Electric or Surge brakes? Opinions ? Experiences?

[keeney]

My boat trailer has surge brakes, and they are OK only because I only use it a few times a year, but:

They can only activate if the tow vehicle is decelerating!

If the tow vehicle is hydroplaning a bit or sliding on ice or snow, the trailer won't brake at all because you need to generate force on the coupler to activate the trailer brakes!

Besides activating when you don't want them to when backing up a hill, they also don't activate when trying to stop while backing down a hill. You have to be careful backing the boat down a wet ramp towards the water - it feels like it is sucking you in!

Electric brakes are mostly a pain in the **** to get the brake controller installed and tuned. The controller should be connected to the brake light circuit at the very least, and the good ones are sensitive to brake pedel position or force.

An electric brake controller that works only by sensing deceleration is not much better than surge brakes in my opinion.

- Rick

 

[Highbeam]

"BrakeSmart It is the top of the line brake controller on the market" Not really, the prodigy is head and shoulders above all others from the folks who know. RV.net is a fantastic source for that kind of information.

I run the voyager which is an inertia activated controller. Well really it starts with the brake light activation and then ramps up with inertia. The aggressiveness and total application power are adjustable while underway. I turn it off when parking in a tight spot and add more power when at full speed on the freeway. Also, every electronic controller I have ever used has a manual application feature where you can reach down and apply the trailer brakes by hand to either check the function or to get yourself out of a sway situation.

 

[tjkadar]

There are two basic types of electric brake controllers: Time Delay Activated and Inertia Activated - Proportional (the BrakeMaster is a yet a third type of controller).

Shamelessly copied from: etrailer.com

Time Delay Activated
Solid state controllers are "enabled" by the brake pedal switch and apply a gradual voltage to the trailer's brakes using a Time Delay Circuit.
Advantages : Time Delayed controllers are inexpensive, have a low profile, and can be mounted on any angle (very user friendly).
Disadvantages: When towing (in most applications) with Hazard flashers on, the Digital Display will flash with the Hazard Flashers. If the Brake Control is set aggressively, pulsing may be felt in the trailer brakes. However the Pulse Preventer will isolate the Brake Control from the flashers and eliminate the flash/pulse situation.

Inertia Activated - Proportional
Pendulum Style Controllers are "enabled" by the brake pedal switch and "activated" by a Pendulum Circuit that senses the vehicle's stopping motion and applies a proportional voltage to the trailer's brakes. When properly adjusted the trailer will decelerate at the same speed as the tow vehicle. This increases braking efficiency and reduces brake wear.
Advantages: Pendulum style controllers operate well under adverse braking conditions and have a smooth braking action.
Disadvantages: Most inertia-activated controllers are bulky, more expensive, and must be mounted and calibrated level. The Tekonsha PRODIGY™ and Valley Odyssey™ inertia-activated brake controllers are the exceptions to these disadvantages.

 

[tjkadar]

You might want to take another look at the BrakeMaster system. The Prodigy is NOT the best system out there. As a matter of fact, many folks that have used the Prodigy system have switched to the BrakeMaster and have not looked back. The two best systems out there today are the Jordan Ultima and BrakeMaster's. Of the two, almost everyone prefers the Brakemaster.

However, the Prodigy system is the most popular and costs about 1/3 what the Brakemaster costs.

But you don't have to believe me: iRV2.com
Turbo Diesel Registry

The BrakeMaster system IS the best out there. The only problem is waiting for them to get their manufacturing debacle straightened out.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

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The BrakeMaster system IS the best out there. The only problem is waiting for them to get their manufacturing debacle straightened out.
</font>

I've been digging all over the internet and talking to several different dealers and I will have to say that from what I can tell the Prodigy is the most popular of the inertia controllers. It is reasonably inexpensive and it is pretty darn good. In fact it is hard to fault.

The BrakeSmart unit from BrakeMaster is sort of the elite super premium class of brake controller from what I can tell. The BrakeSmart seems to be so much more sophisticated and foolproof that it really is in a class all by itself, the production problems aside, it is also not a well known system and many shops simply don't seem to know anything about it.

The Jordan Ultima also seems to be in its own class, not so much because it is better than the inertia systems but probably because it is different than them. I now know more about brake controllers than I really care to know. I would buy the BrakeSmart in a heartbeat if it was available. Because it is not available, I am going with the Jordan Ultima unit. It is not as good as the BrakeSmart, but it doesn't suffer from the inherant problems that the inertia controllers like the Prodigy suffer from. And all that said, a Prodigy would be a lot easier for me to buy and get installed, it seems like every hitch shop offers them as their top of the line offering. It is a good unit. But it does not account for brake fade, it's design doesn't apply progressive pressure as accurately as either the BrakeSmart or Ultima unit are capable of doing, yet, I would say it is probably a very good/excellent brake controller anyway.

 

[v8dave]

One more reason for a 10,000 lb trailer is it will be heavier and ride better when unloaded.

If you choose to follow the good advice given in the other posts and get a 10,000 pound GVW trailer. Have the fab shop/manufacturer rate it at 9,990 lbs GVW. Some states strictly enforce the DoT rules about 10,000 lb GVW (and over) trailer needing a commercial drivers license for the operator.

I don't know about your state but California does enforce the law and if stopped you'll be made to leave the trailer along side the road.

 

[seasalt]

v8dave,
thanks for the sage advice. Top Hat trailers of East Texas builds a 10,400 GVWR trailer but rates it as 9500 for that exact reason. That is my dealer. Waiting for a bid for the options I chose - trailer with 3"pipe rails, spare, HD fenders, 16" wheels, removalble!! fold up 6 foot ramps, HD jack...

Even offer the option of JD green paint. What do you think.. I should choose, black or green?

 

[thcri]

Consttuction trailers in Minnesota now have to be electric. My personal experience is in winter conditions surge don't work very good at all. I would rather have the electric on all 4 wheels.

murph

 

[Paddy]

Go ele

Questions;

How far will you be towing?
How often?
Is your truck a 1500 or 2500?

To me it makes no since to tow a 10,000 GVW trailer with a Chevy 1500. Speed and hills are what push you to the limits. If you plan to tow once a month 30 mi accros the county and it's flat, your needs are greatly reduced.

Example; I wouldn't take a rig through the Smokey Mts that was on the limit.

I hauled a TO-20/grader blade, 2800lb? on a 7000 gvw/ele breaks with a Suburban 1500. I did fine but couldn't imagine another 2000lb

Patrick

 

[BubbaJr]

You've gotten a lot of great advice, but there is one thing I didn't see mentioned. Are you going to haul all of your attachments with you? Unless you are in the landscape business and have to be prepared for anything, I don't see why you would have to take everything with you. You may be able to get by just fine with the lighter trailer IF, you don't load everything on it. I have about 10K# of tractor and attachments, and I have a 7K# trailer, but I've never overloaded it by hauling all my stuff at once.

I rented a U-Haul trailer to run up to Chicago and bring back my 41 Ford. It had a surge brake system on it, and it worked just fine. But the roads were dry, I didn't have to back up any hills, and swaying wasn't an issue. However when I bought my trailer I got electric brakes for all the reasons the other posters have mentioned.

Good Luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif