installing brakes on a trailer

[Drewski Canuck]

I am looking at a boat in the US that has a trailer with no brakes. This is an Alumaweld Intruder 20 ft. It would be pretty near towing limit for no brakes and I expect over when loaded up. As such, it would seem that brakes should be installed. The question is, if there are backing plates, is it even worth it? If so, putting on Disc brakes seem preferable for flushing salt, but would it make sense to go electric or hydraulic? truck is set up for electric brakes with a sender at this time.

Drewski

 

[bigbruce]

Obviously, electric disc brakes would be the ultimate, but probably overkill for your application. How much does the boat and trailer weigh? I installed Kodiak discs with a new surge actuator on my last trailer (single axle EZ Load with a Campion 542) for about $700 (if I recall correctly - did the work myself). If the trailer doesn't have backing plates, Courtenay Spring and Welding will sell you a new 3500 lb axle with plates and spindles for $320.

 

[Drewski Canuck]

Boat and motor should be about 2,300 loaded with fuel. Trailer about 500 pounds. Expect that with a kicker, all the stuff that goes into the boat trailer, likely in the 3500 pound range. It woud be cheaper to retro the existing trailer with electric discs than to upgrade if the cost is 700 in total, likelt cheaper than going new.

Drewski

 

[Barman]

I also installed a complete Kodiak disc brake kit to my tandem boat trailer, it came with everything I needed from actuator to disc's even new brake lines. By far the hardest part of the job was getting the old rusted seized drum brakes off, you won't have to deal with that.

For the actuater I went with straight hydraulic (surge) and it is like night and day over the old drum brake system, I wanted simplicity so kept away from electric.

I tried to have the job done locally, and when I phoned around to see who would do it, they seemed to think I was nuts converting to disc's and all tried to talk me into replacing my drums, one shop told me it would cost thousands to convert. So I did the whole job myself, kit came from the states and around $700
cost.

Oh yea, best part, no more crawing under the trailer and freeing seized drum brake adjusters, then adjusting the brakes every year.

Now I just hook up and drive away.

Barman

 

[kronic_fisherguy]

I just completed redoing my twin axel ez loader drum to disc with a "Titan" disc brake kit acuator, lines, everything I needed.Just be careful if you are running 13 in tires as it was real close to to get clearence for the calipers to clear the rims I had to get spacers to offset the tires 3/8 inch.Alloy rims and i would have been hooped steel rims just cleared.I did it all my self other than the bleeding in about 6 hours.Picked the kit up my self in Blaine.Raw cost taxes,kit, fluid axel grease 4 beer and a bandaid less than $800.Raw cost at my trailer place here was parts 300 an axel acuator $225 and Labour $125per hour.Almost cheaper to get a new trailer.One thing I would recommend is making up a fresh water rinsing setup with garden sprinkle parts to pump fresh water with ease at all the brake parts.Job was not all that hard.U tube videos helped.
kronic