Electric/Hydraulic

[butch]

Having surge brakes on the boat trailer is driveing me nuts.Long downhill grades while engine braking =smoking hot brakes,blued bearings ,warped drums and cooked seals.I am interested in the Brakerite electric actuator,or something similar.Does anyone have any experiance good or bad?

[SmokeyWren]

Most "high end" boat trailers designed for hauling heavy boats over about 4,000 pounds have "something" over hydraulic brakes, so the trailer can be used with a weight-distributing hitch.

That "something" can be air over hydraulic, vacuum over hydraulic, or electric over hydraulic. The least expensive and least complicated of those are the electric over hydraulic brakes. The "hydraulic" part can be either drum or disk, but most of the high-end boat trailers have the disk brakes.

MasterBrake has been the best-known manufacturer of those brake systems, including the BrakeSmart brake controller that works with the something-over-hyraulic brake systems. But I can't find them on the web now, so I suspect they went belly up. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

The BrakeRite system is sold by TDS sponsor SouthWestWheel's http://www.brakecontroller.com/brakeriterf.htm

[butch]

Thanks Smokey, I dont have a high end trailer but I do need something better for braking.I will install disc AND a Brakerite (disc brakes have been on my to do list anyway!)Merry Christmas

[j_apetersen]

[ QUOTE ]
Having surge brakes on the boat trailer is driveing me nuts.Long downhill grades while engine braking =smoking hot brakes,blued bearings ,warped drums and cooked seals.I am interested in the Brakerite electric actuator,or something similar.Does anyone have any experiance good or bad?

[/ QUOTE ]


Butch as smokey has suggested, Master brake would be my reply but they are under bank so untill they come back, All though I am not a fan of systems that plug into the cig lighter. the activator is a good activator.just go the extra and hard wire it into the trailer and truck.what you are describing is usually to small axel with to small brakes. surge brakes were never very good but they worked some. problem was the trailer has to push against the towing vehical to work so going down hill the trailer pushed aginst the tow vehical and was braking all the time. change the hitch to a solid and put the brakerite and it should work great but remember use a larger battery than the 5 amp breakaway, 370 amp lawnmower works great,if you deside to upgrade to a lagrer axel then get one with disk brakes. but remember if you get the activator for drums it will not work with disk. 1000lbs of pressure for drum and 16oolbs for disk.

[ken527]

I use this http://www.carlislebrake.com/spec_tbp.html on my boat trailer.
My boat weights around 7000 lbs and the trailer is a double axle 4 disk brake.
Works great. Ken

[I10haulR]

I second the carlisle or dexter box. I got the new generation hydrastar installed last friday over the old carlisle box I had before and love it. I would even say I like so far over the vacuum/

[Wayne B]

[ QUOTE ]
BrakeSmart brake controller that works with the something-over-hyraulic brake systems. But I can't find them on the web now, so I suspect they went belly up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, they are just working out a new manufacture. Here's their website with some info. www.brakesmart.net

Wayne B

[butch]

I went to the Brakesmart site and I LIKE IT.There is no current pricing available so does anyone have a ballpark price,??

[Wayne B]

If I remember right it was around $250-$350. But I never heard anyone complain about the price once they got the unit installed.

Wayne B

[bushpilot]

345ish by the time you get the necessary/required adapters
for your truck...but none have been made or avail in nearly a year ! and they wont tell
anyone anything about availablity or when they might start up
manufacturing again !

consider JORDAN or the kelsey-hayes/hydro (only the jordan is still being manufactured)

[butch]

It looks like the Jordan is a good unit also but I like the Brakesmart better,,, how long can I wait??!!