Surge brakes or electric brakes for Pop-up trailer? Which is better?
Roland Giguere
I'll be buying a pop-up in the next month. I drive a 1993 Plymouth Voyager
with the 3.0 liter engine. I plan to have U-Haul install a hitch and do the
wiring. I also don't plan to have the trailer weigh more than 2,000 lbs.
fully loaded.
The book for the Voyager states that any trailer over 1,000 lbs. requires
brakes. I believe it is a good idea. I just don't know much about trailer
brakes.
Who can explain the difference between these two, and which is best for my
situation?
Thanks
Roland
Gary Buser
I have a 1,600 pound Coleman pop-up. I prefer electric brakes. To me they
are safer and easier to maintain. The initial cost may be more as you will
need an electric brake controller and wiring. The cost is definitely worth
it!
Philip Sinewe
Surge brakes are just what the imply, when the trailer surges forward, it
causes the brakes to apply. Basicaly, the weight of the trailer applies it
own weight.
Electric brakes work be sensing the braking of the tow vehicle (usual an
inertia detector detects the vehicle leaning forward). It then sends
electricity to the trailer brakes and applies them.
I have never had surge brakes, as far as I know, they are not very common
on RV trailers, you see a lot of them on boat trailers. I think that is
because the water and the electirc brakes dont mix well. Anyway, my
opinion is get electric brakes on any trailer. It is much safer. Also,
you should be buying a trailer that has electric brakes already on it.
Roland Giguere <gig...@facil.umass.edu> wrote in article
<32832...@robby.oit.umass.edu>...
wi...@epix.net
On 9 Nov 1996, Philip Sinewe wrote:
> I have never had surge brakes, as far as I know, they are not very common
> on RV trailers, you see a lot of them on boat trailers. I think that is
> because the water and the electirc brakes dont mix well. Anyway, my
> opinion is get electric brakes on any trailer. It is much safer. Also,
> you should be buying a trailer that has electric brakes already on it.
I disagree that safety is an important factor either way.
Surge brakes are frequently found on pop-up trailers. There are
trade-offs with minor "safety" implications: electric brakes can fail
from lack of maintenance, controller trouble, and (most commonly) from
poor electrical connections. Surge brakes can suffer from poor
maintenance, and of course they don't work if your car brakes fail. If
there's a difference it might even be slightly in favor of surge brakes,
since electrical connector failures are VERY common.
The buyer would do well to carefully look at the differences when they
have a choice, but safety is not an important factor IMO. In fact, if you
are careful to stay well below the tow car/truck's tow rating, trailer
brakes are not a major safety factor, though I always recommend them.
wi...@epix.net - KD3XR - W F Sill, Tunkhannock, PA
Lucia Breaux
Check our site at http://www.championtrailers.com for technical
information articles on both hydraulic surge and electric brakes. You
can also find components necessary to retrofit either system to your
trailer.
Think Trailer Safety
trl...@communique.net
http://www.championtrailers.com
Dick Hughes
One thing about electric brakes is that they give you the ability to
put the brakes on without the vehicle brakes. This can come in handy
sometimes in the slippery stuff. Otherwise, you might see your
trailer up along side you where you didn't really want it!
Surge brakes are probably more reliable, but they have one fault. If
you try to back up a hill, it is nearly impossible. I think some of
them have a lock-out for this purpose, but can't remember for sure.
Dick Hughes
Mr Ed
In <19961111063...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, billm...@aol.com writes:
>Surge brakes are great for rental units. Surge brakes have no break-away
>provision, electric brakes do.
> snip... snip...
>
>BillM --2.3 years a wanna be
>
>BillM37401
The surge brakes on my Jayco Cardinal DO HAVE break-away provision. There is
a wire cable I attach to the tow vehicle for it. I don't know how it works,
but it does.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ed Jurgensen N2KMP kejur...@vnet.ibm.com
In Endicott, NY
__________ ___
__/__| |__|__| ______/===\__ I'd rather be camping
(_____________|__O|_____________| in my Jayco...
__(o)_______(o)___________OO________________________________
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr Ed
In <01bbce8e$63ad4bc0$af74...@loginname.erinet.com>, "Philip Sinewe" <psi...@erinet.com> writes:
>Surge brakes are just what the imply, when the trailer surges forward, it
>causes the brakes to apply. Basicaly, the weight of the trailer applies it
>own weight.
>
>Electric brakes work be sensing the braking of the tow vehicle (usual an
>inertia detector detects the vehicle leaning forward). It then sends
>electricity to the trailer brakes and applies them.
>
>on RV trailers, you see a lot of them on boat trailers. I think that is
>because the water and the electirc brakes dont mix well. Anyway, my
>opinion is get electric brakes on any trailer. It is much safer. Also,
>you should be buying a trailer that has electric brakes already on it.
>
I have surge brakes on my Jayco Cardinal. They work very well. If I do
light braking, I don't feel the trailer brakes kick in. But if I put more
pressure on the brake pedal, I can feel the trailer start braking and I stop
much more quickly.
