Are Electric Drum Brakes Safe to Submerge and Use on Boat Trailer

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Question:

Are they waterproof. Will they work on a boat trailer where they will get submerged.

asked by: Jim W

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Expert Reply:

It's no secret that water and electricity do not do well together. That being said, improvements in wiring insulation and heat shrink connectors have made it more and more common for boat trailer manufacturers to use electric brake assemblies instead of the traditional disc or drum hydraulic brakes, which are less cost effective.

While electric brake assemblies and the components inside of them, like the # AKBRKR-M10 magnets are not waterproof, they can handle being submerged under water but it is important to disconnect the trailer wiring from the tow vehicle before backing into the water.

When installing brake assemblies, like the Electric Trailer Brake Kit - Self-Adjusting - 10" - Left and Right Hand Assemblies - 3,500 lbs # AKEBRK-35-SA, I highly recommend using heat shrink butt connectors like # DW05745-10 to splice the wires together along with self-fusing tape # DW04367 to create a waterproof seal around your connections.

I've attached a helpful article that goes over all the parts you'll need to add electric brakes to your trailer at the bottom of the page for you.

expert reply by: Carla M

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Answer 1

The D1012 is a Dexter 10,000 lb axle, so it'll have 10,000 lb Dexter electric brakes like the Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Kit #23-438-439. Many do not work, as they do need specific brake magnets, and the correct replacement brake magnets for…

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Answer 2

Currently Dexter only offers either the Self-Adjusting Brakes #23-464-465 or Brakes With Parking Brake #23-112-113 which will fit your 1997 M1101 trailer. Both of these are sets of brakes for the left and right while the Drum #42866UC3 is offered as…

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Answer 3

It sounds like you are speaking of the wires for the brake magnets. If this is correct, you will need to connect one of the wires to the brake controller output wire on your trailer connector and the other wire will need to be grounded to a clean…

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Answer 4

The Demco Hydraulic Trailer Brake Actuator part #DM72VR should be a direct replacement for the Atwood 61101 Brake Actuator that you have now. This newest updated it rated at 7K instead of 6K. This is a bolt on option that mounts on 3" centers.…

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Answer 5

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 6

That's a very good question, we tend to be extra cautious and say to use 10 gauge wire because that would be more than enough. When you get into longer trailers that will end up using a lot of wire the heavier gauge wire becomes more necessary.…

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Answer 7

The manual lockout on your Atwood 85778 surge brake coupler is there so that you can back up the trailer without the brakes locking up on you. Yes you can safely tow your trailer with the broken manual lockout, you just have to make sure you…

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Answer 8

Not another one! Just kidding Dirk! I was in the Marines I enjoy these conversion questions on the M1101 trailers. I'd be more than happy to list the parts you need, along with quantity, and confirm compatibility. 1 - Timbren Axle-Less Trailer…

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Are Electric Drum Brakes Safe to Submerge and Use on Boat Trailer

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