trailer brakes

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by RidgeRunner

Agree that it is something else to break BUT, they are handy in a panic stop situation. Kodiac SS disc brakes last a very long while and are easy to service. Weld the flanges on and do it. One axle with brakes should suffice.

I gotta go with Ridge and a few others here.. Brakes are NECESSARY not only for the possibility of not killing someone, but also (as was already stated) to keep your a$$ from a huge lawsuit should you ever get into an accident and they find you are over the weight limit with no brakes.

Look, there's a reason they make brakes for trailers. They help you stop, they help your tow vehicle stay in a straight line, they help you trailer stay in a straight line. Ridge said it correctly... put one set on the front axle. Disks are nice, Drums work well also. Forget about anyone saying they rot out. If you do your maintenance correctly they will last you years and years. The set of drum brakes on my ShoreLine tandem is at least 5 years old and they still work fine. The secret? ..... Wash them with fresh water after a trip to the salt. That means jack up the trailer, remove the drum and hit it with the garden hose. Yes, it's a pain, but water is cheaper than a new set of brakes or (even worse) an accident. DO IT!!.

[Monkey Butler]

Years ago I would have thought nothing of going without brakes but now I worry more about things like insurance, tickets and more importantly the safety of friends and family that might be in the car so I feel a lot more comfortable with my brakes.

Originally Posted by Destroyer

... put one set on the front axle.

To follow the letter of the law in many states, and I think Florida is one of them, you are required to have brakes on both axles if they are installed at all.

If you do go with a single axle install then I have to disagree with you about putting them on the front axle. While it seems like common sense that the front axle would be the best location froman engineering standpoint that is not true. The brakes will be more effective on the rear axle and here is why.

Look at the crappy drawing below and imagine the trailer is standing still with the road rushing under it and the hubs spinning in a clockwise direction. When the brakes are applied you are essentially trying to lock the hubs to the axle. The torque from the rotating wheel/hub is then transmitted to the springs. If this happens on the front axle then the forces will cause the front spring to act on the equalizer in a way that pivots it in a counterclockwise direction which will tend to unload the front axle while increasing the load on the rear axle.

If the brakes are on the rear axle then the rear spring is acting on the eqaulizer but the net result is the same except now the greater the torque the greater the dowforce on the axle with the brakes on it.

I actually witnessed a trailer with the front axle hopping under braking but at the time I didn't understand what was happening.




If you don't believe me then you can double check me here:

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.

[phatdaddy]

you are just as illegal in fl with no brakes as one set on a tandem axle.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

you are just as illegal in fl with no brakes as one set on a tandem axle.

Phat, obviously, do whatever the laws in your state require. I wasn't talking from a legal sense. More like what is the safe thing to do. I have a 98' Jeep Cherokee. I was towing my 21' Cruisers Inc. home a few years back.. Going down a hill, 35mph speed limit. Light at the bottom of the hill turned yellow about 40 feet from the stop line. Instead of trying to beat the light I hit the brakes.. With my Jeeps brakes locked up the weight of the boat and trailer pushed me halfway into the intersection before I stopped completely. Fortunately it was early AM morning and no cars were coming from the side directions... but I've never forgotten the fact that no matter how safe you "think" your vehicle is and how well you "think" it will stop you, there are ALWAYS situations when it will not stop you and you can get into an accident in the blink of an eye.

Look at it another way... how would you, or anyone here for that matter, feel if you were out driving and a vehicle trailering a boat hit your car broadside and killed one of your kids..... and then you found out that the trailer had no brakes, because the driver felt that they were a pain and "unnecessary"???..... Exactly......

Originally Posted by Monkey Butler

If you do go with a single axle install then I have to disagree with you about putting them on the front axle. While it seems like common sense that the front axle would be the best location from an engineering standpoint that is not true. The brakes will be more effective on the rear axle and here is why. etc, etc

Monkey, that's good info. I'll shift my brakes to my rear axle over the winter. Thanks!!!

[smokeonthewater]

list of things that are not needed.......... except for people unable to look into the future
seat belts
transom and bow tie downs
parachutes
safety chains
helmets
trailer brakes
health insurance
life jackets

[phatdaddy]

D, i was just saying putting one set on a tandem in fl will not make you legal. i agree, brakes are totally unnecesary, unless u need to stop. and we all need to stop every now and then. i personally don't have then because my tow is very short & at low speeds. last time i towed to the keys, i didn't have them and got into jam on the turnpike. i managed to stop, but swore if i ever do that triup again, it will be with a set of brakes.

[RidgeRunner]

Taking the wind out of my sails thinking about pulling the drums to flush after every trip. That is taking maintenance to a new level. If that is what it takes, me no want.
Breakaway braking feature would be handy if/when the time comes, trailers breaking away from their tow at speed is a chilling thought.
For what it is worth, I liked how the Disk brakes performed under the Whaler. Front axle brakes only. If you got hard on the binders the stopping distance was nearly the same as the tow vehicle itself. The one axle braking power was very inspirational. Tires never locked up, if they had and the axle without brakes would keep her tracking straight. In 5 years I never had any problems.
Having said that I have never had brakes under the Wellcraft so Never a problem. The tow vehicle of sufficient size to offer some good stopping power sure helps when no brakes are the case.

[Disturbed]

I must say, that after reading replies on this, including my own, I'm rethinking not having brakes. I did take my drum brakes off when I first got the boat, but it was because they were rusted solid and basically fell apart when I initially removed the drums.

My tow is short and at low speeds, but the thought of sliding into an intersection and injuring or killing someone, is a little unnerving. I'm going to look at the possiblity of adding disc brakes to my trailer this winter.

Sadly, I should know better. I was a full time police officer here in Florida for 7 years and still do it part time. (Never a traffic cop, I worked narcotics, not that it's a defense.)

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by RidgeRunner

Taking the wind out of my sails thinking about pulling the drums to flush after every trip. That is taking maintenance to a new level. If that is what it takes, me no want.~~~~~~~~The tow vehicle of sufficient size to offer some good stopping power sure helps when no brakes are the case.

It's actually quite easy to do. I have a floor jack that I use so the jacking is easy, I leave the tire on the drum and remove the whole thing as a unit. A little messy because of the greese, but really, it's an easy thing to do. Whole proceedure takes less than an hour for both wheels. I just look at it as part of cleaning my boat after an outing.

It's true that a nice heavy tow vehicle with good brakes does offer good stopping power to a trailer most times. (Except for that one time when the brakes fail or inertia is just a tad too much for them ... stuff like that.)

[cfelton]

I installed Kodiac disc brakes on my front axle after coming home from Nags Head in heavy stop and go traffic and have never regretted it. I was pulling the V home after a week long vacation with the family and following three van loads of folks that all of a sudden decided to slam on the brakes and turn across traffic. I had no where to go, so I locked up the brakes and almost slid right into them. The boat pushed me so hard it felt like it picked up the rear of my 97 4x4 Tacoma. I got home ok and immediately got online and ordered a Kodiac disc brake kit and installed it on the front axle and now the boat stops me! Had them 3-4 years with no trouble at all. I wash them off whenever I use it, salt water or fresh, and am very pleased with their performance.