Electric Brakes

Thanks Dave!

Colby, I don't believe that Dave has an equalizing hitch. I also was curious about the weight on the front axel and rear axle. I have maintained that most pickups are "light" in the rear--and that is one of my arguments for a SUV, vs a pickup. The SUV has windows, and a full frame over the roof etc aft--vs the pickup just the body, and a shell, in Dave's case.

I just happened to have my Yukon XL weighed also on a "Cat" scale this week. When the trailer was hooked up:
Front axle was2900 lb
Drive axle was 3120 lb
unloadedTrailer was 880 lb
Gross weight 6900

Without trailer:
Front Axle 3000 lbs'
Drive Axle 2820
Trailer 00000
Gross weight 5820
Trailer weight 1080 lbs and tongue weight 300 lbs.

There is a little weight shift from the front axle with the trailer on the rear.
I do have the heavy duty towing package as well as 4 x 4, 2 range/neutral transfer case (No weight equalizing) But there was only a few lbs in the Yukon XL (tools etc). I was out of the truck during both weighs.

Dave's weight is with a 23, which we know is heavier than the 22, but with the cruising gear which they use for several months. I don't see the weights being out of line at all--Dave has a heavier truck, beefier suspension and I believe a diesel--plus perhaps people in the truck, as well as personal gear.

I don't have a problem with non stainless caliper and non stainless brake hydraulic lines. I can inspect the lines every time I tow, and at my stops--where I do IR temps on hubs and disc brake rotor, I wash down, and use a corrosion block spray on the lines regularly--never had corrosion problem with lines in the past over many years of trailering boats. I also feel better putting on my own lines and brakes (I had a tire shop damage a line which had been routed under an axle by the factory!) I lube the hubs before each long haul, and since I carry an impact & torque wrench, it is no problem to pull the wheels, and look directly at calipers when I am doing the inspection. This way I am sure they are working properly. Also with the E/H brakes, it is very easy to energize the brakes, and actually watch the caliper using the battery and emergency "stop".
 
Bob our front axle is only 360 pounds heavier than the rear. I'm sure we could add carry more stuff and still not be over loaded in the rear. We were probably also a little lighter as we were on the way home having drank all the beer wine and water we brought for the trip. Having 120 pounds less then two tons on the rear axle does not seem light to me. I've towed the same rig in rain and snow and do not see any evil effects for what I see as pretty well balanced like Fox news. :mrgreen:
D.D.
 
Dave, not criticism of your truck intended. What I have seen many times is pickups spinning wheels trying to get up a ramp, where I had easily pulled a heavier boat with the Excursion and Yukon--put a few guys in the back of the truck--and up they come. Same thing in snow, where loading some sand bags in the pickup bed gave enough traction to be safe.

You have gear in the truck bed, and that is the way it is intended to be used--and then you have enough weight to be safe and pull the load when necessary.
 
Since also discussing vehicle weights, here is what I have with my Highlander and Cd22.

Toyota Highlander
Front Axle (GAWR Front): 2620 lbs
Both Axles (Total) (GVWR): 6100 lbs
Back Axle (GAWR Rear): 3075 lbs
Back Axle with Boat 3480 lbs
Towed Weight: 5065 lbs
Gross Combined Weight (GCWR) 10760 lbs

C-Dory & Trailer (Full gas tanks, water tank 2/3 full, Cooler in cockpit approx. 80 lbs).
Total weight: 5065 lbs.
Tongue Weight 405 lbs
Axle Weight 4660 lbs
 
Colby, looking at the Toyota specs, (and we don't know what year and model you have)--it looks as if you are pushing the tow capacity and Gross Combined weight capacity.???
 
shhhhhh. :-) Yes, by a tad. But the sucker can tow. Actually the day I weighed, I was pretty well loaded down. Most of the "over weight" came inside the car, not the boat. Also not sure just how accurate the scales I used are at the lighter weights, as most of them are used for trucks pushing 40 tons. If you do the math on this one, you'll notice not all the numbers add up exactly. The 2010 Toyota Highlander with the 6 cyl engine and tow package is rated to tow 5000 lbs. I am right up against that with the CD22, and while I would prefer to have a lot more wiggle room, I have been very impressed with the capabilities of the Highlander. And while I do a lot of towing, I also don't push the speed limits and I do take very good care in the way of preventive maintenance. The majority of my towing is just under the ratings. The pilot in me is wondering if the ratings are based on actual structural limitations, or on demonstrated ratings. :-) Colby
 
Agree, that many of us tow at the capacity--and often don't know. For example I towed a fairly light 22 with the Honda Pilot several times, even over the Cajon Pass. The pilot was rated for 3500 lbs "house trailer"--and 4500 lbs boat. The assumption being that the aerodynamics of the boat (most likely thinking of a run-about) were better than the house trailer. In reality the C Dory is probably closer to a House trailer.

