Pros And Cons For Switching From Electric To Electric Over hydraulic Disc Brakes On Trailer

Updated 04/24/2020 | Published 02/05/2014

Question:

I have a bearcat 4 place snowmobile trailer. I was wondering in your opinion would it be a good idea to switch from electric drum brakes to disc brakes? I am going to do the brakes soon as they are grinding. Please post positives and negatives Thanks

asked by: Greg

Helpful Expert Reply:

In order to switch from your electric brakes to a disc brake system there are several things you will want to consider. It is true that the disc brakes will provide better braking for you, although converting can require an involved installation.

Electric trailer braking systems provide fast response times and good control over the action of your trailer brakes, but they don't stop as hard as hydraulic brakes.

Some of the things you need to consider if you decide to change the brake system is that you would need to add a brake actuator, add hydraulic lines, brake assemblies, and make sure your brake controller is capable of functioning with electric over hydraulic actuator. I have attached a link to a helpful article that explains the parts needed to add electric over hydraulic disc brakes.

If you are not happy with your electric brake performance, then switching to a disc brake system may be the answer for you. I recommend replacing the existing electric brakes with a Nev-R-Adjust electric brake assembly. This would be a time saving way to go. I have attached a link to our product page for Nev-R-Adjust brake assemblies. Just use the menus on the left side of the page and narrow down the choices for brakes based on your drum and axle size. I have also attached a link to a initial setup video for the Nev-R-Adjust brakes.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L

Alex C.

4/21/2020

HI, I Currently have a 16 utility landscaping trailer that is a tandem axle. I just repacked the bearings on it, and discovered that I had 2 bad races inside of the hubs. Instead of buying new hubs when my trailer currently has no brakes, I have decided to put brakes on the frontmost axel. This way some of the cost of adding brakes is minimized since I already wouldve had to replace the hubs. I am stuck between disc and drum brakes. I want a cheap option. I do not have a brake controller in my truck. I see actuators are pretty expensive and since my trailer does not have brakes currently, what is the cheapest and best option for adding them? My bolt pattern is 5 x4 1/2 and I have a 4 hole mounting flange behind the hub. Thanks

Chris R.

4/23/2020

I would go with electric brake assemblies on the trailer. When starting from scratch it's the more economical option and there's less to keep track of as far as maintenance thereafter. If you can tell me the axle capacity on your trailer along with the inner and outer bearings used on your current hubs, I would be happy to make some specific recommendations. In the meantime I linked a great article on the subject below that you might find helpful.

Helpful Links

faq-adding-electric-drum-brakes.aspx

Alex C.

4/23/2020

Hi Chris, I am unsure of the axle capacity as it is old and I cant find any stickers or imprints on it that show a brand, weight rating or anything. However, I did measure it. It is 3 3/8" in diamete. I also just repacked the bearings and did axle seals. This is the axle seal that I used . It shows a Shaft Size of 1.750 in. Does this tell you what you need to know or do you need more measurements? If you do I will go out and take it apart and take them today. Let me know. Thank you

Chris R.

4/24/2020

Thanks so much for the info. Typically I would be able to at least narrow down the options enough with the info you provided, but the axle diameter is a bit odd and the dimensions of that seal isn't something we have available. So if it's not too much trouble I think the knowing the inner and outer bearing numbers would be a huge help.