Adding Electric Trailer Brakes to a 3,500 Pound 2001 Car Mate Trailer

Published 11/10/2017

Products Featured in This Question

etrailer Electric Trailer Brakes - Self-Adjusting - 10" - Left/Right Hand Assemblies - 3.5K

(3023)

$145.30

Hopkins Engager Trailer Breakaway Kit w/ Charger, LED Tester, and 5 Ah Battery - Side Load

(746)

$60.86

Brake Mounting Flange for 2-3/8" Round Axle

(25)

$25.51

Bargman 7-Way, RV-Style Connector w/ 10' Heavy Duty Insulated Cable - Trailer End

(53)

$108.84

Easy Grease Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly for 3.5K Axles - 10" - 5 on 4-1/2 - Pre-Greased

(1706)

$96.28

Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly - 3,500-lb Axles - 10" Diameter - 5 on 4-1/2 - Pre-Greased

(1220)

$91.22

Question:

I am looking to add elec. brake to a 2001 car mate 3500 lbs wutg 15x5.5 rims and 205/75R15 tires. The trailer currently does not have any brakes. What parts do I need to do this job and does the package come with the brake drums or is it just the backing plate with the shoes and assembly? Can you recommend a break away kit that would work with this set up and any other parts that I would need to make this trailer have a good brake system. My truck is already factory wired with brake controller. Thank you.

asked by: T S

Helpful Expert Reply:

The first thing to check for on the trailer is whether or not it has brake mounting flanges welded to the ends of the axles. A brake mounting flange on a 3,500 pound axle would look like # 4-35. If there are no brake mounting flanges they would have to be installed to add brakes to the trailer.

The brake assemblies do not come with hub and drum assemblies so those would have to be purchased separately based on the bearing numbers on the current trailer hubs. The bearing numbers are stamped into the sides of the bearings. Usually on a 3,500 pound axle the inner bearing is L68149 and the outer is L44649.

If the trailer has EZ Lube axles (with a grease fitting at the very ends of the spindles) you can use # AKHD-545-35-EZ-K. If they are not EZ Lube axles you can use # AKHD-545-35-K. The hub and drum assemblies are sold in quantities of 1.

These assemblies will accept 10x2-1/4 inch brakes # AKEBRK-35-SA.

The trailer will also need to have wiring run for the brakes. What I recommend is to use a 7-Way trailer connector such as # 54006-059. The tow vehicle will also need to have a 7-Way connector and a brake controller to activate the trailer brakes. Since you mentioned the tow vehicle already has those items you would not need to add them.

For a breakaway kit the Hopkins Engage # 20099 is a popular system. It coms with a battery charger built-in and a push-to-test system so you can see the status of the breakaway battery.

I have included some helpful links below that will help with this project.