Re: Will this tow ok?
My friend has a 23ft. Chaparral Sunesta with a very similar trailer under it other than the tongue design is a lot newer and way different. The max GVWR is only 5,720 with a GAWR of 2860 leaving only a MAX LOAD CAP. of 4400 lbs. providing the tires are correct for the axles. His axles are round and I have always found with farm equipment trailers, square axles are always rated lower in GAWR.
He too only had one brake axle, dead give away is the brake line on one axle and not the other, and was told the brakes were "rock solid"; the only reason they were "rock solid" is they didn't work at all.
Check the condition of the fluid in the master cylinder. It should be fairly clear in color and not murky. If it is not, the whole system should be purged even if the master cylinder locks the wheel during your testing. If it is not synthetic fluid, any moisture that might have entered the system will mix and can cause a very corrosive combination. Just because there are no leaks does not mean you have brakes; there may be no fluid left to leak.
Surge brakes can get really expensive real quick and you can not buy a repair kit for the master cylinder from most of the manufacturers as in the case with his. The master cylinder can run around a couple hundred real easy, wheel cylinders around seventy, shoes for the axle another seventy, with lines, couplers, fittings, and the three hoses running another hundred not to mention brake fluid.
I would start here at iboats. They have almost everything you would need. We went from one end to the other on his while he had a slip rented this summer. It was all real easy to do and no biggie and only took a couple of hours. Also, unless they specialize in marine, most auto parts stores won't carry more than the lines, hoses, and fluid.
IMO, If I was going to make a 2 and 1/2 hour trip, I would do it with a different trailer or you may wind up with it being a 2 and 1/2 day trip or possibly boat rubble along the highway.
