Rebuild ny surge brakes or replace with electric

[89retta]

I have an 04 shorelandr trailer. Have owned it for 3 years and brakes have never worked on it. Noticed PO had unhooked one brake line or it broke. Also the break away wire is missing on the actuator. So I'm thinking I would need new calipers , brake line and a new actuator. Rough cost around $ 500. Or I can get a new 3500 pound electric brake axle for $ 400. Trailer is only used in fresh water and I think swapping the axle is easier. Just wanted others opinions on electric brakes on boat trailers. Thanks

 

[bruceb58]

You can keep your axle. The brakes themselves, be it electric or hydraulic, just bolt onto the flange at the end of the axle.

I am not a fan of drum brakes no matter if they are hydraulic or electric. Kodiak disc brakes are the best.

 

[NHGuy]

If you get electric, it then needs an electric breakaway switch with battery. And the truck needs an actuator. Plus the dunking can cause electrical gremlins that can eat up some actuators.
Short story, I'd stay with surge brakes. Dissassemble the old brakes, find out if the rotors slip onto the hubs or if they have bearings in them. Replace with same style. I'd stay with a disc rotor system.
Before you start, see if your surge actuator works. If no good, get the setup in a kit form. Surge actuator breakaway cables are available.
The brake lines can be made using a bit of steel line and a flaring tool.
I like e a st e r n m a r i n e dot com. for that stuff.

 

[Scott Danforth]

when I redid my shoreland'r with new UFP actuator, brakes and running copper nickle brake line from advanced auto, my total cost was about $330

that is two new loaded backing plates for $100
a new UFP brake actuator $180
new brake line $30
new brass brake nuts $10
fluid $10

steel brake line rusts. I highly recommend copper nickle, especially if you are pulling it inside the frame rail of the shoreland'r

my current trailer I went disc. the disc kit is $350 per axle for new calipers, discs and hubs, the actuator is a bit more because of the reverse solenoid, however the brake lines are the same until you get to the rubber lines.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I added electric brakes to my single axle trailer several years ago. I went with drum brakes, a Tekonsha P3 break controller and a breakaway kit. They've worked great and makes braking while trailering so much smoother.

If were starting from scratch, I'd consider some sort of disc brake solution as suggested above, but for freshwater use, the drum brakes have been fine. I haven't had to fiddle with them too much.

I pulled a friend's boat with surge brakes, and I find the electric brakes to be much smoother.

 

[Silverbullet555]

I switched to electric 6 years ago. No issues since and no regrets. Added a brake controller which I had to buy so that was added cost. Took the surge coupler off and replaced with a much more stout coupler. Bought new complete backing plates with shoes and all components. Can't remember if I reused old drums. Wired it up and sealed all connections. Switched lights to LEDs at the same time. It's been golden.

I had a trailer tongue box made and put the brake away battery in there. All wiring runs to that box.

If I ever have an issue I'll just buy a new complete backing plate and wire it up.

My boat is only in saltwater so take that into consideration.

 

[Leardriver]

I also have a 2004 Shorland'r, tandem with surge disc brakes on both axles. They work really, really well. I replaced the master cylinder last year, but it was cheap and easy.

 

[Lou C]

I was on the e trailer website some time back and saw something interesting...galvanized electric drum brake....and there are also galvax coated drums, that are made by UPF and sold by pacific trailers...so if you really want electric brakes and are in fresh water...that may save you some trouble....

 

[Rookster]

I've had surge brakes on a camping trailer - can be bumpy and jerky stopping especially if you have to brake on and off in short intervals. I had electric brakes installed on my boat trailer which had no original brakes at all. I MUCH prefer electric brakes - here are the benefits: force is fully and remotely adjustable from the electronic control module, electric brakes auto adjust based on steepness of hill inclines, they hold your vehicle in place on a hill, they can be applied even when in reverse - like when backing down a boat ramp. The single complaint I hear about electric brakes is that the electronic components don't like water. To that I ask, how is it any different from all other electrical components and wiring on your boat trailer (e.g. lights)? My take on that is, ensure proper protective covering is used for the wiring. Lots of underwater wiring applications exist, such as water pumps in ponds, etc. I went with drums because they are cheaper and my trailer was used. Drum brakes stopped cars successfully for about a century before discs became standard. Electric all the way! Surge no way!

 

[Lou C]

I think the jerkiness that some people report is due to certain actuators, that don't have a shock absorber or damper, brakes that are not properly bled and have air in the system and drum brakes that are out of adjustment. I have a Tie Down 66 actuator and galvanized drum brakes. I do not have jerkiness in braking, when you stop and then go forward, there is a slight feeling of the actuator releasing but that is all. You hardly feel it at all. I would like electric brakes but just keeping trailer lights working properly in salt water is a challenge. I have one of the best brands of LED lights and go over all the connections each year with liquid electric tape. So I stuck with the surge for my use, but I for sure can see the advantage of electric brake control.

 

[khe]

To keep the electric components out of the water, you need an electric over hydraulic setup. In my opinion, it would be much simpler just to fix what you have.

 

[JASinIL2006]

For the record, when I first installed my electric brakes, I religiously unplugged them before dipping the trailer. After reading a bit more, I found that is completely unnecessary and for the last couple years, I have just left the trailer plugged in when launching and retrieving. No problems whatsoever. I'm not sure it that would be true for saltwater, but in freshwater, anyway, you don't need to worry about it.

 

[pangolin]

You could try re-building where you can. The brakes on my new to me boat were not working at all. I took the actuator out and some things were just jammed up in there, like the release button. I was able to get it working again so decided to keep it. I had to replace one rotor but was able to rebuild the calipers with new boots and seals. Then I flushed the whole system with brake fluid and bled them off. I was surprised, but it all started working. No more clunking when starting and stopping and much easier on the tow vehicle. Long story short is you might be able to salvage much of what you have. I definitely surprised myself.

And one new tool I discovered is the flare nut wrench. I stripped 2 of the brake lines and had to use vice grips to get them off before I learned about the proper tool for the job. I bought a set from from Harbor freight and the rest came off with out a hitch.

 

[bruceb58]

And whatever you buy, don't buy TieDown...its junk.

 

[frantically relaxing]

I've had so much trouble with surge brakes over the years it's not even funny; So it didn't surprise me a bit to find the surge brakes on the Regal were completely DOA when we bought it. So I put electrics on last summer--

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$92 per axle for self adjusting brakes, complete. Took me about 6 hours to swap all 6 out and get them wired up. Did this last season at the harbor so I'm still waiting to try them out, I just needed the E-brake actuator and I'm good.