Adding trailer brakes

[Lou C]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

Honestly I don't know about freshwater regions but I have NEVER seen a boat trailer here with electric brakes...Electric over hydraulic I've seen a couple of triple axle trailers but never full electric...surge brakes do have their drawbacks as noted they cannot be applied independently by the driver to correct for fishtailing and they tend to run hot in hilly areas but if you are in mostly a flat area they can work pretty well...they are simpler since there is nothing to go wrong electrically (only the back up solenoids can be troublesome at times) and the corrosion resistance of the stainless systems is far beyond anything that uses a cast iron drum.. which of course electric brakes also use.....my trailer only goes in the salt about 4 times a year because the boat's on mooring all summer but if I was a trailer boater here stainless Kodiak discs are the only way to go...if I towed in the mountains then yes I'd convert the surge to elect/hydraulic brakes...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

electric can be had in both stainless and galvanized..... next time you see a coast guard boat on a trailer go try to find a master cylinder..... you won't they use electric or so I was told by the coast guard fellows I was chatting with at the Louisville boat and RV show last year......

NOTICE not once have I said that surge brakes are bad but just that I prefer the electric

 

[Lou C]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

electric can be had in both stainless and galvanized..... next time you see a coast guard boat on a trailer go try to find a master cylinder..... you won't they use electric or so I was told by the coast guard fellows I was chatting with at the Louisville boat and RV show last year......

NOTICE not once have I said that surge brakes are bad but just that I prefer the electric

Don't think so...the Coast Guard Station at Eaton's Neck Long Island is near where I live and the last time I was there they had one of their smaller boats on a trailer and it definitely has disc brakes which have to be either surge or elec/hydraulic...if I ever get back up there I'll take a look at the actuator to check....but definitely they were not drums of either kind...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

yeah I was thinkin bout that after I posted..... just cause the said elec... they didn't specify elec only.... But any how I do KNOW water won't hurt an elec brake system any more than a hydraulic.... lol.....



die horse die.... right?

 

[riverkeg]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

Yes, die horse die. I certainly didn't want a debate about which is better. Just personal preferences and experiences and I got that. Thanks again. I am going the route of electric drum brakes since I cannot afford electric/hydraulic and I don't want to change my coupler to surge type since it's a welded on A-frame type. Surge brakes would probably work okay for me since it's not very hilly here but I like the idea of separate control and ease of installation (in my case). I have a friend that builds custom trailers working me up a quote to order what I need. When I get to the point of installing them, I'll provide an update and maybe some pictures of the install if anyone wants them. Although, there's loads of video on the internet about them. Again, thanks for everyone's input.

 

[MRS]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

The wiring is real easy you go to napa and buy a two prong connector. One is for power and the other is ground one to vehicle the other to trailer tape up next to your trailer light plug and you are good to go. Plus like said before here when you launch just unplug and you do not have to worry about the brakes locking up the wheels because you do not have the weight of the boat on the trailer....

 

[riverkeg]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

The wiring is real easy you go to napa and buy a two prong connector. One is for power and the other is ground one to vehicle the other to trailer tape up next to your trailer light plug and you are good to go. Plus like said before here when you launch just unplug and you do not have to worry about the brakes locking up the wheels because you do not have the weight of the boat on the trailer....

MRS - Since both of my tow vehicles have the brake circuit already in the connector, I'll just add the 12v feed to the brakes to the existing harness on the trailer and then change the existing trailer plug to a 7 round that matches the tow vehicle. Then I only have to add the adapter harness in the cab for the brake controller.

I like your idea though if I were dealing with a stand flat 4 connector.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

...and then change the existing trailer plug to a 7 round that matches the tow vehicle...

I would ADD the 7round, rather than replace the 4flat, In a pinch, it can still be towed behind a vehicle without the 7round plug.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

If it were mine, I would change the trailer plug to the 7 way round to make it neat, then get a 7 way to 4 way adapter for if.trailer ever needed to be towed by a vehicle without a 7 way round plug.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

If it were mine, I would change the trailer plug to the 7 way round to make it neat, then get a 7 way to 4 way adapter for if.trailer ever needed to be towed by a vehicle without a 7 way round plug.

+1

I would do the same thing.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

Just make sure that the adapter is stored with the trailer, not in the truck, or you will not have it the one time you need it.

 

[MRS]

Re: Adding trailer brakes

If it were mine, I would change the trailer plug to the 7 way round to make it neat, then get a 7 way to 4 way adapter for if.trailer ever needed to be towed by a vehicle without a 7 way round plug.

That is what I did just in case, plus I can hook up to motor home or truck to pull, boat or dump run trailer or quad trailer with or without brakes hooked up. Plus if you have a four way setup you can still pull different trailer that is not yours if you have to. And disconnect only the brakes and still have your lights working....