Do I really need trailer brakes?

This one got a bit off topic. The question posed by the OP was whether or not he needed trailer brakes. I looked at the date of the post, half expecting it to be April 1. So the serious and easy answer to the question is YES, you need trailer brakes for a variety of reasons. If you ever have to do a panic stop with your trailer and you do not have trailer brakes, the first thing you will notice is your trailer passing you. This is not a good thing, and it will get messy shortly after this...