BTV Bayliner Single Axle Trailer - Over-run / Inertia Brakes?

[Onegazza]

I have a Bayliner Capri which now lives it's life on the South Coast in the UK. Its trailer is your good old fashioned American curved galvanised single axle.

It has lived down my sideway for some time now because in the UK, trailers over 750kg gross weight have to have an inertia/over-run/surge braking system. Getting an inertia hitch is fine but, I wondered if anyone can tell me if these trailers were also designed to take braked hubs? If so, it's a straight swap for braked hubs, change of hitch and, brake cables.

Can anyone let me know the correct size hubs? All I know is they must be 5 stud and 112 PCD.

Here's photos of my trailer and the current un-braked hubs:

 

[Scott Danforth]

Suggest disc over drums

Bracket and caliper mount to the standard holes shown

Disc just sandwiches

Or if you go drums, backing plate bolta to holes shown, drum replaces hub

 

[Lou C]

If it’s a 5 lug hub they are a 5 on 4.5” circle bolt pattern with 1750 lb capacity hubs. Look up bearing sizes on www.etrailer.com or www.easternmarine.com

 

[Lou C]

And the brakes if cable operated would be 10” drums or discs.

 

[Onegazza]

Suggest disc over drums

Bracket and caliper mount to the standard holes shown

Disc just sandwiches

Or if you go drums, backing plate bolta to holes shown, drum replaces hub

Unfortunately discs aren't allowed in the UK - trailers have to be able to brake themselves so, it's cable drum braking only, with handbrake cables and an old fashioned parking brake.

There's a choice of 200mm/8in or 250mm/10in diameter and 40mm/1.5in or 50mm/2in. Which thickness do I need and what's the offset of the wheels?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Unfortunately discs aren't allowed in the UK - trailers have to be able to brake themselves so, it's cable drum braking only, with handbrake cables and an old fashioned parking brake.

I don't think there are over-run/inertia/surge brakes with backing plates but, Trailer hubs, yes. In the UK, there's a choice of 200mm/8in or 250mm/10in diameter and 40mm/1.5in or 50mm/2in. Which thickness do I need and what's the offset of the wheels?

Surge brake head and hydraulic disc does meet the requirements

 

[Lou C]

Ah so I guess yours are required to have a parking brake so that leaves out disc brakes; although disc can be made with a small internal parking brake but I’ve never seen that on trailer disc brakes only on vehicle brakes. If that’s the case I’d try to use galvanized 10” drum brakes. The wheels I ‘think’ are zero offset. I have used 10” galvanized hydraulic surge drums and I got pretty good life out of them; I usually just changed the whole backing plates after about 5 seasons. I recently upgraded from a 2x2 3500 axle to a 2x3 6000 lb axle with 12” galvanized drum brakes; with this it stops great and no drag due to the strong return springs of drum brakes and being able to set the manual adjustment for no drag,

 

[Lou C]

I’d like to know exactly what the EU’s objection to hydraulic brakes on trailers is….I’m wondering how cables are better that hydraulics…even conservative old Henry Ford eventually had to give up cable operated brakes! In any case if you are in salt water not being able to use surge operated disc brakes is really a shame since they seem to perform quite well.

 

[rustybronco]

Surge brake head and hydraulic disc does meet the requirements

I wonder if a park lock would meet the requirements for a parting brake?

 

[Scott Danforth]

I wonder if a park lock would meet the requirements for a parting brake?

no, but a mechanical park brake caliper added to a bracket on the same disc would meet the requirements of the mechanical park brake and hold on the 18% grade that is required.

 

[rustybronco]

There are hydraulic disc calipers that have cable operated parking brake functions.

 

[Lou C]

Looking at the backing plates that are available in the EU it looks to me that you'd have to replace the whole axle, I don't think that their drum backing plate assemblies can bolt up to a US spec axle.

 

[Scott06]

Unfortunately discs aren't allowed in the UK - trailers have to be able to brake themselves so, it's cable drum braking only, with handbrake cables and an old fashioned parking brake.

There's a choice of 200mm/8in or 250mm/10in diameter and 40mm/1.5in or 50mm/2in. Which thickness do I need and what's the offset of the wheels?

By brake themselves, do you mean if the trailer gets loose it needs to apply the brakes or a mechanical parking brake feature? The surge brake system with discs I put on my trailer has a breakaway feature that applies the brakes if the trailer gets loose from the tow vehicle

 

[Scott Danforth]

reading the UK regs, the only thing that surge brakes / disc or surge brakes / drums do not have that is required is the mechanical park brake

I do not believe the break-away feature meets that requirement.

the hydraulic surge brake head with the break-away feature does meet all other requirements (hand free - no electric brake controller) and auto-engage if vehicle slows and auto-engage if the trailer comes detached from the vehicle.

 

[Lou C]

What about brake systems used Australia? I think I recall see cable operated brakes on Au spec trailers that used discs and do have a parking brake function.....
https://www.adelaidetrailersales.com.au/product/add-disk-brakes/
If they can have these in Aust why not in the UK? both use cables both have parking brakes.

 

[Onegazza]

I had a scout around a load of trailer manufacturers and all used over-run drum brakes.

In the end, I got a twin axle braked trailer from a neighbour's drive and refurbished it. I got the shoes re-lined, replaced the cables and brake bar, new coupling, tyres etc. It had the benefits of being twin axle and much narrower - better suited to the small and narrow UK roads.

I'll sell my original trailer. Would make an ideal twin jet-ski trailer or to accomodate a wider boat.