Converting Trailer from Surge Brakes to Electric Brakes

Question

Question:

i have a trailer that is currently fitted w/ 2 sets of surge brakes. my new chevy truck has a controller built in. what will it take to convert my trailer?

asked by: will

0

Expert Reply:

First you will need to remove the old hydraulic equipment. Remove the surge coupler or actuator, remove all the lines, and finally remove the brake assemblies. If you have 10 inch diameter hub and drums, you may need to replace those as well. If you have 12 inch hub and drums, you can re-use them so long as they are in good shape.

You will install your new electric brake assemblies, like part # 23-105 and part # 23-106. The magnets have 2 wire leads, one for ground, one for power. It does not matter which wire you use for which function, they are non-polarity specific. The two power wires will need to be run up the length of the frame and connected together. Ultimately they need to connect to the brake controller output wire on the 7-Way on the truck. I have added a link to a wiring page that shows which pin serves which function on a seven way.

Hubs need to be re-installed or replaced. This would also be a good time to clean and check bearings and make sure they do not need to be replaced. I have added links to a bunch of videos that show how to do these things.

You will need a new coupler and this all depends on the frame of the trailer. I have added a link to a page with all of our couplers on it.

This should get you started for now. You will probably have more questions later, so feel free to write back and we will do our best to get you set up.

expert reply by: Patrick B

0

Jerry

6/8/2025

Hi Patrick, I’m looking to convert 1102 Humvee trailer. I’d appreciate you let me know what all the steps do I need to take? I wanna convert it to a 12 V system. My sprinter has a seven pin pigtail. I want to install an articulated hitch. Also, I want to convert the surge to electric brakes. Thanks looking forward to your response.

Reply

Jameson C.

6/9/2025

@Jerry First thing to determine is the capacity of the axles on the trailer and the wheel bolt pattern. If since it's a Humvee and uses non-standard axles we'd need to get the spindle dimensions where the bearings ride or the bearing numbers out of the hub. I attached a link to a page on adding electric brakes to a trailer for you to check out as well.

Helpful Links

faq-adding-electric-drum-brakes.aspx

Reply

Answer 1

You can convert surge brakes to an electric over hydraulic braking system. To do this, you will need an electric over hydraulic actuator and a brake controller. For an electric over hydraulic actuator, I recommend looking at the Carlisle HydraStar…

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Answer 2

Traditionally, trailer manufacturers did not use electric brakes on boat trailers because the brake magnet wiring and trailer wiring did not always have the best insulation or water protection. These days, more and more manufacturers are using…

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Answer 3

Hello Lonnie. We do offer a wiring harness and brake controller that will work on your 2019 Audo Q7. I am assuming your Audi currently has no trailer connector of any kind, and if this is not the case just let me know. There are two wiring kits you…

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Answer 4

Hey Peter! If you can find an LED compatible 2057 bulb then yes you can replace it but we do not have one so sorry I can not help you there. As far as adding a resistor goes, maybe? You may not need load resistors when you switch to LED bulbs. The…

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Answer 5

Normally when you are having a trailer connection issue, it is because there is corrosion or debris in the connection. The 7-way trailer connector on your truck at the 5 o'clock pin position is the brake controller output. This pin is where the…

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Answer 6

You are correct that there are two different 5 bolt brake mounting flange bolt patterns, but I recommend re measuring your drums as they should be either 12" or 12'1/4". You will want to measure your current drums according to the…

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Answer 7

Hello Mike. It sounds like you are wanting to add electric brakes to your boat trailer that currently has no brakes. This is possible, but you will first need to make sure that your axle is equipped with a brake flange at the base of the spindle. The…

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Answer 8

There really isn't a particular maximum trailer weight that is used to determine when brakes need to be added to both axles of a tandem axle setup. While I do still recommend checking your local laws, I am also not aware of any general laws that…

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Answer 9

We do have the regular Dexter Axle brakes and their Nev-R-Adjust equivalents. The regular (manually adjusted) brakes that you are wanting are listed as part #23-26 for the Left Hand side and part #23-27 for the Right Hand side. Their Nev-R-Adjust…

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Answer 10

I do have an option for you but we no longer carry 10 x 1-3/4" brake assemblies. I recommend upgrading to 10 x 2-1/4" brakes as this is the more common size for 3,500 lb axles and will provide greater stopping power. For a set of 10 x…

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Answer 11

To determine the size of the brake assemblies you need you have to measure the depth and width of the hub drum on the axle like what you see in the picture I attached. The most common size is 2-1/4 inch wide like the #T4071600-500 that you…

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Answer 12

In regards to the Tandem Axle Teardrop Trailer Fenders for Boat Trailers part #HP34VR, the distance from the center of the mounting holes to the bottom of the fender lip is 4" which you can see in the attached photo.

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Converting Trailer from Surge Brakes to Electric Brakes

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