trailer surge brake repair

C

chipwagon

New member
When I my boat off for servicing I asked if they could look over the trailer. It is 10 years old and felt a little heavy on the tow over. The trailer is an EZ Loader single axle with surge brakes for my 22' C-dory. Yesterday I got the call saying the brakes were corroded and in bad shape, it would be $1800 CDN (about $1400 USD) to repair. I was a bit surprised, seemed like a lot for a trailer repair. Has anybody had that sort of a job done, does that sound reasonable?

thanks, Blair
 
EZ Loader's web site shows that their single axle adjustable bunk trailer has a maximum load weight of 3,700 lbs. Your CD 22 will be near that weight or even over it. So the first thing to consider is a new tandem axle trailer, particularly if you tow any distance.

I don't know what work is included in the estimate that you have, but simply replacing the corroded drums and brake mechanism shouldn't cost that much. For that much money they may be replacing the drums, brake mechanism, brake lines and surge actuator.

If you are going to that much effort I would consider converting to electric over hydraulic particularly if your TV has a tow package with a trailer brake connector. You put an electric actuator on the tongue that hooks up to the hydraulic lines. Electric over hydraulic provides much better braking control.

David
 
The quote is about right for service in Victoria, labour is $$ and parts are more expensive due to shipping. Try to get a second quote at Custom Hitch & R.V. Service out in North Saanich lots of boat owners use them.

I've been thinking about the cost of switching to Electric over hydraulic in Canada and I think it is $2000 CAD without doing the brakes.

Might sell my trailer for our 25 if you want something with a bigger capacity.
 
Blair, First off, your trailer needs to be up to hauling your boat safely. If your trailer is not rated for at least 5,000 pounds, I wouldn't put anything into repair, I'd be looking to trade up. It is not uncommon for trailers to be really abused (as in not washed after dipping into salt water, tires left unattended, and wiring and lights never checked or fixed), so a trailer that is 10 years old is highly likely to need a serious brake job.Get a second estimate, and go to a reliable service place.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
There will be a lot of naysayers but if you are sticking with drums it would be a lot cheaper to just pull the hydraulics and go pure electric. (That’s what I run and I do a lot of trailering! 10000 mi/year average! But mostly fresh water!). That being said I agree with the others that said you should probably be looking at a new heavier duty trailer.
 
colbysmith":i3fxjx7u said:
There will be a lot of naysayers but if you are sticking with drums it would be a lot cheaper to just pull the hydraulics and go pure electric. (That’s what I run and I do a lot of trailering! 10000 mi/year average! But mostly fresh water!). That being said I agree with the others that said you should probably be looking at a new heavier duty trailer.
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Cheaper maybe, but how long do you expect pure electric brakes to last, particularly if you launch in salt water. Electric over hydraulic disc brakes is by far the best setup.

Daviid
 
David, if you are running drum brakes anyway, electric will last just as long as hydraulic. You do want to make sure you have good material. But the best stuff, Stainless, will last the longest, however for that you need disc which means electric over hydraulic. In either case, you still need to maintain your brakes. Hydraulic and water does not get along either, if you allow water into the components. As I stated earlier, I do most my boating in fresh water. The argument about electric components really doesn't hold up, as most decent electric brakes have the wiring encased in epoxy where it enters the electric magnet anyway. The issue is with the standard drum brake material, thus why I say if you are running standard drum brakes anyway, the electric components will hold up just as well as the brakes them self. But you want to rinse it all off with fresh water after dunking in salt. Ironically, most folks had issues with the EOH when it was relatively new, as they were allowing the motorized pump to get dunked as well. No matter what you have, using it in salt will require preventative maintenance for it to last. Colby
 
Labor is a killer. Parts are relatively inexpensive. I've done all four disc brakes for less than half what you were quoted ($1400 US) above for two.
 
Electric over hydraulic disc brakes is by far the best setup
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I should have quoted this first, as I agree here that disc brakes are by far the best setup, and for that you would need either hydraulic surge or Electric over Hydraulic (EOH). EOH is much better than surge. Pure Electric is still the cheapest of all three setups, and I would only recommend pure electric if you are running drum brakes anyway. If you run the EOH, be sure your pump motor is mounted above water level and also maintain your hydraulics keeping the fluid sealed from any water intrusion. FWIW, you can buy electric brakes, backing plate and full assembly for about $30/wheel. Brake drums will add approximately another $30/wheel. (If you already have drums for the hydraulic brakes and they are in good shape, no need to replace!) And a decent brake controller will be $80 and up. If you can do the wiring your self, and the other labor, you are looking at maybe another $20-$30 in wiring. The entire job to go to electric is under $600 (US) to replace everything on a tandem if you can do the labor. Half that for just one axle! Probably double that if you pay for someone to do it. Colby
 
