the rain pushed you over the magical line where you now need trailer brakes.  it doesn't work like that. 

every pound you tow decreases safety and trailer brakes mitigate that.  granted there are imperperceptible, impractical limitations to this illustration, but even when you get up into the range where trailer brakes help, are recommend, or required, there's no hard and fast lines. 

people are towing crazy high loads over the weight limit without trailer brakes....not recommending it of course, but it's just an increased risk, just like driving without trailer brakes whether or not it's recommended or not. 

 

That is kind of what I saw with it the more I looked into it last night.  I see many larger cars (i.e. minivan and SUVs) have similar recommendations as well.  I've moved it a number of years now with the minivan and I know I have to drive differently.   I'll look into getting the brakes and if not too crazy of an investment I would likely go with them, just to be safer...at that point it  will be the question of surge vs electric. 

 

If I go electric has anyone dealt with an easy retrofit so I can maintain both 4 pin but also add the 7 pin connections?  95% of the time I'll be using a trailer which has the 4 pin.  It's just towing the boat where I'll need the 7.

Adding electric trailer brakes is no small task. There is no plug-n-play kit for the Subaru, so you'll have to get a universal controller and install it (which involves running wires all through the vehicle).

There is such a thing as a receptacle with the 7-pin and 4-pin connector right next to each other, that part is relatively easy. No good place to mount it, but still easy compared to adding brakes to everything.

If the trailer doesn't have them, I'm sure you'll have to replace the entire hub assembly, if not the axle. Install a battery, extra wiring, etc. Not terribly difficult, but fairly costly. Surge brakes will save a lot of labor on the car, but you'll add some on the trailer end, needing a new coupler, and running hydraulic lines on the trailer (at the very least, I've never done a conversion, just knowing how a trailer already set up that way works).