Electric brakes and controllers

Sorry electric brakes have to be used via a controller otherwise you have no control at all , just thank the dealer
Tommy

He was having a loan of you. No controller ... no brakes.

Try hooking up directly to your stop lights and the brakes will be fully applied and lock up for a nanosecond before burning out the wiring .. or your van tyres.Rosco

You can get an on-trailer brake controller.

You set the level of braking and it engages when the brake light comes on. Perfect for trailers that are towed behind a variety of vehicles.

We set ours to lock the braked wheels JUST before the trailer comes to a complete stop on gravel.

Works a treat, you can apply the brakes very lightly to begin the engagement of the trailer brakes before engaging the vehicle brakes.

Of course, this does not apply to your van, just thought that it would be worth pointing out.

Having the controller on the trailer is a very poor second rate setup compared to on your vehicle. It IS legal if done properly.... but in my opinion should NOT be for larger trailers.
I had a large trailer-sailer (over 2.5 tonnes) with that setup and it was nearly useless. There is no way you can set it up for all conditions. In a panic stop it will be lethal unless you have the control set so high the trailer brakes are nearly locking up for even a gentle stop.
I fitted a Tekonsha controller on the dash and the improvement in every respect was dramatic... no comparison.
It all depends on whether or not you value your life... Would you drive on bald tyres in heavy rain?

When he said the brakes worked fine, he must have been referring to the car! That is all that was working.
It's all a matter of size. You can tow a trailer without brakes, but a van usually weighs a lot more than a small trailer. The bigger the car, the easier it tows. You also need to consider the legal load limit for the towing vehicle - with/without brakes. In my opinion any decent sized van should have brakes, and electric are by far the best.
I've towed vans for many thousands of km and it only takes 1 mishap to make all the fuss worthwhile. Nothing beats a good setup.
Remember if you get yourself into a sway, applying the electric van brakes by hand can straighten you out easily.
Get some advice from an experienced professional.

Like what was said before. Thank the dealer and install the controller. Proberbly there were no brakes when the vehicle was towed for you. Lucky there was no emergency stop or Jack knife may occur.
Enjoy your ven travlin. I do.Dodg