All About Boat Trailer Surge Brakes

Surge brakes are a type of trailer brake that is extremely common to see in boat trailers and other water sport trailers. Surge brakes are automatically activated whenever the driver slows the tow vehicle. They are an incredibly convenient and reliable option for your trailer. Surge brakes can be submerged in water without the fear of damage or corrosion and that’s why they are a popular choice for boat trailers. The TrailerSmith shows the various components of a surge brake system and explains how they work, along with some of the issues that might arise.
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Links to products to explore:
UFP Master Cylinder Kit amzn.to/3uTF3PK
UFP Master Cylinder Cap amzn.to/3Imw7Wi
UFP Hydraulic Surge Brake Actuator amzn.to/3uM1Pt0
DOT 3 Brake Fluid amzn.to/3wzNTmq
Caliper Grease Packet amzn.to/49C2yvM
Titan Surge Brake Actuator amzn.to/432vs5U
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[@DrBlairMasters]

I appreciate you talking fast. Thanks for a great over view

[@TheTrailerSmith]

We appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!

[@TylerWilley-jx8rf]

Best full explanation video I have watched, great job!

[@user-tz1uy3bm2t]

Great explanations. Easy to follow.
👍👍👍✅✅✅✅🤩 thank you!!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Thank you for watching!!

[@6gatornation]

Thank y'all both
Have a great weekend

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Thanks again for watching!

[@dalebradley2392]

What would make my trailer from a stop bang while taking off only..almost as if the hitch itself is loose

[@ptrckhsr2112]

what a great video. thank you so much for taking the time to share this information.

[@TheTrailerSmith]

You’re welcome. Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@LadyDJRaj]

Excellent presentation!! Thanks for the lesson.

[@TheTrailerSmith]

You’re welcome! And thanks for watching!

[@Rozurex]

Bout to try and get my surge trailer brakes working! Bought a boat last year and I noticed the brake lines are unhooked on both sides of the trailer. Not sure what all I’ll have to replace. Never have worked with trailer brakes!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Congrats on the boat! Thanks for watching! Best of luck on those brakes!

[@FRZNTYM1]

I have EOH setup on a tandem trailer. Already cost me big time on the electric pump since my calipers were so badly corroded they allowed water (fresh/salt) past the seals and into the brake lines and eventually compromised my electric pump. The calipers were ~6 years old when I deleted the actuator and went to EOH. So the pump only lasted ~2 years before the already compromised fluid ruined the pump. Wow what a lesson - wish I would have seen this video before all that happened.
Problem I am running into - even on the (nearly) brand new calipers is the bleeder screws are a pain to break loose since the rig is dipped in saltwater down in Florida 5 months/year snow birding. What is the best way (if possible) to lubricate those threads ahead of time to keep them from getting corroded?

[@TheTrailerSmith]

If they are seized, I recommend PB Blaster. If you can get the bleeder screw out, you can apply a small amount of the anti-seize in the threads to prevent them from seizing. Something that would be helpful, and you should be able to find it online, is a salt neautralizing wash and spray the sensitive areas of the trailer down every time you submerge as it’s directed. I don’t have a brand I can recommend. There are a lot of them out there. I would say they are all fairly equal.
Thanks for watching!

[@brianmcnulty966]

Thanks for the video. I have a 2015 coyote tandem axle trailer with integrated disc brakes on each wheel(single piston). The brakes are Tie Down Engineering. I recently used it in salt water and have rinsed it each time after getting home, about 50 miles round trip. The last trip I noted 3 out 4 hubs were burning hot and had cooked all the grease out of the hubs. I have repacked the hubs with new bearings and only one hub seemed to be bad(rusty). So I’m thinking it was the brakes piston not retracting and heating the rotor and hubs. I removed the back set of brakes and bled the system after replacing the brake fluid and now one of the pistons won’t retract after I activated the brakes. Do I just need to replace the brake calipers and pads? I thought about switching to Kodiak brakes so I could get slip on hubs but none of the parts are interchangeable with the TDE brakes. I live on a freshwater lake and the boat is on a lift and the trailer is in the yard. I do like the option of taking it in saltwater and want to take it to the Florida keys, about 200 miles. Don’t want to be that guy on the side of the road whose wheel came off. Do I bite the bullet and switch to Kodiak or just replace the TDEs? I’m thinking this was more likely brake failure than hub failure. In Florida you’re supposed to have brakes on each axle for loads over 3500 pounds and my boat is about 4000 pounds. Suggestions?

[@TheTrailerSmith]

I would definitely say it’s brake failure. If in salt water or even a salty climate, many time fresh water rinsing won’t be enough. You will need to use some type of salt neutralizer, which should be readily available in your area. As far as switching to Kodiak, it’s whatever makes sense for your budget. Unless using a high quality stainless caliper (even those will corrode) there is still a risk of the same type of issue with the Kodiak caliper as the Tie Down if corrosion develops. Sounds like you’re going to have to replace calipers & pads, regardless.
This is a very common issue in the coastal regions. Best of luck to you with it!

[@ShannonWhittaker-xv4cr]

What would you suggest if the brakes don't seem to work, no pin needed and doesn't lock up in reverse

[@ShannonWhittaker-xv4cr]

Just found it out today, seemed the oil fill was empty and couldn't tell how full it was

[@TheTrailerSmith]

So glad you were able to find a solution!You’re going to want to make sure you bleed the system for it to work properly. It will most definitely have air in the system. Thanks for watching!

[@bobabooie6389]

Just subscribed 👍🇺🇲

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Thanks for that! Thank you for watching!