Can I Have Hydraulic Brakes On One Axle And Electric Brakes On The Other Axle On Tandem Trailer

Updated 04/03/2015 | Published 04/02/2015

Question:

can you have mechanical brakes on one axle and electric on the other? I have a car trailer that came new with mechanical disks on the front. They dont seem to work as well as the electric brakes on my caravan. I would like to use electric on the trailer but then only vehicles with a controller will be able to use it. I was thinking to put electric on the rear so I would have the best of both worlds. Are there problems associated with doing this ? maybe the electric on the front and disks on the rear? thank you,

asked by: Mark F

Expert Reply:

It would not be a great idea to mix the style brakes on your trailer. You want the brake system to work in sync for both axles.

You have a couple of options for your trailer. Since you said your new trailer came with hydraulic brakes on the front, I would recommend installing hydraulic brakes on the rear axle as well. You would need the hubs, brakes, and hydraulic lines to run to the new brakes. I have attached links to a couple of helpful articles that explain what is needed to add hydraulic drum brakes and hydraulic disc brakes to a trailer.

The other option would be to switch over to electric brakes for both axles, or even just one axle. I have attached a helpful article that explains how that would be done you can check out. Since you have hydraulic brakes on your new trailer, you will need to lock out the surge coupler when installing electric brakes.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L