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Last Updated on September 4, 2024 by Paul Clayton
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How to Reset Surge Brakes on a Boat Trailer?
Understanding how to reset surge brakes on a boat trailer is crucial for every boat owner. This knowledge can help you maintain the safety and efficiency of your boat trailer, ensuring that it performs optimally during transportation.
- Identify Surge Brake System: Locate the tongue, sliding, or hinging mechanism.
- Check for Glitches: Examine for damage, rust, and worn-out parts.
- Release Brake Lock: Use tools if needed, like screwdriver.
- Pump the Brakes: Move the trailer and pump the brakes to reset.
- Check Fluid Levels: Inspect the master cylinder for proper fluid.
- Test the System: Move the trailer, apply brakes, and ensure engagement.
A basic knowledge of your brakes and how they work is vital in understanding how to safely and securely transport your boat trailer. You’ll find surge brakes in most boat trailers today.
Surge brakes are not dependent on a driver; they activate automatically.
As a result, there are also some cases where surge brakes activate when they are not supposed to.
However, to better understand this, you must first understand what exactly surge brakes are and how they and their emergency breakaway systems work. Hence, you’ll learn how to reset surge brakes on a boat trailer.
This guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of resetting surge brakes, providing clear instructions and practical tips to help you complete the task efficiently and effectively.
So, whether you’re a seasoned boat owner or a novice, this guide on resetting surge brakes on a boat trailer will equip you with the necessary information.
What are Surge Brakes?
Surge brakes work just like hydraulic brakes installed in a car. The brakes activate automatically according to the momentum of the trailer.
Compared to car brakes, surge brakes use a unique sliding hitch assembly instead of a brake pedal powering a pump. Another name for this special hitch sliding assembly is a surge brake actuator.
This actuator includes a master cylinder. The purpose of a master cylinder is to operate the hydraulic cylinder. In turn, the hydraulic cylinder pushes the drums or disc brakes against the wheels to slow the vehicle.
The master cylinder inside the sliding hitch operates automatically according to the trailer’s momentum and weight in a trailer.
Aside from that, hydraulic surge brakes are among the most used brake types out there for boating trailers.
The popularity of surge brakes isn’t only limited to Boat trailers. They are highly preferred for travel trailers, too.
For more information on travel trailers, check out our take on 10 Best Travel Trailers with Murphy Beds and Slide Out.
Boat trailers need to be submerged whenever a boat is launched or retrieved.
Some of the other brake types might have complications during such a process. For instance, electrical brakes do not go hand in hand with water.
Surge brakes also require little to no technical knowledge of brakes to operate and work well, even in icy and wet conditions.
The Application of Surf Brakes
Imagine your truck and trailer along a road at 50 miles per hour. The power from your vehicle is pulling along the trailer, and both are moving at the same rate.
However, when you apply your brakes, the exact opposite occurs. The truck slows down and no longer pushes the trailer. Instead, the trailer now uses force on your vehicle and is trying to move it forward.
Let us continue the same scenario with a trailer with installed surge brakes.
Now, when you apply the brakes on your truck. The trailer surges with force in a forward motion; hence the name, surge brakes.
As a result of this forward force, the surge actuator slides.
This sliding motion activates the motion cylinder, which builds pressure in the brake fluids, causing the trailer to slow down.
In other words, you can say that the harder you brake your primary vehicle, the more complex the surge brakes present in the trailer boat will take effect.
How do Surge Brakes Implement Emergency Breakaway Systems?
Trailer boats come installed with an emergency breakaway system. These systems are deemed mandatory under federal law.
A “breakaway” system is a safety measure to ensure that rogue trailer boats cause no harm. In other words, it is a system to ensure that if your trailer ever detaches from your primary vehicle, it can hopefully cause no damage to anyone else.
The system is a cable or chain attached to your primary vehicle (used to tow the trailer) and the surge actuator (in the trailer) on the other end.
Since you attach the chain to the primary vehicle, too, in cases where the trailer breaks off, the chain pulls the lever, which activates the trailer’s surge brakes.
You’ll find that the brakes still activate even if the chain breaks during the process.
However, while this safety feature has perks, it can sometimes activate unnecessarily. There are many scenarios where this can occur.
Anyone can forget that they’ve left the chain attached to their primary vehicle. It’s not like you can always pay attention to the chain.
In such cases, activating the brakes or even ripping the chain off unintentionally is pretty standard.
How do you reset surge brakes on a boat trailer?
In cases where you see the chain left intact, it is relatively easy to reset the surge brakes.
All you have to do is push the chain back into its place or reset the handle. That is all (in most cases).
In cases where you do not see the chain, you must install a newer chain before resetting the surge brakes.
It is not necessarily an expensive procedure. A newer chain with all the different assortments can make a combined total of less than $30. You may not even have to visit a professional!
There are many articles out there that show precisely how to change the chain step by step.
What are Some Tips to Take Proper Care of Hydraulic Surge Brakes?
You’ll find that surge brakes are mainly popular because their workings are solely restricted to the trailer itself. All you have to do is to maintain the system from time to time.
The main maintenance areas are brake lines, pads, and fluid levels.
Other than that, while your surge brakes are very trustworthy, it is better to avoid speeding, for prevention is always better than cure. It is also better to pack your stuff tightly and ensure that inertia doesn’t interfere with the brakes’ working.
What Are Some Common Ways to Troubleshoot Surge Brakes Not Working?
Brake Fluids
It is always good to check brake fluid levels if none of the brakes are working correctly. Please replace the wheel and master cylinders when there is no brake fluid. No fluids can lead to rusting.
Brake Line Blockage
You can check the brake line for blockage by disconnecting it at one end and making someone pump the master cylinder using the lever. If the brake fluid flows through fine, there is no blockage.
Inspect the Master Cylinder
Check for any signs of wear or damage, like leaks or cracks. If you notice any problems, it may need to be replaced.
For instance, signs of a faulty master cylinder may include fluid leaks under your vehicle, spongy or unresponsive brakes, or the car pulling to one side when braking.
Check the Actuator
The actuator is responsible for triggering the braking action. If it’s not functioning correctly, your surge brakes may not work as expected. Inspect the actuator for any signs of damage or wear and replace it if necessary.
Symptoms of a bad or failing actuator may include a loss of brake pressure, irregular response time, or a complete loss of braking power.
Wrapping Up
Resetting surge brakes on a boat trailer is necessary for any boat owner. The first step in learning how to reset surge brakes on a boat trailer involves identifying the surge brake system.
This system is typically located at the tongue of the trailer, and it uses a sliding or hinging mechanism to apply the brakes. Look for glitches such as damage, rust, or worn-out parts that may hinder the brake system’s functionality.
Once you have identified the brake system and checked for glitches, the next step in resetting your surge brakes is to release the brake lock. This may require the use of specific tools like a screwdriver.
After releasing the lock, you must pump the brakes as you move the trailer. This process resets the braking mechanism and prepares it for re-engagement.
After resetting the brakes, you should check the fluid levels in your brake system. Inspect the master cylinder to ensure it contains adequate brake fluid. A lack of fluid can lead to ineffective braking and potential damage to your trailer’s brake system.
The final step in resetting your surge brakes is to test the system. Move the trailer around, apply the brakes, and ensure they engage correctly.
This will confirm if you have successfully reset your surge brakes and are operating as they should be.
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