Electric versus Hydraulic Trailer Brakes - the truth revealed

There are plenty of articles touting Hydraulic disc brakes mostly backed by the Hydraulic disk brakes manufacturer (interestingly enough!).

My question is then why are there more than a million electric brakes on the market and why are they still in full scale production?

The answer is when configured correctly Electric Drum Trailer Brakes actually work better than Hydraulic Disk Trailer brakes.

So why all the hoopla about Hydraulic disk brakes? The main reason is most folks are frustrated with Electric brakes due to the brake controller. Hydraulic disk trailer brakes do not require a high amperage output brake controller.

So WHY would you spend in excess of $2,600 to retrofit your trailer with Hydraulic Brakes if Electric Brakes really do work? The answer is you don't know any better and have to rely on the sales persons recommendation. Let us save you some money and reduce your frustration with your electric over hydraulic installation.

There are two major areas that cause problems with electric brakes

1. Inferior Brake Controller (usually have heat sinks and are plug-ins) 85% of the problem.
2. Inferior Trailer Wiring (usually from the factory) 15% of the problem.

Most brake controllers do not support the amperage draw required by 2, or much less 4 axle trailers. Even some of the most expensive ones on the market realistically only support 18 Amps with 10 Amps fade. In addition the technology they use requires HEAT SINKS to handle the current passing through the device. YUCK!

Check your brake controller to see if you have a metal bottom. Then you'll know that it's all a marketing scheme to give you an easily insertable or removable brake controller. These controllers are subject to weakness and burn out during high amperage and usage situations.

Also note having a removable brake controller means that you will have a power loss at the connection. Most very heavy connectors are only rated at 6 Amps. Soldered pigtails help reduce this problem.

Now for your trailer wiring problem. Your trailer is usually wired in 14 AWG (weight - 14 AWG is to thin to support the power) and in a daisy-chained pattern from the factory. Note the thin blue wire below. Also note that the magnets ground wire is usually riveted to the frame.

This pattern forces the first wheel to get the brunt of the power which seems to lock up especially on gravel. Ever wonder why?

To solve this problem we offer a TruBrake wiring harness that uses 10 AWG (blue) to 12 AWG (red) of equal length to each tire. Note the image below on correctly wiring an electric brake trailer harness.

Important TruBrake Harness points:

• The TruBrake Harness wire is thicker to support the increased power through-put.
• The TruBrake Harness is heavily soldered at the junction to support power through-put.
• The TruBrake Harness kit ships with both the positive and negative trailer wire spider harnesses.
• The TruBrake Harness is color coded for easy installation.

 

Now each wheel receives the same brake signal and with the larger gauge more power than before. For the first time you will be able to lock up your electric trailer brakes (all of them at once) if you so desire, just like your hydraulic trailer brakes.

Conclusion

Get the TruBrake™ System and save yourself over $2,000 in an unnecessary hydraulic conversion!

Call 800 410-6580 for Pricing...

Call 800 410-6580 for Pricing...

Electric Drum Trailer Brakes

 

The magnet displayed above is for a 12" drum trailer brake. The magnet is energized with an electrical 12 to 15 Volt DC surge and grabs (magnetically) the side of the Drum brake forcing the shoes against the inside of the Drum. 

Magnets energize immediately once the power is received, they also work independently so if you loose one magnet the rest of the brakes continue to operate. This is not so for Hydraulic Trailer Disk Brakes. 

Hydraulic Disk Trailer Brakes

The hydraulic disk trailer brakes are actuated using a battery powered slave cylinder or pump usually mounted on the front of the trailer. Hydraulic lines have to be run to each caliper or disk brake assembly. The pump receives an electrical signal and mechanically opens and closes a valve based on the intensity of the electronic signal.

In most cases you will have to purchase new axles to enable the conversion from electric to hydraulic. 

Electric over Hydraulic brakes have up to a 2 second DELAY that is forced by the mechanical valve or pump actuator. This is not good when you need brakes immediately.