Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

[Dirty Dawg]

Hello all I have a 2007 Venture Drum surge brake trailer, that has pretty much rusted out the brake assemblies. So
I am looking at replacing the assemblies and I have a few questions. The trailer is used in salt water, driven a very short distance about 5-10 times a year.

So everything is bad except the drum itself and the backing plate, is it more economical just replace the who assembly plate and all or replace all the bad components and reusing the backer plate?

Does anyone have an opinion as to the longevity and deterrent of a Titan vs. a Tie Down assembly?

Is this a good to switch to disc brakes? Do they fare better in the salt environment? Can you give me a cost comparison between the two?

Ant good video tutorial about drum brake assembly?

Anything else?????

Thanks Ike

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

It is easier and cheaper to replace the whole backing plate assembly, you can change to discs for more money and they may give less trouble. If you do, you need to use a disc brake actuator and add a reverse back up solenoid. I have been able to make drum brakes last by packing the area under the dust boot with synthetic caliper grease and packing the adjuster and all pivot points with omc triple guard grease. If you do this when they are new and add a flush system they can last for 4-6 seasons, maybe longer.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

Oh and look at this website for tech info

Www.championtrailers.com

Also

Www.etrailer.com

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

Thanks Lou for the advise and info. We are neighbors. I had these lasted 5 years so maybe that is not so bad. It looks like the caliper may have seized up keeping pressure on the shoes but it freed up pretty easily. I will follow your instructions to try and extend their life. Do I have to worry about the grease getting on the pads if I cover the pivot points and adjuster? Thanks Ike

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

It is easier and cheaper to replace the whole backing plate assembly

I'm just going to agree with Lou here based on my own experience. Buying all of the individual parts of a brake drum assembly actually cost significantly more than simply buying it pre-assembled. Can't speak to disc brakes, but I do know they are far more expensive if you are considering a conversion from drums. I think that disc's are superior if they were factory installed though. Just my .02

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

You don't have to worry about the grease getting on the shoes, the omc/bombardier triple guard grease is a very thick waterproof grease tha stays where you put it. I use brake caliper grease under the dust boot because it will not degrade rubber. The problem with drum brakes is that the dust boot is not water proof and water gets in and eventually causes the metal piston to seize. That and the brake adjusters seize up. If you grease these parts when they are new they will last much longer. The next time I have to change mine I am going to seal up the dust boot where it fits on the wheel cylinder with hi temp rtv and also where the pushrodcomes out to better keep out water. Disc brakes are easier to service but they can seize up just the same.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

Lou it seems that is exactly what happened to mine. It is ashame since these trailes are getting dunked on a regular basis they would not make them more bullet proof.

I bought the parts and the trailer company person suggested something( which was interesting!!) that I was thinking of as well. Should I put these assemblies on? I only drive about 2 miles to the boat landing and back at speeds no greater than 20 miles per hour. One of the problems is that the brakes do not get hot enough to burn the water of of them. I was thinking of leaving them off for now and if for some reason I was to need to drive long distance I would then install them.

What does everyone think? Do I need brakes for the short distance and speed I drive? Is that unrealistic even for the short distance?

I am not being lazy but for my situation I am wondering if they are more trouble than the are worth???

Thanks Ike

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

The are giving bad advice..... Fix the brakes

 

[maproy99]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

The are giving bad advice..... Fix the brakes

I wouldn't. Then again it would depend on what you are towing with and how much the trailer weights. A compact cannot handle a 3,000 pound trailer without brakes, but a full size truck easily can.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

I used to replace my drum brake assemblies every couple of years. . .

. . . Then I got disc brakes.

So, I would convert to disc.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

It is a Sea Ray 210, not sure of the weight and a Venture trailer being towed by a F150 truck. So if there is any doubt than replace them it is!!!! Truely not a big deal replacing them, but definitely a pain when the lock up and get stuck.
Ike

 

[JB]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

A compact cannot handle a 3,000 pound trailer without brakes, but a full size truck easily can.

