Hi folks.

My toy hauler is a car trailer that I'm working on converting over and has surge brakes and I've read numerous articles about surge bakes vs. electric brakes but wanted to get your opinions because I'm giving some consideration to switching them over to electric.

The toy hauler weighs approx 8000lbs loaded up (this estimate is actually pretty high).

I've taken the trailer through the mountains of West Virginia with my friends truck and had no issues but hadn't considered the "surge" brake vs. "electric" aspect with regard to failure, etc.

Also I've been doing a lot of research on weight distribution and see that only one company (Equal-I-Zer) offers a weight distribution hitch for surge brakes. Can someone speak about using the weight distribution in my type of scenario?

Thanks in advance!
-Tim

 

In terms of actual brake failure, I can see no clear advantage to one over the other and would avoid either if at all possible. Just joking about the avoiding part.

If I were going to switch, I would look for a donor trailer of about the same weight and swap axles.

I favor the use of WD hitches and as long it is designed to work with surge brakes, I can see no downside.

Steve

 

Steve,
I've only seen one company (Reese I believe?) advertise WD hitches compatible with the surge brakes. So if you had the choice, would you stick to the surge brakes up and down the mountains like I go (west virginia) or move to electric? I realize it's too late but I got thinking about this after the fact.... LOL. Of course if the surge brakes didn't work I wouldn't be typing this right now.

-Tim

 

I don't see the upside. What if you lose the electric brakes? Same scenario. As near as I can tell from your post, your surge brakes have proven to be flawless to date. Haven't you already done what you are worried about doing. I do know West Virginia very well.

Steve

 

Yes and it survived just fine.

Ok so what WD hitch can I get that will help with sway? Most don't work with "Surge" brakes.

 

Personally I would go with electric brakes. They are not complicated and the braking is quicker than surge. If you have surge disk then I don't know comparison but there has to be a delay due to the actuator has to be activated by forward momentum.

If you upkeep the electric then you should not have to worry about them not working. Not like you can't stop 8k lbs without trailer brakes just takes longer.

The qualizer hitch will squeel like NO tomorrow with surge. Metal rubbin on metal. It is bad enough when I have to turn my travel trailer but to hear it every time I stop??

 

You realize he alreay has surge so he has to install a complete electric system? You are right, they are not complicated, but he is picking up considerable expense and time to install them. If you are using a controller with an accelerometer, the response time in the typical stop is probably about the same as with surge given both sense the tow vehicle stopping and certainly no slower than electric driven hydraulic brakes in fifth wheels. Just seems like a lot of money and time to replace a system that is working.''

My two cents worth,

Steve

 

Just out of curiosity what problem are you trying to solve with a WD hitch? 8000 (and a very high estimate at that) isn't that heavy. Behind an F-350 that shouldn't be bad unless you've got a bad weight imbalance problem.

 

I work at a U-haul repair shop and all of our rental trailers have a surge brake setup. These have been good systems and allow for a hookup behind any vehicle. Maintainence is the same either way but the cost of repair parts is less with a hydraulic system. Personal preference would be the way to go.

 

Since your trailer already has brakes, even if it is surge brakes, I'd keep that!

 

The biggest problem I've had with surge brakes are when a cop pulls you over and tries to get you to pull the emergency lever to actuate the brakes. And doesn't listen to you when you try to inform him how impossible it is.

As long as they are adjusted properly, I would prefer the surge over electric. Even if they are, at least were, illegal in New Jersey.

 

I've done a fair amount of towing with both. I've owned and towed several boats where the trailers all had surge brakes. They worked ok. I've owned TTs and flatbed trailers with electric brakes and they work beautifully. I've towed a Jeep and an Explorer behind a couple different motorhomes with the Brake Buddy inertia brake set up and that worked well although a bit of fiddling required at the towed to get them set up right.
IMO, there is no comparison so far as driver comfort goes. The newer electric controllers have it hands down. Adjust on the run is just something I would not want to be without today. And I want independent trailer brake application ability. But then I tow with different weights and like to fine tune the brakes per load. And yes, I use a distribution hitch some of the time if the weight requires it.
If I were doing much towing in the WBGV mountains or any significant mountains I would want the electric brake set up. If you were to ever overheat, experience brake fade, on your tow vehicle brakes your surge brakes are inop. I seriously doubt if there is any reliability difference.
And if you ever need to stop that 8000 lb tow fast you darn sure want good working trailer brakes.
But if you are comfortable with your surge brakes stay with them. Don't know about a distribution hitch with surge.

 

I haven't towed the trailer with my F350 and was going by experience of towing it with my friends Tundra. We experimented with moving things around in the trailer up on the tongue, more weight on the axles, etc.... every once in a while the trailer will sway all over the place and we end up having to either move things closer to the tongue and/or off the tongue and closer to center.

 

Two things I'd do. First see what it does on a real truck.

Then weigh the rear axles of the truck. Then with the trailer hitched and loaded the way you normally would, weight the rear axle of the truck again. This will tell you how much weight you have on the tongue.

Not enough tongue weight can make a trailer really squirrelly.

 

Will do. Thanks. Ya we figured out moving/shifting stuff around made it much better, however, when the wind really kicks up, all bets off and not much you can do to help that.