Trailer Brake Question

[supercliff]

Hello All,

This is not exactly a 4runner question, but....

I have a 16' tracker boat which I tow with my 04 4runner. I have upgraded my brake lines to stainless steel and I have also added the air ride bags at the rear suspension.

I would like to add trailer brakes to my trailer. Has anyone done this before? I see kits available online:
http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/items.asp?Cc=DISC-KIT&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

but I don't know enough about it to know it if will fit my trailer. I believe they are standardized but I'm not sure. Also for those of you who have done this, is it easy to do yourself? I'm thinking if I jack my trailer up I can just bolt this system on, bleed the brakes and go....

Thanks in advance!

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Hello All,

This is not exactly a 4runner question, but....

I have a 16' tracker boat which I tow with my 04 4runner. I have upgraded my brake lines to stainless steel and I have also added the air ride bags at the rear suspension.

I would like to add trailer brakes to my trailer. Has anyone done this before? I see kits available online:
http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/items.asp?Cc=DISC-KIT&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

but I don't know enough about it to know it if will fit my trailer. I believe they are standardized but I'm not sure. Also for those of you who have done this, is it easy to do yourself? I'm thinking if I jack my trailer up I can just bolt this system on, bleed the brakes and go....

Thanks in advance!

Without looking at the trailer it's hard to know. They are fairly standardized. If you collect as much info about the trailer as possible (make, lug count, size, model year etc) and email the company they should be able to help.

If you have a Tractor Supply or Northern near they have kits. They don't install but by taking the trailer there someone may be able to help with fitment. Good Luck:cheers:

 

[sbbamafan]

First let me say I am NOT an expert by any means but I have been going through this same process for about a year. I do not have brakes on my boat trailer but need them, not only for peace of mind but also to be legal. For small boats (mine is about 20'6" and weighs 4400# including the trailer and some fuel) you have 2 main choices; surge brakes or waterproof electric brakes. First you will have to decide which type you want (which is best for you) and then you need to decide if you want discs or drum brakes. Each type has pros and cons.

Key question - does your trailer have brake flanges at each wheel? If not, they will have to be fabricated and added by a welding shop.

Also - will you be using your trailer in salt water or fresh water?

Surge Pros & Cons
Surge brakes depend on the action between the trailer and the tow vehicle for braking needs, IE, when the tow vehicle slows down, it applies pressure on the tongue of the trailer which, in turn, applies pressure on a hydraulic master cylinder which applies braking pressure at the wheels.
No special equipment needed in tow vehicle - you can tow and operate the brakes with any vehicle
Can be a little cantankerous in reverse - a special switch is needed to overide the mechanism.
Some states don't recognize Surge systems as a legal braking system
You don't have any direct control over the trailer in any panic situation.
There is more maintenance on hydraulic system.

Electric Pros and Cons
Electric brakes require a seperate brake controller to be mounted in the tow vehicle. This is really not a big deal and can be self performed in less than an hour.
Electric brakes will not be operable in a vehicle without a controller.
This controller can adjust the braking pressure in the spur of a moment if needed for sway control, etc.
In my opiniion it is simpler to install electric than hydraulic. Wires simply are run from the plug on the trailer to the brakes (this may just seem simple to me because I am a low voltage contractor). Hydraulic installation requires proper bending, fitting and other techniques that are not familiar to me and intimidate me a bit...
Salt water can be harder on electric, but really either type should be rinsed / flushed after using in salt water. New connections are much better than they used to be.

Without going into the specifics of discs vs. drums, discs are generally noted as better but drums are a bit cheaper.

I hope others will chime in if I am wrong in my opinions. Also, you might check the twoing forums at:

http://boards.trailerboats.com/cgi-bin/trailerboats/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi

or

http://www.boatingabc.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forum_summary.html

 

[supercliff]

Wow. Thanks for the good info.

I've decided on a surge system because it's less expensive and my boat is not extremely heavy, I just want some added safety. I don't plan to use it in the salt at all. I have also decided on Disc brakes since they are easier to maintain, are stronger and I think they clear water better after launching a boat.

I have a few more questions for you:

1. What to the brake flanges look like? I'll check it out once I know what to look for.

2. Assuming I have them or have them welded on, what else do I need to check for fit compatibility? I'm the surge ball mount part will fit as the bolt patterns are probably standard. I'm concerned regarding mounting the new disc and hubs. I don't know if there are different standards and I can't seem to find any literature on it.

 

[sbbamafan]

Check this out -

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ev=/images?q=trailer+brake+flange&gbv=2&hl=en