Nonsense. Every state requires a 3000# trailer to have brakes, many require brakes on a 1500# trailer. What you are towing with only matters if it is not rated for the trailer weight.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

Well JB that makes it simple!!

On they go. Thanks Ike

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

I used to replace my drum brake assemblies every couple of years. . .

. . . Then I got disc brakes.

So, I would convert to disc.

I, too, made the drum to disc conversion. The Kodiak kits were not that much more than a full drum rebuild, except for the master cyl and reverse lockout addition. I also went from drum on 1 axle to disc on both axles (which needed new lines too, raising the costs considerably, as I used S/S flex lines at each caliper, axle and the MC) and the stopping power differance is like night and day. Well worth the extra bucks, especiallly when the boat weights 5K lbs.

I opted for the e-coat units as my salt water exposure is very limited. The S/S units are quite pricey.

Your budget and exposure wiill dicate your choices, as always and is a trade off in all but the unlimited check book.

Gotta consider what your boat is worth, what your tow vehicle is worth and what the safety of you, your passengers and innocent bystanders is worth and possibly being sued to death because of willfully not keeping brakes in good working order.. If cheaping out on a couple hundred bucks and risking all that is the most important factor in a decision like that, then boating is probably not what one should be partaking in.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

your boat weighs 3500# dry, add trailer weight and gear and you have over 5000#. the reason that brakes dont last that long is that the companies make their money from spare parts.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

I towed mine two seasons without brakes, it was nerve wracking, a pair of 10" drums made a huge difference. A pair of backing plates from champion trailers is $114. Two hrs of your time to be safe. Just another cost of boating

 

[Struc]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

I just ordered replacements for mine, because they were so much cheaper than the parts I needed to replace.

Etrailers.com has a good selection of galvanized & coated units (backing plate coated, zink coated wheel cylinders, etc).

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes-sf-Hydraulic_Drum_Brakes-sz-3500_lbs_Axle.aspx

If you want to go cheap and just replace every few years, I bought $45 painted units from Wholesale Marine.

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/pc/D...+Freebacking+Trailer+Brake+Backing+Plate.html

 

[maproy99]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

Nonsense. Every state requires a 3000# trailer to have brakes, many require brakes on a 1500# trailer. What you are towing with only matters if it is not rated for the trailer weight.

And some states only require your combination to be able to stop within X many feet... Which one do you think is a better safety judge?
I have a friend that I think has the same boat as you. The nearest lake is 30 miles and I know he goes 90 miles to another lake a lot. No brakes on the trailer. In Illinois your trailer is registrared to how much it can carry. His is registered to 3,000 and under, legally not needing brakes. However I am a 1000 pounds over my current registration, but if I registered up, it would be over 2x higher registration cost for the trailer. He could be in a similar situation. My .2cents is no, as long as you have an full sized truck and are only towing 2 miles. Hell, my lawnmower can quickly stop my boat rolling down hill at full speed. I do leave skid marks on the driveway though.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

He lives on the North Shore of Long Island. It has many steep hills unlike the south shore which is completely flat. So he needs brakes to be safe. A Ford F-150 doesn't have the brake capacity to stop close to 10,000 lbs. One panic stop and you could be in trouble.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Surge Brake assembly replacement comparison advise

I went from surge drum, to surge disc, to fully electric drum. Electric drum brakes don't have close hydraulic tolerances, are extremely cheap and easy to maintain/replace (4 bolts & 2 wires), don't overheat from compression braking going down steep grades, don't need to be bled,
have no moving parts in the coupler, work in reverse, can be tested or activated at will and generic parts are available on the road at just about every trailer or RV dealer..
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/05/trailer-tires-brakes.html?m=1
Oh, and they operate via a sealed electromagnet so there's absolutely no problem of mixing water and electricity.