Can Electric Trailer Brakes Be Used On A Boat Trailer?

Updated 07/29/2021 | Published 07/28/2021

Products Featured in This Question

etrailer Electric Trailer Brakes - 10" - Left/Right Hand Assemblies - 3,500 lbs

(795)

$124.33

Replacement Trailer Wheel Bearing - L44649 - Qty 1

(2220)

$24.81

4" Carbon Fiber Digital Caliper

(27)

$12.48

Question:

Can you use electric brakes on a boat trailer, being it will be under water at times with launching and loading?

asked by: Logan

Expert Reply:

You sure can!

It is becoming a lot more popular to have electric trailer brakes installed on a boat trailer, but you will want to unplug the trailer connector from your tow vehicle before backing the trailer into the water.

This is nothing new as this should be done anyways to protect the lights on the trailer.

Now to determine which electric trailer brakes will fit your trailer I will need to know if your axle has a brake mounting flange already installed, and the bearing combination of your spindle. The easiest way to determine you bearing combination is removing one of your hubs and looking for the bearing number stamped in the face of each bearing as shown in the included picture of the # L44649.

If you find your bearings are worn to the point that you cannot read the bearing numbers you will need to use digital calipers # PTW80157 to precisely measure your spindle in the locations shown in the included diagram.

With the above information I would be happy to recommend the correct electric trailer brake components for you.

I included a link to a helpful article on adding electric trailer brakes to a trailer for you to take a look at .