Towing and Trailer Brakes -- Not Car Specific

Towing Knowledgeable Folks of GRM:

I just picked up a new to me ski boat ('92 Mastercraft ProStar 190) and have a few minor projects to do on the boat and trailer to get it back to fantastic condition.  The trailer has a surge brake system that hasn't worked in decades...  Prior owner had it since fall of '92 and towed it half a mile from his storage unit to the launch so he never bothered to deal with this.  It's no fun to tow this thing--every acceleration or deceleration results in the surge unit slamming back and forth.

The dry weight of the boat and trailer is 3,200 lbs.  Add in 15 gallons of fuel, an anchor and ski gear and it probably tows around 3,600 lbs.  I'm towing with a 2010 Sequoia Limited, 4x4.  Depending on options on this truck, tow capacity is in the 9-10k lbs range.

I'm not excited about the idea of replacing the whole brake system.  Replacing the surge coupler with a bolt on standard coupler seems like a reasonable option given the weight of the load and my tow vehicle.  Is that crazy talk?  A quick internet search didn't find a complete system replacement option, so the parts would need to be chosen individually, with the cost looking to be $500+ (I have not gone into detail on this to choose the correct parts--just a quick glance).

This rig will see highway duty in addition to local.  Probably 1,500 miles a year.

WWGRM do?

Can you get away with towing that without brakes?  Probably, most of the time.  Is it a good idea?  I certainly don't think so.  That's more than enough weight to dramatically increase stopping distances on a good day and push the truck around sideways on a bad day.  Depending on where you live it could very well be illegal as well.  When I worked as a tow truck operator I towed on plenty of wrecked truck and trailer combos driven by folks with no trailer brakes who'd never had a problem before.

In reply to APEowner :

I have kids so I'm well versed in the concept of "you didn't get hurt doing that... YET!"  

That's good feedback, thanks.  The variety of trailers and brakes or lack thereof on the road is huge.  I previously owned another Mastercraft that was probably a few hundred lbs heavier, was also on a factory trailer, but it was a tandem with no brakes. We currently have another runabout that weights a similar amount on a single axle trailer with no brakes.  How is legality determined?  Is it weight?  How it was originally manufactured?

Personally I feel 3000lbs or so is above where I'd feel comfortable without trailer brakes. Your truck will certainly do it, its got pretty beefy brakes. But, as stated already, your stopping distance will be greatly increased. Probably won't be a problem,........... till it is.   Also, if you upgrade to electric brakes and a controller, you mitigate a trailer sway situation with the flip of a lever.  More  control  is reassuring when towing. How confident do you want to feel? 

My camper ( granted its another 1000lbs heavier   4600lbs) has  dual axle trailer brakes and the difference between using and not using them is huge. A panic stop without trailer brakes is alarming.  

Ditch the E36 M3ty surge brakes.  Convert to either electric trailer brakes or electric over hydraulic (keeps the electronics out of the water when launching the boat).  

I've towed my 1500 lb car hauler with a 3000 lb MR2 on it with my ZAV (LX470) without the brakes.  First tow with the ZAV to go pick up a broken MR2 and didn't have time to diagnose and fix the system.  It did amazingly well.  I would personally and unprofessionally say that at that weight and with that tow vehicle, trailer brakes are optional but "nice to have."  I did fix the system after that, so I should have brakes next time.  Now, towing the same thing with a 1986 RN Truck, well, you damn well better have trailer brakes.  I would say that the empty 1500 lb trailer is about as heavy as I'd want to pull without trailer brakes and that tow vehicle.  Note that the ZAV weighs 6K lbs and the RN Truck about 3K.

I'd probably research local laws.  I bet you could be letting yourself in for a good sized ticket by removing.

Surge brakes suck, but they are not that expensive or tough to repair.  Bleeding can be a pain, but the stuff in the wheels is fairly robust, in my experience. 

Electrics are not great in the water.

Personally I wouldn't tow it without brakes, that's just asking for trouble.

Electrics are terrible in salt water, don't know how they do in fresh water.  Rebuilding the surge brakes is probably the right answer, unless you feel like spending a ton of money on electric-over-hydraulic.

Thanks for the comments!  Looks like the state requires brakes for trailers with a GVW over 3k, so this project is going to move forward.  

The manual says the actuator is an UFP A-60.  It looks like I can source a new inner slide to fit right in, and the new ones have an electric lockout which will be nice.  Tonight I'll look at the brakes themselves to see if I can figure out what I need at the wheels, and the project of sourcing and learning how to install begins.  Given how long they have been non-functional, replacing the entire system is probably necessary.    I will surely have questions...  Stay tuned, please!

I personally feel that the trailer I have regular experience with with surge brakes is more dangerous than all the others I've had experience with, without brakes period. 

With that vehicle, I wouldn't worry about brakes. And FWIW, I tow through your state regularly. Never been stopped by the PoPo. Actually, I'd bet that at least 50% of the boats that size do not have brakes on their trailer in Wisconsin. 

