Thinking of converting from juice to electric brakes
- Thread starter Sea lyin’
- Start date
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
Well, lots of folks absolutely hate electric brakes on boat trailers, especially in salt water. They feel the mechanisms corrode and fail quickly. However today's assemblies are often coated to reduce corrosion, which helps. You should have no problem reusing your old drums if they are in decent shape. I have electric brakes on a tri-axle trailer that is used only twice a year. So far so good. I do check them every couple of years and I spray the assembles with fluid film. The electric brakes work fine and are much less expensive than the others. Make sure your electrical connections are sealed in adhesive shrink tube.
Buckethead905
Well-Known Member
I think he’s referring to switching to an electric over hydraulic actuator, not electric brakes like you would find on a travel trailer, those wouldn’t last a month in the salt.
To answer your question, yes you can reuse your existing drums, but if you want to eventually switch over to disk brakes then it would require a 1600psi actuator vs a 1000psi actuator. The disk setups are substantially more corrosion resistant and offer superior braking performance, I would never go back to a drum brake setup, especially in the salt water conditions.
To answer your question, yes you can reuse your existing drums, but if you want to eventually switch over to disk brakes then it would require a 1600psi actuator vs a 1000psi actuator. The disk setups are substantially more corrosion resistant and offer superior braking performance, I would never go back to a drum brake setup, especially in the salt water conditions.
noluck
Well-Known Member
mine seem to last for years, i do run marine backing plates
Buckethead905
Well-Known Member
Either way they’ll never offer the performance, reliability, or corrosion resistance that EOH with stainless discs offer. Do you trailer your boat regularly or do you moor your boat? I can’t see them lasting for “years” when every brake related thread on this site and the hull truth has everyone complaining that their hydraulic drum brakes don’t last more than a season or two with even occasional use and religious fresh water rinsing.
noluck
Well-Known Member
Electric Brakes for your Boat Trailer
The first argument I hear against electric trailer brakes is, "Electricity and water don't mix!" Totally electric brakes work by magnetism...
72land-n-sea.blogspot.com
Sea lyin’
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply’s everybody. I should clarify the trailer is nearly new as are the brakes. And that I’m in freshwater 99% of the time. We spend one week a year fishing the coast. My current setup is surge brakes with drums and they seem to work well. Looking ahead I can see there’s a lot going on with a surge setup and that changing over to electric could be the best way to go. I know I can buy the electric brake plates for drums at around $100 tire but the drums add around another $90 each. If it can be done, I’d like to reuse the drums I have now. And I thought If I start buying parts now and have it all together by spring.
Tightlines22
Well-Known Member
Actually I just bought a pair of drum assemblies and many parts are stainless. And the backing plate is coated.
