To my dismay, this is going to be a long post.. and most all of you know I hate to write long posts! I have several points to covers. Most cover "legalities", and some, common sense. I am also going to be using terms that you need to be aware of. GVW(R) = gross vehicle weight (rating). [or trailer]. CGVW(R) = combined gross vehicle weight (rating) [ total weight of tow vehicle and trailer]
First, A trailer to haul a Pinz ( up to a stock 712M) needs to be a minimum of tandom axle, 7000lb GVW, with a 6' x 14' bed ( I have a 6'8" x 14' bed size, because of the Supacat's width). This is an estimate of an empty trailer weighing between 1700 to 2000 lbs, and a 712M at 5000lbs. If you add equipment to the Pinz, throw camping gear or whatever in the Pinz, this has to be considered. People have used from 12' to 20' long trailers for Pinzes, and the consideration there is the actual weight of the trailer and towing around and maneuvering the large bed ( not a big deal to some, unless you have limited storage, or tight maneuvering area to work).
Any trailer over 3000lbs must have brakes. Other than the "ulta" light trailers, anything up to a 7000GVW trailer will usually have a 2" ball, and on a tandom axle trailer, only one axle is required to have brakes. 10,000GVW trailers will have 2 1/4" ball, and both axles must have brakes. Depending on the state, most people driver's licence only allows them to pull a maximum trailer of 10,000lbs before needing an addenum to their licence ( not commonly known, and usually only enforced by state police, not local LEOs)
In the US, electric trailer brakes are the 'norm' for the common person, but surge brakes are still also used widely by rental yards and for boat trailers. Surge brakes do not require any additional equipment from the tow vehicle than the electrical for the lights. And for the person that regularly tows a 'surged braked' trailer, a electrical wire when in reverse to lockout the brakes when backing up ( rather than manually locking them out). I can see where surge brakes would be very handy on a boat trailer where the rear axle would be in the water, and it would play hell on electrical components. My personal experience with surge brakes has been from "scary" to " what a nice setup" .
The scary adventure was towing a 10000lb cement trailer with a 9000lb ( truck and load weight) Dodge Dually pickup. The trailer brakes hadn't been maintained by the rental yard( or adjusted for the load) that the brake were either full on, or full off, which created a lurching from the trailer where when I would attempt gradual braking, it would push the truck, and when they did grab, I thought my rear bumper was going to be pulled off, or me thrown through the windshield..... not a fun experience.
As for the joy of surge brakes, my exUK MoD MK3 Sankey trailer has been brainless delight to tow. If I tow it empty, I can lockout the brakes so it is easliy backed up . I've towed it with everything from my Pinz to my Dodge truck and even with the Supacat, with a 250gallon (2000lb) water tank on it. I've also towed it behind my Toyota Highlander Hybreid without a 2nd thought.
Electric brakes require a brake controller in the cab to activate the trailer brakes automatically ( or manual override for some conditions), and set the amount of braking force needed for the weight of the trailer and load. The heavier the trailer and load, the more electric brake (gain) is needed to stop. When going down a hill, the trailer may want to push you faster, by stepping on the brake pedal, you may slow down, but the trailer may want to fishtail a little, so you gently apply trailer brake manually to slow the trailer.
Now for the truck.... what people have used and done, and what SHOULD be used are two different things, and I'll be introducing something most people never think of when purchasing a truck.
First, buying a truck with a V8 doesn't mean it's rating for towing anything. There are many trucks manufactured for "personal", occasional hauling, and more highway transportation. These truck are " 1/2 ton" models with a rear axle ratio of 3.20ish to 3.40ish. These are great for mileage, but offer little in gearing needed to move heavy trailers without overstressing driveline components. Trucks with 3.73 and 4.10 rear axles are designed for the heavier loads. Some 1/2 ton trucks can be found with this ratios, but are the norm for 3/4 and 1 ton pickups. Next are the brakes, as you go from 1/2T, to 3/4T to 1T pickups, the brakes get bigger quickly, and braking power goes up greatly.
Now for thing no one ever thinks about... GVWR, trailer weight and CGVWR. It sounds simple, but the 3 don't always add up like you'd think. If you ever look at a manufacturer's towing guide, they'll list the GVW for a pickup, then the maximum trailer weight it can pull, then the CGVW.... take the GVWR of the truck, add the trailer weight, and you got the CGVW..... WRONG. though you'd think that is the way it would be done, the trailer's tongue weight is on the tow vehicle and is counted against the payload of the vehicle.... thus, if you have a 7000lb trailer, tongue weight should be between 10 and 15% (700+ to 1000lb). This means that the payload capacity of the tow vehicle is reduced by this amount, so a 1/2T pickup that may be 1400 to 1800 lb payload capacity has now been lowered to anywhere to 400 to 1100 lb payload ( including driver and and any passengers, which is part of the payload). My recommendation is a 3/4t pickup with 3.73RR if you plan to pull the trailer occasionally, and use the pickup for other things.... this would give you better mileage overall than a 4.10RR ( unless you keep the truck loaded most the time) 3/4 ton pickups ( depending on the era of manufacture, type and equipment) will have a payload capacity of 2800 to 3800lbs. 1ton pickups from 3700lbs to 4300lbs. This would give you the ability to have a large slide-in camper on the truck and still trailer the Pinz.
For those that don't think any of this is important. If ( heaven forbid) you ever have and accident while towing, and it happens on an interstate highway where the state police respond and investigate, all these factors come into placing blame...if you' overloaded in anyway, you could end up fully responsible for something that wasn't your fault in the first place ( that's my faith in our legal system talking
).
Dave