Advisability of Using Electric Brakes on Boat Trailers

Published 07/03/2015

Question:

I have been looking at your videos on electric brake assemblies as mine are bad and need changing. The video says not to use electric brakes on boat trailers. My boat trailer has electric brakes Roadrunner trailer and they were recommended to me by the salesman at a boat show. He installed a fresh water flush system on the trailer and said this would help protect them from salt water. Is he right or should I change to hydraulic brakes. Thanks

asked by: Wayne L

Helpful Expert Reply:

Up until not too long ago it was thought that because water and electricity don't mix well, electric brakes weren't a good choice for boat trailers. Now, more and more boat trailer manufacturers are using electric brakes as OEM equipment due to their reliability and low cost. According to all reports I've heard, they actually work quite well as long as you unplug the trailer before backing down the boat ramp.

The freshwater flush system you describe sounds like a great idea to protect against corrosion.

There's really no reason to go with hydraulic brakes unless you aren't happy with the way your current brakes have been preforming.

If you'd like assistance choosing electric or hydraulic disc or drum brakes, I'll need he following information from you.

-Wheel bolt pattern
-Diameter and depth of current brake drums
-Inner and outer wheel bearing reference number or diameter of bearing journal surfaces on spindle
(Surfaces where grease seal and inner and outer bearings ride). This dimension needs to be highly accurate, to the nearest thousandth of an inch, so use a digital caliper. A tape measure or ruler won't be accurate enough.

expert reply by: Mike L