Not really funny, but got quick laugh from surge brakes

[Dargo]

I went boating yesterday and got a quick laugh before I helped the guy. For some reason this guy felt the need to drive down a narrow and steep boat ramp truck first. He said he wanted to check the water to see how rough it was. Anyway, he had about a 20' Searay behind a Tundra 4X4. First I was annoyed and wondering why there was some moron just sitting down the ramp, truck first, blocking me from launching. That's when I saw his Tundra literally jumping up and down and going into the water.

I put my truck in park and walked down the ramp wondering what sort of drunk bumbling idiot I was going to find, hoping to stop him before he put his truck in the river. That's when I discovered that he drove down to check out the water but couldn't back up even locked in 4X4 low range. The more he tried, the more he went into the river. I should have gotten a picture, but that may have made him even madder. I finally dropped my trailer at the top of the ramp and used about 4 ski ropes on the back of his trailer to pull them back up the ramp backwards. Even then, he kept trying to "help" with his truck and that only caused his trailer brakes to lock up repeatedly!

I've never had surge brakes on a trailer myself. Still, I gotta wonder, isn't there some way you could deactivate them so you can back up? This guy was in a real pickle and already had the front half of his truck in the water by the time I came along.

 

[Willl]

isn't there some way you could deactivate them so you can back up?

Never had surge myself, but I always thought the same as you. Must be some sort of lock out.

 

[Duffster]

I am sure Diamond will be able to answer better but there should be an overide that works off of the reverse lights or a manual switch to turn them off.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

The boat trailers I have used all had an override "pin" that prevented movement when backing up.

 

[JESSE1]

The boat trailers I had with surge brakes all had a solenoid valve that blocked off the brake line when you put the tow vehicle in reverse.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

All surge brake couplers have a lockout. Most of the ones I've used or seen have a through bolt that slides up or down that locks the activating arm on the master cylinder.

The way a surge brake works is the coupler attached to your ball is hinged on top. Think of a brake pedal at the bottom. So when you hit the tow vehicle's brakes the lever or rod acting as a brake pedal in the coupler applies pressure to a master cylinder just like you have in your truck. The master cylinder sends out fluid to the slave cylinders activating the brakes on the wheels. If they didn't have a lockout you couldn't back a trailer up a hill or over a curb etc because the harder you push against the trailer the more you would activate the brakes.

It had to be funny, except for the guy with the Tundra going face first into the drink.

 

[Skyco]

All surge brake couplers have a lockout. .

Not all. Some have a way to lock them out, some don't. There are also available brake assemblies in the wheel called "free backing" that don't work when backing for the surge brake couplers that don't have a lockout.

 

[Dargo]

If he had a lockout, I couldn't see it. Maybe he did but nothing would move because of the inability to let the pressure off the surge brakes. He was in a position where he couldn't really move 6" forward. Oh well, he was appreciative to not lose his truck but man was he ever ticked off at his boat and trailer! He was kicking his trailer, beating it with some stick that I think was part of an oar and still making all sorts of racket when I launched and left him up on top. He did thank me and offer me a beer, but otherwise he was nearly out of control with anger.

 

[Tread70]

Excuse my ignorance, having never used trailer brakes, but couldn't you just unplug them? I mean wouldn't the brakes release when they are unplugged?

Tread

 

[wushaw]

Excuse my ignorance, having never used trailer brakes, but couldn't you just unplug them? I mean wouldn't the brakes release when they are unplugged?

Tread

Surge brakes work a little/lot different from electric brakes. In this case the boat was pointed down hill pushing on the actuator/mastercylinder causing pressure to go to the brakes, just like holding your foot down on the brake pedal.

This guys only recourse if he was totally alone would have been to break a line loose to relive the pressure on the brake shoes.