Can Brakes Be Added to a Farm Wagon Used on Steep Terrain
Question:
I farm in steep hills and Im interested in mounting brakes on farm wagons. If I gave you a spindle size, would it be possible to tell me if we could make a surge brake system work? Thanks in advance.
asked by: Tim S
Expert Reply:
It is possible in some circumstances to add either electric or hydraulic (surge) brakes to a trailer that does not have them, so it is theoretically possible to do something similar on a farm vehicle.
This process will be quite involved and will depend on availability of compatible parts that will work with your existing axles and spindles. It may be necessary (and even easier) to replace the entire axle/spindle assembly with a new one rated suitably for your load requirements that has the necessary brake flanges already in place.
We do ship axles up to a 5200-lb weight rating, but higher-capacity axles are too heavy to ship and may need to be sourced locally.
A good starting point is the linked articles, one for electric and one for hydraulic drum brakes, that cover in detail the required components for adding such systems to a trailer.
