Surge Brakes

[Renze]

As the leaf springs are fixed at the front with shackles or slippers at the rear , when the trailer is loaded the axles move rearward . The amount they move depends on the weight of the load . A trailer carrying 2 tonne/ton should have the cable backed off more than a trailer carrying 1 tonne/ton to prevent the cable being pulled taught with the result of the brakes dragging and visa versa .

Gee, if surge brakes are at that level of development in North America, i understand why everybody uses electric brakes there !!

In Europe all surge brakes have bowden cables that have the same brake slack irrespective of the spring travel. Knott has the "Backmatic" brake that releases when the wheel rotation is reversed, despite the brake cable being pulled on. The reverse release system used by Alko doesnt work as good.
In general these bowdens require frequent replacements, at least every 5 years. They cost me 50 euro for my tandem trailer, 4 bowden cables.

Off course the biggest benefit of surge brakes vs. electric brakes is that the brake force is self adjusting: When there is little load, the inertia of the trailer is less so it wont brake as hard as when loaded fully, so it wont smoke the tires when empty.

From what i gather, in Europe the focus has ever been on surge brakes, so the experience of this type of brakes among servicemen is higher than in North America. Europeans dont know much about electric brakes so electric has a name to be failure prone. Vice versa, In N.A. surge brakes have the name to be failure prone, because most trailer shops dont know how to maintain them.

 

[Soundguy]

Hey iron horse.. looks like you are in north america now

soundguy

 

[Eagleview]

It's the accent Ive picked up since talking with you guy's that throws people .

 

[timswi]

My experience has been different. They are proportional by weight. Now like you said they must be adjusted properly but are trouble free once done and maintained.

Chris

I don't disagree Chris. For hauling consistant or known weights you can adjust the surge to the load. In my case though, I never know what I'm going to have on the trailer. I may have a 66 El Camino with a 454 in it and then have a garden tractor or a load of wood. Some of those weights are hard to guess and adjust for without some inconvenient trial and error.

My brother has surges on his 4 Winns boat trailer and loves them. However that weight never varies by more than a hundred pounds or so with the boat on it, so the adjustment is a no brainer.

I can just adjust the digital contoller for my electic brakes to the load while driving....Not aguing, just pro's and cons.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I don't disagree Chris. For hauling consistant or known weights you can adjust the surge to the load. In my case though, I never know what I'm going to have on the trailer. I may have a 66 El Camino with a 454 in it and then have a garden tractor or a load of wood. Some of those weights are hard to guess and adjust for without some inconvenient trial and error.

My brother has surges on his 4 Winns boat trailer and loves them. However that weight never varies by more than a hundred pounds or so with the boat on it, so the adjustment is a no brainer.

I can just adjust the digital contoller for my electic brakes to the load while driving....Not aguing, just pro's and cons.

There is no adjustment to surge brakes once installed and set up. The varying weight on the trailer will make the trailer brakes react accordingly. This makes them fully proportional.

Here Renze explains it simply. "Off course the biggest benefit of surge brakes vs. electric brakes is that the brake force is self adjusting: When there is little load, the inertia of the trailer is less so it wont brake as hard as when loaded fully, so it wont smoke the tires when empty."



Now if I was starting from scratch I would get electric brakes. They are 1/3 the cost for one and parts are easier to find. Both types have a place but there is nothing wrong with surge brakes and noting can match the stopping power, especially the new disc surge brakes.

Chris

 

[timswi]

There is no adjustment to surge brakes once installed and set up. The varying weight on the trailer will make the trailer brakes react accordingly. This makes them fully proportional.

Here Renze explains it simply. "Off course the biggest benefit of surge brakes vs. electric brakes is that the brake force is self adjusting: When there is little load, the inertia of the trailer is less so it wont brake as hard as when loaded fully, so it wont smoke the tires when empty."



Now if I was starting from scratch I would get electric brakes. They are 1/3 the cost for one and parts are easier to find. Both types have a place but there is nothing wrong with surge brakes and noting can match the stopping power, especially the new disc surge brakes.

Chris

Never used disk surge. The ones that I have used didn't stop unless the system had a shock to it. I was going down a steep hill to the limestone mine to store the El Camino. The 97 Chevy couldn't get enough "hit" on the surge to slow it down. By the time I arrived on the flat, the rotors were glowing orange. And on other surge trailers I had similar experiences. Things may have improved over the last few years. I really don't know as I've avoided them since then. My trailer is electric now and that's all I'll use. I like having full control.

The newer ones may be better, I don't know. I just like having cab control ...Just my preference I guess.

In theory and all things being equal, surge should a no brainer. Although, in PA I don't think you can buy anything but a boat trailer with surge brakes, might be a reason for that. Who knows?

 

[hawkeye08]

I've used a trailer with surge brakes to haul large boat (28 ft, 10,000lb). Easy to use, easy to maintain. Difficult to use weight distribution hitch setup on, that is the biggest drawback for most towing heavy and the other issue is boat trailers and how they are used...

Surge is really good for boat trailers since the electric doesn't do well when used in salt water (to launch boat at ocean).

A recent development (last 10 or so years I think) is electric over hydraulic. No magnets and electric stuff at the wheels, just normal hydraulic brakes (either disc or drum) and instead of the surge coupler actuating, there is a electric controller at the front of the trailer, making the folks that like electric happy and still able to handle the demands of boat trailers.

U Haul and other rentals like surge brakes because there is no brake controller needed in tow vehicle.

 

[Soundguy]

It's the accent Ive picked up since talking with you guy's that throws people .

we've ruined ya....

soundguy

 

[podagrower]

My experience with surge brakes has been good. Like everybody says, no controller needed, easy to operate (except in reverse). A friend has a trailer with surge brakes and I was pulling it and his tractor with my truck (which is highly incompetent in the brake department). The surge brakes allowed me to "set" the trailer and use the brakes effectively.

On the other hand, my trailer, with electric brakes, almost always results in locked brakes (when empty, just about 100%) behind the truck. But, a swaying trailer is easier to bring under control using just the trailer brakes and electric controller.

 

[Soundguy]

On the other hand, my trailer, with electric brakes, almost always results in locked brakes (when empty, just about 100%)

don't blame those electric brakes just because YOU don't take the time to properly adjust them when you start heading down the road. Takes mere seconds to adjust your controller to reduce braking power to a level that you feel the brakes engagfe and pull.. but not lock up.

Once you get loaded, then you readjust for that load. For cheap controllers..like hopp and drawtite it's 1-2 dials.. IE.. intensity and onset. for more advanced controllers like a prodigy, it's likely a couple buttons and a dial... no big deal.

soundguy