Adding trailer brakes

[Small Fry]

I just bought a camper to haul on my F350 super duty. The camper should weigh about 3500 lbs fully loaded with water and all my gear. I want to be able to pull my 18 ft Formula VEE which weighs about 2000 lbs. My concern is I'm going to be adding an extended hitch on the truck and the added weigh is more then I want to stop without trailer brakes. So here is the question. :whazzup:

Electric or hydraulic. One place told me if I'm not doing salt water often the electrics are fine Stevens marine say no way go hydraulic.

I look to every ones experience to guide me.

[Bandy76]

I have a 95 Dodge with a 11'10" Lance Camper.
The exaust brake helps a lot but when stoping with the 19' North River Marinier I can feel it.
My dad ran electric brakes on his single axle boat trailer for years, but he was one that never but the hubs under water.
Where I have to float my boat on & off I believe I would really like Disk Brakes, when drums get wet they have a tendenicy to glaze over espically if they get sand in them thus making them not work real well untill dryed out.
Yes I pull a 4 horse trailer also with electric brakes along with my snowmobile trailer also electric brakes both of these are drums.
The only draw back to the surge brakes is backing up a hill & they know have special lock-outs that can be activated in the drivers seat or with the back-up lights.
Check out the price difference & see which fits you best.

[lingslayer]

The axle has to be engineered/mfg'd for brakes. They are a little heavier where they need to be, and have a flange on them for the backing plates or caliper mounts.

On hydraulics you'd have to add the slider tongue that has to move to allow the master cylinder to work.

I wouldn't want electrics on a boat trailer, just because I see the bills for replacing key components regularly. Regular dunking in the water would shorten their life considerably.

[Grain of Salt]

Get the best of both worlds...electro-hydraulic...small pump mounts on the tongue and works off a brake controller...I would go with drum brakes...discs are less maintenance but lots of engineering problems as of late on the salty dogs board. The pump is expensive...about 600 compared to 250 for a good surge coupler but is also compliant for rigs over 6100 lbs in Canada.
Potter-Webster in Portland is a good source...talk to Wes...good guy. Champion Trailer on line is also a good source

[Okie]

There is hydraulic disc brake kits you can purchase to install on your trailer. It could be a larger project on a trailer that wasn't manufactured for brakes. But if you are determined to install brakes this is the way to go.

Disc brakes are a lot easyier to maintain than drum brakes. Have had both types and disc brakes win by a mile.

Good Luck;

[Orca]

Add disc brakes. The "engineering problems" experienced by some appear to be with the "lite duty" Tie-Down product. Kodiak disc's are heavy duty reliable units. If you have a 4 hole backing plate behind your current hub, then you can add Kodiak disc's. You add a plate to hold the caliper to your existing backing plate, and slide the rotor over your current idler hub wheel studs. You may (likely) have to put in longer wheel studs. This will push the wheels out 1/2" on each side. Or, you could remove your current idler hubs and use the Kodiak integral hub/rotor.

I just paid $250 for 1 axle set of Cadmium coated Kodiak disc's. These are the integral hub/rotor with races, caliper and mounting plate. You then need bearings, seals, bearing buddy (or similiar), brake lines, surge coupler, and a backing selenoid. These brake sets fit a standard 10" brake hub with the smaller front bearing and larger rear. (1 1/16" and 1 3/8" bearings)

Call Rodrigo at Century Wheel and Rim in Wilsonville if you want a Kodiak brake set. Might as well go Cadmium at this price, but in fresh water, you could get by with the e-Coat set which may be a little cheaper.

Forgot to say that all internal and external caliper parts on a Kodiak are either standard HW parts, or are available as automotive equivalents including the pads. Some of the automotive part numbers won't be stainless like they are on the Kodiak however - but in a pinch you will be able to get parts.