Surge Brakes Jerking

[baileyjd1]

My tandem axle boat trailer is equipped with a surge brake system that works fine as far as braking goes. The coupler has got to the point where the slamming shut when stopping and jerking when you accelerate to cause concerns. Any ideas on how to make the action less violent? Plenty of brake fluid in the reservoir.

 

[oldjeep]

Does your coupler have a dampener? If so then it may need to be replaced.

 

[Scott Danforth]

or your brakes need to be adjusted. if you have drums, you need to adjust every few trips

 

[oldjeep]

or your brakes need to be adjusted. if you have drums, you need to adjust every few trips

Huh? adjust your brakes every couple of trips, that's crazy talk.

 

[izoomie]

Is there fluid in the actuator? If it runs dry it will bang pretty hard during stops/starts. I'm confused about the brakes actually working in that scenario however.

 

[bruceb58]

They also may need to be bled if air entered. With the pontoon trailer I just bought, I was having same issue and did a brake bleed and all was well afterward.

 

[baileyjd1]

I do not know what a dampener is, therefore I do not know if I have one.
The brakes are disc brakes, not drum
What is an actuator? Is this different from the brake fluid reservoir?

 

[bruceb58]

The master cylinder that contains the brake fluid is in the brake actuator.

 

[oldjeep]

I do not know what a dampener is, therefore I do not know if I have one.
The brakes are disc brakes, not drum
What is an actuator? Is this different from the brake fluid reservoir?

Dampener is a little shock absorber that is inside the coupler, sometimes they will use a pair of springs. If you figure out what coupler you have then a diagram should be available for how it is set up.

 

[Starcraft5834]

The actuator is where fluid goes in..mine has a slot you can fit a flat screwdriver and pump the master cylinder. Unscrew bleeder nut on breaks. Pump actuator till fluid spews out. The.jack up trailer get wheel off ground spin tire pump actuator. Breaks should work..repeat other side

 

[Starcraft5834]

If breaks r banging check caliper slide pins. .maybe grime causing them to hangup

 

[ssobol]

Check that the rotors aren't warped. After a good drive to the ramp, backing the trailer into the water can cause the hot (warm) brakes discs to warp over time.

 

[phillyg]

A slamming or jerking event generally indicates low/no fluid and no braking. If you have fluid in the master cylinder, the problem has to be somewhere downstream, perhaps you need to bleed the brakes again.

 

[kjsAZ]

or a much simpler thing I have or better had with my current set-up: The hitch receiver has to much tolerance and bangs every time it goes up and down. A lot of hitch receivers are with far to much plus tolerance and if you then get a ball mount with to much negative tolerance it bounces like hell even with the best adjusted and set-up brakes. Quick fix was some tape around the ball mount to get the gap filled and the long term was one of these U-bolt style parts. Quiet now....