Trailer brakes PIA
 

Been so busy I haven't had the boat out for awhile so, I hooked it up and.....aaacckkk!!! The trailer would'nt move. the front wheels were locked. I jacked it up, removed the two front wheels leaving the hubs alone,..( after beating on'm with a hammer ) and dragged the boat to the street. Then reinstalled the wheels and backed it up to release the brakes. WHEW. It worked. I drove it around a bit and parked it due to another rainstorm.

Question. How much do the brakes really matter? I'm thinkin' of removing'm. How bad of an idea is that?
Anyone use a tandem axle trailer w/o brakes? TIA.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

I personally don't have a trailer with brakes for just that reason. What do you use as a tow vehicle? If it's on you V-20 your right on the edge of being required to have them legally. If you using a full size truck or SUV to tow with though, I would remove them if it was me. But that's just my opinion. And IIRC old Mr. WINDTALKER will tell you to ditch them as well.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

Never had them and don't want them!! I bought a brand new trailer anddid not get breaks!!

I now have a 23 Sea Ox traier brakes are all junk, I have already pulled the touge master cyl, and removed the broken lines that were hanging!

In the spring when I remove the hubs to inspect the berrins and repack the rest of the brakes will be in the trash also!

I tow with a full size Chevy Pick up and I am fine with it!

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

Iv gotta really heavy duty tandem axle trailer under my V without brakes. Pulling it back from Nags Head I almost wrecked cause of some rubber neckers. I wish I had brakes ,on one axle would help. I tow with a 97 tacoma v6 auto. It pulls it ok but I have a hard time stopping it. Im thinking of getting a bigger truck, but love the gas milage and dependability of this truck.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

Rule of thumb have something that is heavier then what you are towing or at least close!

My truck is over 6000 pounds ;)

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you dont need brakes, screw them >:( ;D

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I had them and they rusted all to chit so i took them off and never looked back. Make sure you have a large enough tow vehicle is all and if not go slower and give more space to the car in front of you.

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no brakes here either. I tow with a 00 F-150 with the tow package, and don't have any problems. When I bought the boat to get it home I used a 02 tacoma and stop was a nightmare. I do have a friend the just put disks on and loves them.

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the new trailer I got had no brakes the title rates it a 2999 gvw
3000 is the number you need brakes in most states

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I have brakes on mine and probably don't need them. Most of my trips are in the 3 - 4 mile range. If you tow on the highway and for long distances I think they would be beneficial. Billy Mac ;D

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I tow a tandem axle trailer with no brakes with a 94 GMC Sierra 1/2 ton. Never had a problem (knock on wood). Be sure not to have too much tongue weight, which will take weight off your front wheels which are used primarily for braking.

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i say junk em and never look back. if you have to depend on your trailer brakes when towing then you need a larger truck. what if the ones you depend on quit then you are fuked

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My trailer had drum brakes when I got it ,but were junk. I took em off. Id like ta try disc on one axle. I dont use it in salt water very much.

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When I bought my boat the drum brakes were nothing but a ball of rust.

http://www.kci2.com/pix/Day3/12.jpg

I agree with most everyone here that brakes can be a maintenance nightmare, but there were a few reasons that I felt I needed them.

• Towing weight - I'm guessing from 6000 to 8000 lbs.
• I often tow 50 - 100 miles
• I often have my wife and my three kids (and somebody else's kids) with me

One I decided that I wanted them there was no way I was going to go with drums. Too hard too inspect and maintain. After much research I went with Kodiak discs, SS Caliper, Cad Discs .

http://www.kci2.com/pix/brakes/b2s.jpg

This is the first season with them and no problems so far. Long term still needs to be seen but the discs are so much easier to inspect. I also installed the oil bath seals and caps that came with the brakes. So far I really like the idea. They run very cool and I can see at a glance if water is getting in or if they need oil. Much cleaner than grease too. I did get water in one hub the first time out but I think I fudged up the seal when I drove it in. I replaced it and not a drop of water since.

Rear axle if you only install on one.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

nice set-up MB. If I wanted ,or needed brakes, that's how I'd do it ;)

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Front axle if you install only one, and I have the same Kodiaks ;D

MBRe: Trailer brakes PIA
 

MB is that the trailer to your 250? When i towed our 250 home i used the companies cargo truck which weighs 15,000 pounds empty and it was like the boat wasn't even back there. And i didnt even have brakes on the trailer. as a matter of fact the trailer has flanges for brakes but no brakes. My question is do you think i'll need to put brakes on it if i tow it wth my 94 F-150 or my 03 Sierra? Mostly we'll be towing about ten miles but we will tow it about 30 miles during some tournaments.

