Trailers

Hello everyone

Does anyone have experience with surge brakes on trailers? I just bought a used 4 place Triton snowmobile trailer and it "clunks" when braking and when first accelerating from a stop. I know some "clunk" is normal with a surge brake trailer but this is too much.

It looks like the braking system is a Titan Dico type system - from the pictures it could be a system 60. I need to get a better look at it tonight.

Does anyone have any experience adjusting or bleeding these systems?

Thanks!

Markbano

 

Mark,

The "clunk" is normal, and annoying. A worn hitch can make it worse. If you look at it you can see how it works and what causes the clunk.

I assume they are drum brakes. If the trailer brakes are out of adjustment, it will make it worse. I have seen them so far out that the piston came out of the wheel cylinder causing a total loss of fluid.

I don't tow much any more, but when I did, I kept them in adjustment. They can get so far out that you will have no brakes.

They adjust the same as car drum brakes. If you can't figure it out, just take the drum off and the adjustment will be obvious.

Make sure you have some sort of lockout on the hitch for backing up. I can show how to make one if you need it.

jim

 

I figured you'd know about these, Jim.

I need to look more closely at it tonight. I'll post a couple of pics. I think it is disc brakes on there rather than drum. I need to replace all the wheels anyway so I'll have everything apart.

I know some "clunk" is normal, but it is more than a little. Also, there is a lever on top of the hitch with a cable coming off of it which I assume is intended to be pulled and activate the brakes if the trailer comes off the car. When I manually pull the lever up, it will not activate the brakes, so I know it must be out of adjustment. The brakes do work, though, as they skidded at one point when I hit the brakes.

 

I think that lever needs to be pulled really hard like it would when a trailer separates.

I do not believe that disc brakes are adjustable, however I have not worked on them. It is probably drum, and mine does not have the auto adjusters like the cars did.

The system is not complicated, and I think you will see how it operates when looking at it. There is usually an access cover on the hitch that you can remove to see the mechanism.

I doubt that it has brakes on all four wheels.

I think your system is the same as mine. I replaced the hitch after about 7 years of service. I think all it needed was a master cylinder rebuild.

The play that causes the clunk can also cause the trailer to buck on some concrete roads.

jim

 

Thanks Jim.

Looks like a new hitch/master cylinder assembly is about $110.00. That might actually be the way to go. I will take a closer look at the brakes and let you know what I find.

The ski of my snowmobile managed to hang up on the ramp yesterday and the ramp ended up on top of the snowmobile. Expensive lesson.

I haven't used one of these newer trailers before. I always used the kind with a breaker pin and the whole trailer tilts to drive the sled on.

I guess none of this is relevant to this forum, though, because most trailers for hydrodynes probably do not have surge brakes....

 

Mine has surge brakes and I needed them because I towed a lot of highway miles with a sedan.

If you check state laws, most states require brakes with the weight of a dyne and trailer. There are a lot if illegal rigs out there, specially the inboards.

http://www.boatwheels.biz/brakelaws.pdf


jim

 

Interesting. My boat trailer has no braking system.

The snowmobile trailer is a Dico Model 60 surge brake. The trailer is a tandem axle with drum brakes.

The brake fluid fill plug was on very tight and when I took it off the threads were so corroded that it will not screw back on. The fluid inside looks like dirty water. It does not appear that the master cylinder is engaging, so the brake coupling moves the entire distanced that the metal stops allow. In short, there are no brakes.

Looks like a new model 60 brake system costs about $110, which would not include any drums, pads, or brake lines. It will be a job but I have it to do so I'll take everything apart this weekend and figure out what all I need to order.

 

Mark,

I rebuilt the entire braking system on my Cigarette boat trailer three years ago to the tune of $1,100.00 for just the parts at my cost. It was a triple axle trailer with brakes on only two of the axles. It was actually cheaper to replace the brakes as a "loaded " package than to piece the parts out seperately. A "loaded" package was the complete backing plates...shoes...whl. cyls...adjusters..springs ..etc. Four axle flange bolts and you're done. I did have to replace all the rubber hoses..steel lines, and the master cyl. Bleeding a surge system is a litle tricky. You have to stroke the master cyl. with a long pry bar, build up pressure and have someone crack the bleeder. Make sure your bleeders aren't frozen before you go through with just replacing the master cyl. or you'll never get the air out.

Bob

 

Hey Bob!! Let's try and keep it clean here will ya!! You wrote;

"You have to stroke the master cyl. with a long pry bar, build up pressure and have someone crack the bleeder."

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Kevin

 

Mark,

That is about what you can expect from a used trailer brake system. People do not think about maintaining them. Check the steel lines also. I have had them rust out and wear through where they pass through the trailer frame.

The brakes can get so worn from not being adjusted that they will not contact the drums even at full throw of the master cylinder. That is probably where you are, or you have a blown line or cylinder. I would guess that the bleeders are stuck also.

That snow mobile trailer has probably seen a lot of salty roads and when you get the drums off, you will probably see a mess in there. You might consider hosing it down in the spring to get the salt off.

I replaced the brake shoes, the wheel cylinders and the hitch on mine and it was not very expensive. I made new steel lines because I have the double flare tool which is required for brake line flares. The tool is not expensive.

After you get it all working, you should adjust them maybe once a year since you are on the highway with it. I think the auto industry went to self adjusting brakes over 50 years ago. the trailer industry never did that I have seen.

DanielC,

I agree with what you say, but these trailer brakes get so far out of adjustment that the brake shoes do not contact the drums at full throw of the master cylinder. I have been tempted to install the auto adjusters just to see if the little bit of brake that you get in reverse would prevent the major out of adjustment that they get with no maintenance. I don't tow enough to tell any more, so I probably won't do it.

jim