Trailer surge brake bleeding

[alexinPA]

I got boat trailer with surge brakes. Only use it twice a year to take boat in and out of the lake, 30 mi round trip. The manual says to bleed brakes every year. Do i really need it? We don't bleed car brakes every year... Comments?

 

[Rebeldad1]

Trailers get less use but sit a lot. moisture can occur during this time. Especially on a boat trailer. Metal does attract moisture.

"we" dont bleed our car brakes yearly....
Vehicle brake bleeding is a area of brake service that is greatly ignored. We dont llke paying for a service we cant see and mechanics as a whole dont like bleeding brakes. We assume thats all included in a brake service.

Brake bleeding should be done every 5 years or every brake service which ever comes first. you would be amazed at how many shops do a brake repair without bleeding the system when done.

 

[oliver1555]

I flush the brakes on my vehicles every five years. Brake fluid tends to attract moisture.

 

[alexinPA]

I flush the brakes on my vehicles every five years. Brake fluid tends to attract moisture.

Is flashing different from bleeding?

 

[oliver1555]

Yes. Flushing is a complete change.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Is flashing different from bleeding?

Bleeding is to get air out. Bleed the air out. When you don't have air then you are flushing. You'd be amazed with the results of flushing old dark fluid until you get clear fluid, on anything. Trucks, trailers, tractors, anything.

 

[oliver1555]

When moisture laden brake fluid is put under pressure (brakes applied), the water turns to steam, which can be compressed, leading to brake fade.

 

[oldballs]

Not to down play this flushing idea...............I'd bet that there is not 1 in several thousand hydraulic brakes (trailers, autos, trucks, tractors) that get flushed...even in their life time, much more every 5 years....just saying. One time before the 55 mph standard came about, there was a 80-- 90 (can't remember) mph speed limit on the Kansas Turnpike......Man ....did I experience some brake fading for emergency stops....back in the 70s.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[RustyA]

Anti-lock brake hydraulic control unit _1500.00, quart of dot 4 synthetic brake fluid 10.00. Simple math to me. Gravity bleed brake calipers at every brake service.

 

[4570Man]

My family has had a boat since like 2005 with surge brakes. I’m not saying it’s the best approach but we’ve never touched them.

 

[k5jax]

My family has had a boat since like 2005 with surge brakes. I’m not saying it’s the best approach but we’ve never touched them.

Look at your surge brake fluid. If it does not look like it does in the can it has absorbed moisture. It it looks like the new stuff then leave it alone. If you need to change it first find something like a turkey baster and suck out all of the fluid that you can and then fill the cylinder up to normal level before starting. It has been too many years since I had surge brakes and I don't remember the system design well enough to walk you thru from this point without seeing the trailer.
Brake fluid has an affinity for moisture. Fluid flushing depends on where you live and how damp/dry it is. Brake fluid in plastic bottles stored in a damp environment will absorb moisture and not be useable. Brake fluid stored in cans will have an almost indefinite shelf life. If you look you can still find fluid in metal cans. That is all that I buy.
I learned these things dealing with race cars over my lifetime and following the race crowd experiences. I also lived in a very damp Southern climate at pone time and ended up replacing brake wheel cylinders because I let the fluid absorb moisture and rust formed in the cylinders and pitted them. No brake honing doesn't usually repair the cylinder.
I am 79 now and still servicing my skid steer and tractors on my ranch. Now I live in the plains of Colorado and I look at my brake fluids when I have the hoods open on my vehicles and if they have changed color I will flush them.
Good luck
"YEARS OF LEARNING THE HARD WAY"

 

[Monster5601]

Until this thread, I've never given a thought to changing out the brake fluid in my only surge brake trailer, my boat trailer. I'm consistent with changing the brake fluid in my three vehicles as needed so now I'm feeling a bit guilty for not thinking of the boat trailer.

I grabbed my owners' manual for the trailer but there is no discussion about changing brake fluid or even a discussion on bleeding the brake lines. My question is, how do I force the brake fluid through, do I use a bar of some sort to force the surge brake level to push through brake fluid or should I use my vacuum bleeder tool to pull new brake fluid through?

I may have answered my own question, did I?

 

[950deerehunter]

Until this thread, I've never given a thought to changing out the brake fluid in my only surge brake trailer, my boat trailer. I'm consistent with changing the brake fluid in my three vehicles as needed so now I'm feeling a bit guilty for not thinking of the boat trailer.

I grabbed my owners' manual for the trailer but there is no discussion about changing brake fluid or even a discussion on bleeding the brake lines. My question is, how do I force the brake fluid through, do I use a bar of some sort to force the surge brake level to push through brake fluid or should I use my vacuum bleeder tool to pull new brake fluid through?

I may have answered my own question, did I?

I have completely replaced or rebuilt the surge brake system on our boat trailer. Bought used and not sure they ever worked. Rebuilt the master( is this PC?) cylinder and replaced everything else (backing plates, shoes, slave cylinders) because they were garbage. Some of the steel brake lines even had rusted out. Had my son working the master cylinder with a bar as a lever to actuate as I bled the wheel cylinders. Hadn't thought about this much but will keep an eye on this so I don't have to do this again. It isn't cheap.

PS: I initially used my vacuum brake bleeder but finished wish the pressure bleed.