Am I that green?

[Dandy]

If your surge brakes don't engage while backing on flat ground, they are probably bad or dry (no fluid).

Do yourself a favor and get electric brakes, much easier and better. Any boat trailer carrying 5000+ should have electric brakes.

JohnZ3, how do you get electric brakes on a boat trailer? I would love this but have been told by a trailer supply company that this is a bad idea to be submerging the electric brake assembly. I am curious to hear about what you have. As mentioned earlier I like the electric brakes because you can adjust the controller to increase the braking on the trailer which I find beneficial on hilly/curvy roads.

[Iwndr]

Interesting. It's been my experience that surge brakes don't restrict backing up on level ground. I do have to use the little mechanical lockout bracket when trying to back it uphill to where I store it in the summer. But when I was winterizing the boat in the driveway, I would have to back it up the "ramp" from the street gutter to the driveway and while that is most definitely an uphill in reverse, I never had any problems.

Because of the way the master cylinder in the tongue is set up, these systems are naturally proportional - i.e. the more force they feel, the stronger they put on the brakes. I wonder if you are on level ground and just going really easy, if the brakes are on so gently that it doesn't really have any effect? Just trying to explain what I've experienced.

If you have your trailer plugged in and you are in reverse while backing uphill or level ground or downhill your brakes shouldn't activate if your reverse lockout switch is working as designed.

[Ewok]

My reverse lockout solenoid went bad and I ordered a new one. It was intermittent and sometimes I had to use my manual lockout to back into hayden. It has a long flat approach to the ramp over there.

[JohnZ3]

JohnZ3, how do you get electric brakes on a boat trailer? I would love this but have been told by a trailer supply company that this is a bad idea to be submerging the electric brake assembly. I am curious to hear about what you have. As mentioned earlier I like the electric brakes because you can adjust the controller to increase the braking on the trailer which I find beneficial on hilly/curvy roads.

I went to my local trailer company, TJ Trailers, and had them convert my surge system to all electric. It was about 1000 bucks but worth it.

No problems at all dunking the trailer in the water. No problems in 10 years with electric brakes on my boat trailers.
My surge brake system failed in less than 1 year.

But, if I had to get bumper deep at the ramp, I would unplug. I've not had to get that deep with the tow vehicle yet.

[Dandy]

@JohnZ3 Did they change out the coupler or leave the surge coupler in and simply remove the surge hydraulic lines? I have seen some kits that leave in the hydraulic brakes but install a reservoir with a pump that is controlled through the brake controller - do you have this or the normal electric brakes as found on enclosed and larger flat trailers?

[Ewok]

You talking about electric over hydraulic dandy?

[Dandy]

Yes Ewok, that would probably be the best to explain it. I searched a while back to see about converting over boat trailer surge brakes and found some electric over hydraulic kits. There seems to be mixed feeling about both. Ideally, I would like to go to "standard" full electric brakes. I am not sure the concern about getting the electric brakes wet as trailers with electric brakes are pulled through rain, puddles... Maybe we should have started a new thread about this as it has lead away from the OPs topic. Sorry

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