Adding Electric Over Hydraulic Disc Brakes to a Trailer: The Parts you Need

For improved stopping power and reduced maintenance, you may want to add electric disc brakes over hydraulic drum brakes to a trailer without brakes. For you to build a reliable and safe trailer-stopping system, you'll need some basic information. Here you will find information about your options, including electric brake actuators over hydraulic brake actuators, as well as how to find parts that will work together.

1. Mounting Flanges for Trailer Brakes

Brake mounting flanges must be attached to both sides of your trailer's axle to enable the brakes to operate. They are usually found on axles, and they are also commonly found on trailers with brakes (electric or hydraulic). There are two options if there are no brake mounting flanges on your trailer:

● A new axle with welded brake flanges is an option if your axle is not properly rated. In some cases, buying a new axle with hydraulic disc brakes might be less expensive than purchasing the parts separately. The complete axle must be ordered with the following information: axle capacity, wheel diameter, bolt pattern, spindle type (drop or straight), and brake assembly type - hydraulic in this case. As well as knowing the distance between the hub faces and between the leaf springs, you will need to know the distance between the leaf springs on your trailer.

● Purchasing brake flanges and having them welded to the axle is possible. Brake mounting flanges are required to be square and concentric when welded to axles.

Both parts are usually held in position by a jig. Welding brake mounting flanges to your axle should be done by a trailer shop with the proper equipment and personnel.

2. Rotor and Hub for Disc Brakes

It is possible to choose between two options if you have a brake mounting flange on your axle or will install one. As a first step, you can either replace idler hubs with integral hubs and rotors or install a disc brake system that makes use of an over-the-hub rotor if you have idler hubs. Disc brake axles can be converted to idler axles with an over-the-hub rotor kit. An over-the-hub disc brake kit can be selected based only on the wheel bolt pattern. Due to the added disc brake rotor, 14-inch and larger wheels are required, and fender clearance and wheel stud length need to be considered.

Disc brake kits with integral hubs and rotors are the most popular choice. A drum brake upgrade is a way to go if your trailer already has drum brakes. To ensure the hub/rotor assembly will fit the trailer spindle, you must measure it or get the part numbers from the existing bearings and seal. Selecting the correct hydraulic disc brake kit for the trailer will depend on the axle capacity, wheel diameter, and bolt pattern. In the absence of part numbers for the bearings and seals, you can determine which bearing and seal parts are needed to select a disc brake kit with a hub and rotor by measuring the spindle at its inner and outer bearing surfaces as well as its seal contact surface.

Steel, silver cadmium, Dacromet, raw metal, and e-coat finishes are available for disc brake parts. There will be a difference in corrosion resistance and price between parts with different finishes. In case your trailer is used near water, especially salt water, corrosion-resistant brake parts may be important to you.

As far as corrosion resistance is concerned, a raw finish is the least corrosion-resistant. E-coat provides paint-like protection for parts. When paint chips or wears off, rust can begin to form. It is far better to plate with silver cadmium or Dacromet when it comes to corrosion resistance and both remain corrosion resistant for a very long time. Its virtually rustproof nature makes stainless steel the best material for corrosion resistance, but it is also the most expensive.

3. Kits for Trailer Brake Lines

Next, you will need to connect the disc brakes to the electric actuators via a brake line kit. To select a brake line kit for a trailer, one has to consider how many axles it has. Due to the disc brakes' design, the brake lines that connect to the brake caliper are usually rubber-covered due to the way they work. In torsion axles, the brake lines also need to be flexible because the hubs are subject to a lot of movement.

You can change your trailer over to disc brakes for improved performance and greater stopping power with our electric over-hydraulic disc brake kit for 3,500-lb tandem axle trailers.

4. Hydraulic Over Electric Brake Actuator

The next step is to choose an electric actuator that will work with disc brakes and will be installed on the tongue of the trailer. Installation is made easier with kits that include plug-in connectors. A breakaway kit is included with some electric over-hydraulic actuators for disc brakes. The majority of these don't come with breakaway kits, but standard brake breakaway kits will work.

5. Breakaway Kits

When the trailer is uncoupled from the tow vehicle, breakaway kits apply the trailer's brakes. Some of these systems are equipped with a built-in charger, as well as a battery and wiring. The breakaway kit must meet the minimum size requirements of the actuator when choosing one. You can find out if a minimum size is required by checking the actuator's user manual or contacting the manufacturer.

6. Wiring and Controller for Vehicle-Mounted Electric Trailer Brakes

You will also need to install a brake controller in your tow vehicle and proper wiring for your electric brakes to work. A few actuators come with a remote or portable brake controller that connects to the actuator through radio waves and plugs into the cigarette lighter or power socket in the towing vehicle. Towing the same trailer with different tow vehicles is easy with a remote brake controller.

With its high-quality and durable design, the Deutsche Hydrapro is the best electric over hydraulic brake actuator which is good for harsh and corrosive environments. Reach out to us to know more!