Can Electric and Hydraulic Brakes be Installed on a Trailer at the Same Time

Question

Question:

Hi. I have a air stream trailer that weighs 7500 lbs. It came factory designed with hydraulic and electrical breaks. Someone has removed the hydraulic system. I want to reinstall the hydraulic system so I have both systems. The new electric breaks are Dexter brand. Please help me figure out what to do with this.

asked by: Ken C

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Expert Reply:

It's possible to install an electric over hydraulic (EOH) brake system on your trailer, but this uses an actuator like the HydraStar # HBA16 and you would have hydraulic brakes that are controlled with an electric brake controller in your tow vehicle instead of having a surge actuator on your trailer tongue.

Trailer brakes are designed to be used as electric OR hydraulic, but I've never heard of brakes being able to be used for both types of applications. My guess is that your Air Stream initially came with hydraulic brakes but the previous owner replaced them with electric brakes since they are easier to maintain.

If you want to switch over to an EOH system I'd be more than happy to help out, but this means we would need to get you a whole new braking system so I'll need to know your axle weight capacity.

expert reply by: Jon G

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Answer 1

It would not be a great idea to mix the style brakes on your trailer. You want the brake system to work in sync for both axles. You have a couple of options for your trailer. Since you said your new trailer came with hydraulic brakes on the front,…

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Answer 2

Yes, you could switch to electric over hydraulic brakes and retain the air over hydraulic braking system. What you would have to do is have the main lines that come out of each actuator go to a hydraulic T fitting, obtained locally, that has a valve,…

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Answer 3

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 4

Traditionally, trailer manufacturers did not use electric brakes on boat trailers because the brake magnet wiring and trailer wiring did not always have the best insulation or water protection. These days, more and more manufacturers are using…

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Answer 5

There really isn't a particular maximum trailer weight that is used to determine when brakes need to be added to both axles of a tandem axle setup. While I do still recommend checking your local laws, I am also not aware of any general laws that…

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Answer 6

I currently have three diffrent self-adjusting assemblies for your boat trailer with 10" x 2-1/4" electric drum brakes which are attached for you below. eTrailer Electric Trailer Brake Kit part #AKEBRK-35-SA (3,500 Axles) Dexter…

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Answer 7

The attachment bolts for a 5-bolt brake assembly like the part #AKEBRK-6R should be torqued to 30-50 foot/lbs. If you don't have a torque wrench handy, if you tighten the bolts until the lock washers flatten out, you'll be pretty darn close…

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Answer 8

The recommended lug nut torque for your 7,000lb axle depends on a few factors like wheel size, stud size etc. Check out the attached photo which shows the torque specs for a variety of applications. I see you were looking at the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust…

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Answer 9

Even though I cannot comment specifically on the grease you used because I am not familiar with it, I can tell you the best grease for trailer bearings is a a grease with a rating of GC-LB, which just means it is made to withstand very high…

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Answer 10

Based on the GVWR of your 2019 Jayco North Point 315RLTS it does seem like you have 7k axles. I recommend verifying this information to be sure. These axles typically use the #14125A outer and #25580 inner bearing found in the Timken #TMK92VR.…

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Answer 11

The manual lockout on your Atwood 85778 surge brake coupler is there so that you can back up the trailer without the brakes locking up on you. Yes you can safely tow your trailer with the broken manual lockout, you just have to make sure you…

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Answer 12

The Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Kit #23-105-106 are a replacement set for the 023-358-00. This kit includes a right and left brake assembly that is manually adjustable. I recommend the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust Electric Trailer Brake Kit #23-458-459 as…

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Can Electric and Hydraulic Brakes be Installed on a Trailer at the Same Time

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