In reply to PeterAK :

Drill a hole in the slide action and drop a bolt in. End of it slamming back and forth.  It’s usually real simple to get the surge unit working. They sell new drop in kits for just that reason. However I rebuilt mine a couple of times for just a few dollars to get the new rubber seals needed.  After about 25 years I just dropped in a new master cylinder.  Never did have to replace the brake lines bugs but once had to rebuild the wheel cylinders on the brakes.  

I love surge brakes. You can tow them with anything with a hitch.  No longer need a dedicated tow vehicle with the right trailer brake connection. I suspect the trailer has more than 200,000 miles on it.  Early on I drilled the slider so I could back up without the brakes going on.  Later I used an old drag racing line lock connected to the reverse back up light. Did the same thing as dropping the pin in the hole did except I didn’t  need to get out to put it in place

Georgia requires brakes over 3000 lbs as well, and although you may never get stopped it could have legal consequences if you're ever involved in an accident, God forbid. Also, after sliding an F250 through a rainy intersection being pushed by a 2000lb boat, I'd be a fan of some kind of brake on anything heavier.

I don't know how similar this is to what you have, but etrailer.com has an entire hydro setup for under $600. They've generally got good prices on trailer brake parts, as does Amazon.

OTOH, standard electric drums would probably be fine if you're not in salt water and you unplug your harness before backing down the ramp.

In reply to ultraclyde :

I was thinking the same. Once upon a time electric brakes were poorly insulated, and submerging in water was a terrible plan.  These days the electromagnets  are well sealed (usually epoxy coated) and shouldn't  be damaged by a good bath assuming you've made all your wiring connections water tight.  With the trailer  unplugged for extra good measure, a quick dunk when launching/ loading boat shouldn't damage them. Even if they are damaged every few years, it's so cheap and easy to repair them, its a non-issue. 

In reply to TGMF :

My thoughts too. The prices on the whole drum/shoe/solenoid assemblies are so cheap any more it wouldn't even be bad to do them on a yearly basis when you pack the bearings.

entire kit for $150 if it fits your axle and you can replace BOTH the brake assemblies for $50 in the future

I have a pile of those couplers nos in boxes.  You probably just need to fill the system and bleed the brakes, though.

The coupler should have a little tab on the bottom you can flip to lock out the coupler so you can back up hill. Usually you can flip it, add zip tie or bailing wire, and carry on like a regular non-braked coupler until you get around to fixing it. 

oldopelguy said:

I have a pile of those couplers nos in boxes.  You probably just need to fill the system and bleed the brakes, though.

The coupler should have a little tab on the bottom you can flip to lock out the coupler so you can back up hill. Usually you can flip it, add zip tie or bailing wire, and carry on like a regular non-braked coupler until you get around to fixing it. 

I suspect that adding brake fluid is not going to do it--doesn't the coupler have a shock and a spring in it?  I can move this one in and out with one finger...  The lock out on this one is a magnetic piece of metal that fills in the tab in the pic above.  The binder of documents that came with the boat includes an owners manual for it.  It's a UFP A-60.  Amazon has the the actuator inner slide available--so there is no bolting or welding a new coupler, just pull the pins that hold it in and replace the inner unit.

I have never owned a trailer with brakes (first by accident, then by choice because it wasn't compelling for my usage). The pictured setup is WAAAAY inside my personal comfort zone, being less weight on a longer wheelbase behind a more capable tow vehicle than what i do 99% of the time. I would do jack E36 M3 nothing after defeating the surge brake coupler except carry a spare tire and do what i always do anyway, which is drive a lot more defensively while towing. My .02.

In reply to PeterAK :

I see you're in Milwaukee. Go to Tom's Trailers, in Menomonee Falls. They will give you the help you need. They have an abundance of parts and vast amount of knowledge. 

I thought Wisconsin required brakes on trailers over 2000 lbs? 

In reply to PeterAK :I tow my 28 foot 6000 pound cruiser ( plus trailer weight) with a half ton pickup and have ever since 1979  that’s almost 40 years now.  

no brakes!  

RealMiniParker said:

In reply to PeterAK :

I see you're in Milwaukee. Go to Tom's Trailers, in Menomonee Falls. They will give you the help you need. They have an abundance of parts and vast amount of knowledge. 

I thought Wisconsin required brakes on trailers over 2000 lbs? 

3000 lbs. So I guess that is the answer.

I got this sale flyer the other day.    Eastern marine / trailer super store.

I've been super happy with the electric brakes on my trailer.  I towed with my old Cayenne Turbo S, which definitely didn't lack for brakes but with a ~4500lb load it stopped dramatically better with the trailer brakes than without.

I wouldn't tow anything more than a small tire trailer without trailer brakes now.

frenchyd said:

In reply to PeterAK :I tow my 28 foot 6000 pound cruiser ( plus trailer weight) with a half ton pickup and have ever since 1979  that’s almost 40 years now.  

no brakes!  

Considering how big a difference trailer brakes make even with half that weight (behind half ton or bigger pickups), I sincerely hope I'm never anywhere near your deathtrap on the road.  Trailer brakes aren't just about having more stopping power, but about keeping the trailer behind you in a fast stop rather than having the whole thing swap ends.