Electric vs electric over hydraulic brakes - The Hull Truth

gene morris · 10-04-2006, 08:59 PM

My new boat will have an EZ loader trailer rated at 8500lbs. It has disc brakes on all wheels. What is the cost and advantage of electric over hydraulic vs electric brakes?
Gene

Porkchunker · 10-04-2006, 10:22 PM

You mean electric over hydralic actuator vs a surge hydralic actuator (disk calipers are compressed with hydralic pressure). Totally electric brakes on a trailer that will get dunked in saltwater is a bad way to go.

I ran drum brakes with a surge hydralic actuator (most common arrangement on boat trailers) and was not happy. Drums quit working very early on. This summer I changed out the drums for Kodiak Silver Cadmium hub & rotor combo. Modified the surge hydralic actuator for disk brakes. Couldn't be happier.

I was going to swap out the surge hydralic actuator for an electric over hydralic actuator, but won't do that until the surge actuator needs work/replacement. When that time comes, I'll move to electric over hydralic...which gives braking power when backing down a ramp. Also gives finer control over the braking power in rain and other slick conditions.

If you are buying new, I'd go for electric over hydralic, and install the electric brake control in the cab of your tow vehicle.

Bill Erhardt · 10-04-2006, 10:52 PM

With the electric over hydraulic brake system the brakes on your trailer are wired into the brake pedal on your truck. Part of the system is an in-cab controller with which you can adjust the sensitivity of the actuator so ideally when you brake either gradually or in a panic stop the braking on the trailer is the same as on the truck. Your trailer brakes will be activated when you step on the brake pedal in reverse just as are the brakes on your truck. If you get the electric over hydraulic system, and I would recommend that you do, try to get an in-cab controller with which you can turn off all power to your trailer brakes. My unit does not have this feature and even on the lowest setting when I back down a launch ramp with the trailer empty (and nearly weightless) to retrieve the boat, the slightest pressure on the brake pedal locks the trailer brakes and I skitter down the ramp. To avoid this I disconnect the wiring between the trailer - truck, but it would be much more convenient if the controller included this function. I have never driven any distance with an empty trailer, but with my system the same would apply and if I disconneted the wiring to avoid the trailer brakes locking I would also lose my trailer lights.

FireFly · 10-05-2006, 12:12 PM

What Bill said. E over H is the way to go and will save you when backing down a steep ramp. Since I have an electric winch I always disconnect the trailer plug and connect the winch plug before backing down or I will skid the tires with an empty trailer.

Pipe-Light · 10-05-2006, 12:51 PM

How does the controller work ? Adjust the voltage going to the caliper thus regulating the hydraulic pressure release.

SEACRAFT72 · 10-05-2006, 01:09 PM

You probably do not want to use electric brakes on your boat trailer. Electric/hydraulic brake actuators cost $500-$800 . In addition , you will need a 10 amp/hr emergency break-away kit ($60) and will be best off with an inertia activated brake controller like the Dexter Predator ($70) all available at Easternmarine.com
I personally don't see a huge advantage for a boat trailer to E/H over standard hydraulic /DISC.

East Coast Trailers · 10-05-2006, 01:54 PM

gene,

Others have answered with a good description of electric hydraulic brakes (EHB). I'm not sure if that answers your original question.

With elelctric brakes on a boat trailer you would be submerging electrical components. To my knowledge only one mfg produces true electric brakes for the marine environment and they are drum brakes.

With EHB no electrical components are submerged (unless you submerge your trailer past the winch stand). Instead the electric is converted to hydraulic at an electric actuator usually located at the base of the trailer winch stand.

The cost of electric drum brakes will be significantly less than EHB disc brakes. I'm not sure I would recommend true "electric" brakes for the marine environment although I don't have any feedback from anyone who has tried them. Those who have decided to go with EHB disc have provided very positive feedback.

If you decide to go with any type of electric brakes on a boat trailer I would suggest a proportional in-cab electric brake controller such as the Tekonsha Prodigy. The advantages of electric brakes are the ability to control the amount of brake pressure applied on the trailer brakes. For example, in mountainous areas traveling downhill surge brakes will have a tendancy to work all the time and can overheat causing blown grease seals, bearing failure and of course premature wear of the brakes (pads, rotor etc.). Another advantage to electric brakes is there is no mechanical surge actuator and no clunking associated with the movement of the surge actuator. As mentioned above the brakes will also work backing down the ramp (may not be desirable with no boat on the trailer).

Here is a link to a good video that summarizes the differences between timing activated, inertia activated and proportional brake controllers: http://www.brakecontroller.com/differencevideo.htm

Steve

kerno · 10-05-2006, 02:05 PM

I recently towed an empty boat trailer from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale and then towed from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles with the same trailer, but loaded with a 31 Jupiter. I had ordered the trailer built with the electric/hydraulic setup based on the good reports I'd gotten. I also used a Tekonsha Prodigy controller. I am absolutely sold on the system. The controller has a thumbwheel to set the braking based on the decelaration that the controller senses. As such, adjusting for the empty trailer or loaded trailer was a breeze. You press one button three times and it disables the brakes for backing up. I'll never have another set of surge brakes. As far as electric drum brakes are concerned, the number of components that get submerged along with the difficulty of doing an adequate rinse sentences them to an early grave. Tokonsha also makes an adapter harness that made wiring the unit into a 2006 F-250 a five minute plug and play job.