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A friend of mine has a 248 WELLCRAFT(same hull as a 250) with twin 225 EVINRUDES on a bracket. He has a tri-axle trailer with 2 axles of brakes. Even with his 99 F-350 dually it would still push a bit if you had to brake hard and fast. I towed it with my 95 2500 diesel SUBURBAN. It wasn't bad with my tow rig, but you could tell it was back there.

I also towed it with a 97 JEEP CHEROKEE several times :o, YES A JEEP CHEROKEE!!!(and not the pink one) It took almost a half mile to stop from 45 even with 2 axles of brakes. BUT I HAD NO PROBLEMS GETTING IT UP TO SPEED :o ;D ;)!!!


Yeah, I aint quite right in the head :P8).

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

my 250 has brakes on the trailer but they have been disconnected as they are electric. i tow it with either my 99 Tahoe Gas, 96 GMC 1500 Z71 Gas, or 94 Tahoe Diesel. none of them have any issues and it has twin 225's

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LMFAO!!!!!!!

Ii had a buddy with a 250 and he towed no brakes with a 88 full size Blazer, no issues at that time

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It wasn't bad with my SUBURBAN, but the JEEP was another story. Really brings new meaning to using a vehicle heavier than what your towing. Let's see here, CHEROKEE fully loaded weighs in at around 3800-3900 pounds. Boat weighs in at a conservative 8000 pounds with trailer. Wait a minute, aint it supposed to be the other way around ;D. And I remember the post here awhile back regarding somebody wanting to know if the V-20 was to big to tow with a CHEROKEE.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

You wont need brakes on the trailer, until you do. Just keep good insurance on everything.

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Glad someone brought up this issue as my trailers brakes are not hooked up. I pull with a V10 Ram 2500 full size so I guess I shouldn't worry. I don't pass by too many gas stations without stopping in unfortunately.

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guys just remember if you have a wreck and your trailer brakes are not hooked up or not working and someone gets hurt or worse thy can go after you for negligence

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It's all fun 'til someone loses an eye... and calls a lawyer.

I like my brakes but if they start to fall apart in a few years I'd think twice about replacing them. I don't have an exact "break even" point in my head but if I get 7 or 8 years out of them I think I would reinvest in replacements.

Ferm the 248 and 250 are the same, on the backside of some of the plywood in my cockpit it has "248" written in magic marker. '86 must be the year they came up with the 250 designation.

Airslot, I read on the Champion Trailer website that the brakes should go on the rear axle. I worked thru the physics in my pea brain and it seems to make sense, at least for leaf springs. I'm not sure if it would make a difference with torsion springs though. Just curious what the reasoning is for the front axle?

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86 was the year they went to the 250. The early 250's were leftover 248's with the 2 1/4 births in them. Late 86 came out with the stand-up enclosed head and added a livelwell to the the starboard side. You normally put brakes on the front axle because the front of the springs on the front axle are normally anchored solid to the frame. When you have an equalizer, it would be pulling on it before the frame and would give a springing under braking. And on torsion axles, the weight will transfer onto the front axle under braking due to the weight pushing down on the tongue. So logically youy want them on the front axle if any axle.

Re: MBRe: Trailer brakes PIA
 

Honestly, with a little extra caution I don't think that towing the 250 behind either one of those vehicles is going to present a hazard in itself. Things that I would consider that might push you in the direction of adding brakes are:

• What's the terrian like where you live? I have some long grades and steep hills in my locale. Without brakes, even on modest inclines, The increase in braking effort was significant.
• What's your normal load? I often have 8 people in the Suburban, and in the boat 100+ gallons of gas, a few coolers of ice and drinks, fishing gear, beach gear, food, water, anchors, etc, etc... The extra space and volume of the 250 makes it easy to load up with extra weight without even noticing.
• Peace of mind. When towing with a full load on busy summer weekends the shorter stopping distance and better handling are most appreciated.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

Every trailer I've had or seen with brakes on one axle has been brakes on the front.