The only drawback with the surge brakes is that you have to disable them
when backing up any incline. What happens is that you are pushing the
trailer and the surge brakes start braking. Then the harder you try to
backup, the more the trailer brakes engage. Once you have done this
a few times, you remember to get out to flip the 'disabling gadget'
BEFORE you try to backup.
billm...@aol.com
Surge brakes are great for rental units. Surge brakes have no break-away
connections are wrong or failed. Surge brakes are automaticlly anti-skid.
Surge brakes may apply themselves when backing up hill. Electric brakes
don't come on in any situation in which the brake lights come on. Surge
brakes cannot be applied independantly.
Electric brake controllers have never been easier to install. The new
units don't need to sense brake fluid pressure. In fact, with anti-lock
brakes on the tow vehicle pressure-sensing electric brake controllers are
doubtfull.
The old kind of brake controller, the kind that requires connection to the
master cylander of the tow vehicle, is the best. But the new ones are so
easy to hook up, and the price is right. I have a pendulum type brake
controller, and I like it.
Dick Hughes
On 11 Nov 1996 06:31:02 GMT, billm...@aol.com wrote:
>Surge brakes are great for rental units. Surge brakes have no break-away
>provision, electric brakes do.
>BillM37401
The surge brakes we had on our boat trailer did have a break-away
mechanism. There was a racheted lever attached to a chain that would
pull the brakes on if the trailer broke away. Don't remember the
brand.
Dick Hughes
Wes Fujii
Roland Giguere (gig...@facil.umass.edu) wrote:
: The book for the Voyager states that any trailer over 1,000 lbs. requires
: brakes. I believe it is a good idea. I just don't know much about trailer
: brakes.
Surge Brakes- These are brakes that are hydraulically actuated by the
trailer "pushing" on the back end of the tow vehicle when the tow vehicle
slows down. The faster the tow vehicle slows, the harder the brakes go
on. Works okay in most cases, unless the road conditions are slippery
and the tow vehicle wants to jackknife. Then you are in trouble. Also,
sometimes the system will go into slight oscillations on slight downgrades
where the trailer brakes will go on, then off, then on, then off... Main
advantage is that the braking system is always "on" and you don't have
to spend extra money to equip the tow vehicle with brakes.
Electric Brakes- These are brakes that are actuated by a controller within
the tow vehicle. The controller is hooked up to the tow vehicle braking
system somehow (electrically or hydraulically). When the tow vehicle slows,
it applies the trailer brakes. There are some adjustment for sensitivity
and strength, plus you can apply the trailer brakes manually if you wish.
This system works well if your trailer gets to fishtailing or if you are
on slippery surfaces because you can manually apply just the trailer
brakes and it will straighten everything out.
It may be a moot point. Some trailers only come with surge brakes and
the rest will be with electric brakes. Under 1500 lbs, the trailers
usually do not have brakes unless you order them as an option. My
opinion, get them. My wife's cousins towed thier popup without brakes
for years (Grand Caravan) and they said mountain driving was always
tense for them. The got a different trailer (with brakes) and say that
traveling is a dream, now.
Wes Fujii KC7MFT | Weekend Camper
we...@hpdmm12.boi.hp.com | '94 Coleman Four Seasons Yosemite
Boise, Idaho | "Wishing for more weekends in the year"
This article represents only the opinion[s] of its author, and is
not an official or unofficial position of, or statement by, the
Hewlett-Packard Company. The text is provided for informational
purposes only. It is supplied without warranty of any kind.
John Davies
dhu...@efn.org (Dick Hughes) wrote:
>Surge brakes are probably more reliable, but they have one fault. If
>you try to back up a hill, it is nearly impossible. I think some of
>them have a lock-out for this purpose, but can't remember for sure.
>
>Dick Hughes
There are free backing surge brakes available that allow you to sort
of back up without applying the brakes. They didn't work too well on
my tandem 8500 lb boat/ trailer rig. Also you can install an electric
backing solenoid on the pressure line aft of the trailer master
cylinder which blocks off the line when the backup light circuit
energizes. I have no personal experience with these, but they should
work fine. My recommendation, having towed trailers with both types of
brakes - GO WITH THE ELECTRIC BRAKES. I believe boat trailers would
have them if they would survive emersion.
Electric brakes offer many advantages to surge brakes and really
are not that much more complicated. The first time you try to descend
a slick, wet grade backwards with a set of surge brakes you will have
a heart attack. Remember, surge brakes will not actuate if the trailer
is pulling the truck backwards. Sometimes you need brakes in this
situation. I was once stuck on a greasy 12% hill for 15 minutes,
barely making headway up the hill and hoping I would not have to
descend backwards into a busy highway with that 8500 lb boat and
trailer! I made it up the hill finally, but the situation did not make
me a friend of surge brakes.
I just completed a 6000 mile road trip with my Nash 27Y (electric
brakes, 6500 lbs) and had NO troubles and NO worries about the brakes.
Go electric.
Regards,
John Davies
tomm...@aol.com
My first Starcraft popup had surge brakes and they worked fine.No troubles
backing up at all. My current Starcraft has electric brakes and they also
work fine..There is an advantage to electric and that is in the very few
instances when the trailer sways I can manually hit the brakes and stop
the swaying.Also i have a freind who when he lost his tow vehicle brakes
used the trailer brakes along with downshifting to get his vehicle
stopped.