Parts Needed to Add Electric Drum Brakes to Boat Trailer with 3500-lb Axle

Question:

Does part# AKEBRK-35L-SA and AKEBRK-35R-SA come with the drum or is it just the brake assembly components? If not what will I need to add brakes to my boat trailer with a 3500# axle?

asked by: Joe

Expert Reply:

The Axle Tek 10-inch electric trailer drum brake assemblies # AKEBRK-35L-SA and # AKEBRK-35R-SA are the left- and right-hand drum brake mechanisms only and do not include hubs/drums. The pair has sufficient stopping power for a 3500-lb-rated axle. An example of a compatible hub/drum assembly is the Axle Tek # AKHD-545-35-K, which has the popular 5-on-4-1/2 wheel bolt pattern and that uses inner bearing L68149 and outer bearing L44649.

Adding electric drum brake to a trailer requires a few items in addition to the brake assembles and hub/drums. We have an informative article on this very subject that you can see by clicking on the link provided. This details all the things to consider and all the parts required to install electric drum brakes on the trailer's axle. I also linked our main pages for electric drum brakes and for hub/drum assemblies.

The items required include brake mounting flanges (on the spindles) that match the mounting pattern of your chosen brakes, brake assemblies like those noted above, hub/drums with your same wheel bolt pattern and that also use the very same inner and outer bearings as your original idler hubs, a wiring junction box like # 38656 to serve as an electrical connection point between the brakes' wiring and the new 7-way trailer plug you will need to install, such as # 277-000143. You will also need some wire and ring terminals, an emergency breakaway kit on the trailer, and on the tow vehicle a brake controller like the Prodigy P2 # 90885 as well as a 7-way type trailer socket to match the trailer-side 7-way plug such as # 37185.

I suggest you tell me about your vehicle since brake controller installation varies depending on the vehicle and how it is equipped. Some vehicles, like pickup trucks especially, will often have a connection port for a brake controller already present under the dashboard and this can greatly simplify the installation process. If you like, after you have reviewed the linked article you can let us know your vehicle year/make/model/version information and we can then offer more specific guidance.