A brake booster is a good idea if you go fast or haul a lot of weight.
I have a 52 1 ton that did not have a booster, I drove it everyday for a few years with out problems. You do learn to anticipate your stops and slow down early.
As far as boosters, I can't say enough about hydroboosters. I have installed them on all of my trucks and will on any trucks I get in the future.
I think that vacuum boosters suck compared to hydroboosters. A hydrobooster works off of the power steering pump pressure. One can be installed even of you don't want or have power steering, but you will need a pump.
Grigg