'Slot

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Here is what Champion trailer says on their website...

http://www.championtrailers.com/techsup.html

When only one brake axle is being installed on a tandem axle trailer, the brakes should be on the rear axle for maximum system performance. Rotational torque applied to axles during braking shifts the equalizer and applies more weight to rear axle. If brakes are installed on the front axle, the wheel may skid during braking. Brakes on rear axle are more effective as the equalizers shifts and the rear tires dig in to the pavement.

To me it makes sense if you consider torque and not linear force. Like why you put ladder bars on your leaf spring hot rod. But on torsion srings I can see the weight transfer to the front axle.

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

I agree, that's how everyone I have seen is set up. But Champion is the only place I could find any recommedation in writing and they seem to be respected. That said, I don't think I've ever seen or heard about anyone skidding the tires with surge brakes so it's probably a moot point anyway.

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I just completed a complete overhaul of my trailer. As you can see, my brakes were total corrosion. What I replaced were:

Surge brake coupler, jack, steel brake lines with SS brake lines, all brake assemblies and remounted brakes with ss nuts & bolts. I also replaced the equalizers and mounting bolts with SS. I am now replacing all 32 rollers with non-marking EZ Loader rollers because the old rollers were marking the hull.


http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_1405.jpg

Yeah, I know, why replace drum brakes with drum brakes. At the time, money was a bigger issue than now and Eastern Marine was having a sale on drum brake assemblies. I highly recommend Eastern Marine for both price and support. I also recommend Champion trailer but I am only about 100 miles up I95 from Eastern Marine and delivery in most cases is next day.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_1409.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_1408.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_1410.jpg

This picture shows the addition of a 24 gallon plastic fuel tank that I installed in the live bail well. The reason I installed the tank was that the original live bait well was more like a dead bait well. Another reason for the addition of the 24 gallon tank was my main tank (60 gallons) was leaking and needed replacement. I now have 84 gallons capacity. Filling up the boat for an offshore fishing trip is a heart stopping experience for a cheapskate like me!!! I am seriously considering installing a kicker and if I do, the 24 gallon tank will be for the kicker and the 60 for the big Yammie!


http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_1411.jpg

Geek

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

What size tank fits into the V20's livewell? Is there a v belly tank that fits in it? Usually we put a 5 gallon gas can on each side of the splashwell. During the last tournament though we totally ran outta gas. And like Geekie1 said our livewell is a dead leaky well. :o

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Nice brake job geek!! But let me ask, why drums again instead of disk??
i would think that disk is a better set up, doesn't hold the water in as much?

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The 24 gallon plastic tank is a Tempo permanent tank. I bought it from Eastern Marine. Cost $125. It fits in the live bait well with little modification. As you can see, the fill pipe and vent pipe are above deck. and lead to a second filler and vent in the gunnels. I am casting a cover out of fiberglass to cover the hoses onboard. Since the pipes are sort of under my helmseat, I haven't tripped on them yet.

I looked everywhere for a ready made belly tank to replace my 60 gallon tank. The only ready made belly tank that would fit in the below floor space was a 29 gallon tank. It was a Moeller or a Todd. The reason the larger belly tanks would not fit was the deadrise (angle) of the deep vee hull. The deadrise on the V20 is about 22 degrees and the angle on the ready made belly tanks was about 15 degrees. The larger ready made belly tanks (45, 55 gallon) would extend above the floor which was unacceptable to me. A custom fabricated aluminum 60 gallon tank cost me about $600.

As I said above, I would have rather had disc brakes than drum, but money was an issue. I have found out since then that disc brakes on only one axle is more than enough for my rig. My understanding is that if you replace the 4 wheel drum brakes with 2 wheel disk brakes on a tandom trailer that the disc brakes should be installed on the rear axle. If you install them on the front axle, the braking action will make the trailer very unstable. If I knew that at the time, I would have bought 2 disc brake assm's which would have cost me alittle more than the 4 drum assm's!

I have about 3-4 other ongoing V20 projects at present. They are:

Rod box refurbishment.
Teak refinishing
Stainless steel bimini top frames with ss fittings
Power winch

Geek

Re: Trailer brakes PIA
 

ThanX Gents.
The liabilty issue is very real for me but, after considering everything I ditched the brakes for now. They were drum and a bear to pull off due to'm being so rusted and expanded. I will however replace'm with a set of disk brakes sooner than later.

To Geekie,...Make sure ya flush the insides of the drums out after use in saltwater,...then drive'm around a little to dry. ( Those were instructions from the trailer manuf ).