Just remembered I started this thread a year ago...

https://landroverforums.com/forum/ne...e-wire-105437/

Almost every boat trailer has surge brakes so no controller is necessary. And to answer your question, the Discovery pulls a boat, a bobcat, a tractor, and loads of gravel just fine. I regularly to my 26' center console on 600 mile round trips from central Virginia to Wilmington at speed limit+. You are not going to do this with an explorer.

Remember that surge brakes only work going forward. When backing down a hill they will not activate.
Which leads to the question: What happens if you have to back the trailer up a hill? Will the trailer brakes be applied while attempting to push the trailer backwards up a hill?

The backup lights disengage the surge brakes. Which is why you need a 6 wire plug, a 4 wire won't work.

Thanks for that answer. I didn't know that.
As for the no brakes while backing I discovered this while backing a heavily loaded Uhaul trailer down an icy driveway.
No help from the brakes on the trailer in reverse and my LR3 couldn't hold it back on the icy driveway.
It was a slow motion slide backwards that ended well.
I learned from it.

You can change boat trailers to electric over hydraulic. But it's about a grand to do that. And backing down a ramp, you'll slide until the boat hits the water and starts to float. But the pucker factor gets pretty high when your foot is solid on the brake and you are still sliding.

Yes that’s it. I was pretty high on the pucker scale as my trailer headed towards the garage door of my brand new house. But it stopped.