Down hill with surge brakes coupler

[JacksonH]

Going down looong hills a lot. Is there a way to stop a boat trailer with surge brakes from applying its brakes as it pushes against the trucks tow ball, when going down hill?? Also any one switch over to disk brakes from drums, pro or cons. Thanks in advance

 

[Hoefler]

What is happening with the brakes on the trailer?? Is it jabbing?? If the trailer is not perfectly level, it will cause the brakes prematurely apply if the front is low. If it is high, they may not work at all. Depending on the brand of controller, there usually a gas charged shock to keep the actuator applying under deceleration and to keep the brakes from jabbing. As far as the disc brake conversion, they will apply smoother, firmer, and brake harder. You will need to check your actuator if you convert. Some actuators are not compatible with disc brakes, some of them you can convert by removing an orifice or swapping a fitting. I bought a new actuator to be safe.

 

[JZellers]

Like Hoefler says, keep the trailer level. I've never had any trouble with brakes down hills. There is no way to stop the brakes from applying if the inertia of the trailer is more than that of the tow vehicle and going down a long hill I don't know that you'd really want to - you might need them at the bottom



I did a disk conversion on my boat trailer (6000lbs loaded) a couple years ago and am happy with it - much smoother, shorter stops. The only real issue with disks is that where your drum brakes will allow you to backup freely without having to trip the backing lever on your coupler (if so equipped), your disk brakes will lock up as easily as going forward. On the tow vehicle, you'll need the backup solenoid that will have to be wired to your reverse lights. It mounts to the coupler where the brake line connects and simply cuts the flow of fluid to the brakes when backing. I have an Atwood coupler which I had to modify slightly for disks which works fine, but if your coupler is more than a few years old you might want to consider buying one of the new couplers that are already set up for disks.



Joe

 

[KBennett]

I can't answer your question but I can tell you one way to solve it.

I bought a boat in July and the trailer had surge brakes. The guy had rebuilt everything but two weeks after I got it the master cylinder seized, probably from water getting in it. It was $80 for a new master cylinder or $300 for a whole new axle with the whole nine yards... . springs, drums, bearings, electric brakes, seals, etc.



I replaced the axle and ran the wiring in about 5 hours and have been very pleased with the results. The old axle will be used for a little utility trailer I have plans for.

 

[JacksonH]

Thanks guys