trailer brakes

[kenmac]

I have a 17 ft dual axle trailer that has electric brakes on 1 axle. I'am thinking of adding hyd. surge disc brakes to the other axle. Anyone tried this ?? Think it will work ?? I'am always having to adjust my brake shoes on the electric brakes. I won't have to adjust the hyd. disc. Materials will cost $600.00 to add the disc

 

[Skyco]

I've towed many trailers many miles with electric brakes and rarely have had to adjust them. Maybe you are overloading them with just one axle and adding the second axle as electric would fix that and be way cheaper.

IMO any tandem axle trailer should have brakes on BOTH axles. It is illegal to not do so some places and just foolish anywhere- again my opinion

 

[Egon]

Check and see if you can convert to electric disk brakes. Mixing the type of brake activators will only lead to problems.

I've put many miles on a tandem axle trailer with electric drum brakes. I've only had one problem with them and that required replacing all four as they had wore out.

I'm pretty sure Dexter has the electric disk brakes.

 

[Bird]

I've never heard of mixing the two types of brakes; i.e., electric and surge. That should be an interesting experiment, but I don't think I'd want to be the one spending the money to do it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am with the others on just adding electrics to the second axle. I got a kit to do just this to my 16 trailer. It had brakes on one axle and I added them to the second for about $125 via EBAY.

Chris

 

[kenmac]

I've towed many trailers many miles with electric brakes and rarely have had to adjust them. Maybe you are overloading them with just one axle and adding the second axle as electric would fix that and be way cheaper.

IMO any tandem axle trailer should have brakes on BOTH axles. It is illegal to not do so some places and just foolish anywhere- again my opinion

Around here . most tandem trailers have single axle brakes. A friend of mine just bought a new tandem trailer & it only has 1 axle brakes. He said the trailer co. wanted xtra $ to add brakes the other axle.Said the guy told him that it is standard to install brakes only on 1 axle. The place where I checked on the parts to add hyd disc. said that he sold a customer 3 axles last week 2 with elect. brake set up & 1 hyd set up to go on a trailer he was building. That's what got me thinking about doing my trailer this way, except, I was going to use the disc set up.

 

[dqdave1]

Some states require ALL axles to have brakes on trailers; (PA is one I know of). I personally want all axles to have braking ability.

 

[kenmac]

Some states require ALL axles to have brakes on trailers; (PA is one I know of). I personally want all axles to have braking ability.

Well I'am gonna do something even if I add elect. brakes to the other axle. Just wondered if anyone had used elect. on 1 axle & hyd on the other. I like the disc. set up no adjustment at all just alot of $ Mabe I can buy the disc break set up for my wife's christmas present

 

[Rara Avis]

Check and see if you can convert to electric disk brakes. Mixing the type of brake activators will only lead to problems.

I've put many miles on a tandem axle trailer with electric drum brakes. I've only had one problem with them and that required replacing all four as they had wore out.

I'm pretty sure Dexter has the electric disk brakes.

Ditto on what Egon said...

Here's your reference for the Dexter Disk Brakes...

Dexter Axle - Trailer Axles and Running Gear Components - 8K Disc Brake

 

[Skyco]

But those disc brakes are NOT electric. They are hydraulic.

They CAN be operated with an electrically driven hydraulic system but that is high dollar, in the neighborhood of $600+ just for the electric/hydraulic unit, and that is not counting the brakes themselves.
I suppose it might be nice but I've never had any trouble with electric drum brakes (own 5 trailers with electric drum brakes) save for repairing the crappy connections made to the wiring by many trailer manufacturers. Scotchloks in the weather don't hold up but hey the manufacturer saved a buck over doing it right