Well, I'm replacing the brakes on the E-Z Loader, which has 4 wheel brakes. I bought Kodiak 2 ea 12 in kits which included the (one piece) disk/ rotor , the (Chinese) bearings , metal seals, calipers with pads and a backing plate. $320 ea. $615 for the pair, American. Here is a sample: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kodiak-10-Hydr ... meDelivery. Sorry, this program will not embed a link this long. This set is cadmium plated. A master cylinder is $70. Also check that the brake hydraulic lines are not corroded. I replaced them with SS, Ouch.

The rest of the cost is labor. I'm doing it myself, will take photos.

Now, as to pure electric brakes: they don't belong on trailers that are immersed in salt water. Colby Smith has advocated them for years but he lives in the midwest and boats in fresh water. Now that he's going to other places, it would be interesting to see how those brakes look. They depend on an electric solenoid to create enough friction to drag the brake shoes into the drums.

Boris
 
Actually Boris, after several years and 30,000+ miles they look fine. You can see photos of them in Midnight Flyers photo album! However in fairness I’ll admit other than maybe some brackish water in the St. John’s in Florida or Sacramento River in the California Delta or close to the ocean at Astoria, or towing on salted winter roads in the Midwest, all my travel is to primarily fresh water. But I will argue with you that If you are running regular drum brakes in salt water, decent electric brakes will hold up as well as your hydraulic brakes! Again this is on regular drum brakes! Stainless discs will of course hold up better I believe and are only available in hydraulics which then requires surg or EOH. Colby
 
hardee":2jad62vt said:
Blair, First off, your trailer needs to be up to hauling your boat safely. If your trailer is not rated for at least 5,000 pounds, I wouldn't put anything into repair, I'd be looking to trade up. It is not uncommon for trailers to be really abused (as in not washed after dipping into salt water, tires left unattended, and wiring and lights never checked or fixed), so a trailer that is 10 years old is highly likely to need a serious brake job.Get a second estimate, and go to a reliable service place.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
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That is the single axle trailer that most of us received back in the day. It’s fine, as long as it’s in good condition. I upgraded to a double axle only to have a bit more safety in the event of a flat.
 
Many of the single axle trailers are "yard trailers"--ie for storage, and roll to a launching ramp or hoist--no more than a few miles.

I had about 8,000 miles on my single axle trailer until a catastrophic failure.--bought a used tandem axle trailer that night for a couple of thousand dollars.

The complete setup to add electric over hydraulic brakes to that trailer was abut $1300. (included Triton Accentuator, disc brakes, calipers, lines, batteries for break free system, wiring etc. (in the US, and my labor). This included new spindles as well as hubs.
 
Just for reference, I had to do brakes on my roadrunner double axle trailer last year. It also included new actuator and one new axle ( got damaged when bearing literally blew out)
My bill at Crescent Beach marina near Vancouver was close to 3k
Hope that helps
 
Thataway,

First I'm in agreement that the cost of those disks is only the tip of the iceberg. I also went for Timken Bearings, several trips to the machine shop, brake lines, etc, etc. Glad we sold the travel trailer.

I didn't change the spindles; on my E-Z Loader trailer they're built into the axle. I take it that the spindles you changed were bolted on. Why did you have to change them? They're built to trailer standards, or so I've found.

Boris
 
journey on":3m45wrn1 said:
Thataway,



I didn't change the spindles; on my E-Z Loader trailer they're built into the axle. I take it that the spindles you changed were bolted on. Why did you have to change them? They're built to trailer standards, or so I've found.

Boris
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I wanted spindles where I would inject the grease into the center, for ease of repacking
 
If folks are comfortable pulling a +4000 lb boat on one 3500 lb axle then good luck to them. I added a second axle with SS disc brakes to my used trailer when I bought it. Cost was reasonable, experience minimal, few tools needed. +10,000 miles later I have had zero problems. Labor on these trailers is the big cost. Don't be afraid to tackle repairs and upgrades yourselves. It's not brain surgery.
 
I'd say that is too expensive, but I'm not there. You can replace everything on both sides for about 500 bucks US, even in Alaska. A brake controller should be around $250 bucks, US again. I can't see more than 3 hours labor for all of it....And it sounds like they are going to bill you at automotive shop rates for labor, which is what they always try to do, but that pricing is out of line with this type of work. As others pointed out, just about anyone can do this as it is very basic stuff.
 
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