Parts Needed to Add Electric Drum Brakes to Boat Trailer

Question:

I purchased a used 1990 19foot Arima. The original owner purchased the package, boat, motor and trailer new at the Seattle Boat Show in 1990. The trailer is an EZ Loader single axle galvanized roller trailer without brakes. I want to install electric brakes and need to know the spindle specs to order the brake parts. The wheel is 14inch 5 lug and 4.5 centers. I have found the bearing and seal info on the current model trailers and an article that implied all 3,500 lb 5 lug EZ Loaders use the same bearings and seals. This trailer is 25 years old. Do you know if the specs back then are the same as the newer models?

asked by: John G

Expert Reply:

In order to add electric drum brakes to your boat trailer's 3500-lb axle you'll need to confirm that there are brake mounting flanges on your spindles. Brakes for 3500-lb axles are the 10 x 2-1/4-inch size like # AKEBRK-35L (left) and # AKEBRK-35R (right) which use a 4-bolt mounting pattern. Note that either wire on an electric brake can be used for hot/ground.

You'll also need to know your current bearings so that you can choose hub/drum assemblies to replace your idler hubs that use those same bearings to ensure they'll fit on your spindles.

Other items you'll also need include a breakaway kit like # 20099, a brake controller like the popular Prodigy P2 # 90885, and wiring components such as junction box # 38656 along with 10-gauge wire # 10-1-1 for the brake circuit, connectors, etc.

The linked article covers the process of adding electric brakes to a trailer and this will be a good resource for you.