One of the reasons I went with the Yukon XL, was that it had plenty of reserve capacity, in towing, rather than a lighter SUV--which I would have preferred for several reasons. One of the other reasons was that I could lie down comfortably in the back, while Marie was driving.

With this C Dory, and the old trailer, we had kept the boat as light as possible, putting most of the gear in the SUV. With the new trailer, we will have the C Dory loaded a bit more. Not only is there a load higher capacity in the trailer, but the bunks are far better and give full support for the hull.

I believe that the towing capacity is a combination of many factors, including the transmission, engine, running gear, brakes, type of frame, and engineering, including hitch attachment. The vehicles which are on truck frames are going to have some advantages over the crossover types with monocoque construction. I believe that the Highlander is built on the Camry platform, thus you probably would avoid a weight distributing hitch, which works better with a traditional "ladder" type of frame.
 
I'm pretty sure you are correct about the Highlander on a Camry platform. I looked at several replacement vehicles for my Excrusion. (Yeah, I spelled that right by it's use of gas! :-) Including the Pilot. In the end, this Highlander won out. Right price and everything else. (It was slightly used.) And while I miss having a much bigger vehicle for both comfort and safety, I do appreciate the costs associated with driving the smaller SUV. And manueverability. I tend to get 19-23 mpg normal driving. Towing the boat averages about 13 at the speeds I mentioned earlier. (58). Not great, but much better than the Excursion. Earlier in the year I looked at some Class B's. But not impressed with room in the drivers seat and specifically in the copilots seat! None of the newer vehicles I looked at in replacing the Excursion impressed me with knee room. Hate banging into the center dash consoles they all seem to have in the intermediate range. Class C's and A's have great room and set up right can make great tow vehicles. None the less, the purchase and operating costs outweigh their use for me right now. In the end, the tradeoffs for me make my Highlander a good all purpose car. Colby
 
Colby, what engine did you have in the Excursion, must have been gas? We get about 22 not towing, 17 towing the 22 and 14 when we towed the TC 255.

Charlie
 
V10. Only got about 15-16 mpg not towing. With a SeaRay 268 Sundancer at the time, which weighed around 9500 lbs, mileage was down to 9-11.
 
Just wanted to post an update, as I pulled the wheels and hubs today to do some preventative maintenance. This is after the fourth full season on these brakes, over 20,000 miles (including two round trips over the Rockies) and many dunkings in inland lakes and waters. This is a photo of one of my four electric brakes on my boat trailer. All the other brakes look pretty much the same. Hubs/drums are still in good shape too, as you can see in my photo album. These are 10" Dexter Electric brakes. Colby

IMG_0862.jpg

P.s. This summer was the second year I pulled the Midnight Flyer over the Rockies with my 2010 Highlander. As last year, it did a great job, however I did run into one problem with the transmission oil overheating. That was only after an inconsiderate trucker pulled out in front of me for the third time, and my 3rd time of accelerating back to speed on an 7% grade above 7000 ft. elevation! :angry
 
No matter what type of brakes, that picture makes me a little bit envious of those who launch in fresh water. Just a little bit. That picture shows what my brakes would look like after one launch in salt. Those little thin clips, and maybe even the springs, would be gone in a year.

I had to back my Tacoma deep a couple of times because of the tide, then I gave it an immediate rinse at the house (as best I could). After a few years I had $1,400 in brake work and the first thing the mechanic asked is whether the brakes had been in salt. Brakes just aren't set up to flush. So I started using my Polaris Ranger. Same thing. Can't really flush the brakes. Had a catastrophic brake failure where my wife actually jumped out when they failed on a hill. No injuries.

The closest freshwater launch is 15 miles away and I suspect that the only way to really flush the trailer and brakes is to take it there for a dip. Back and forth a few times. Otherwise, a little salty water never actually dries off. It sucks moisture out of the air and continues to corrode even when sitting in the garage for the winter.

Kinda wish I had brakes for my 16' and kinda glad that I don't.

Mark
 
I see tons of guys, launch in Salt water and then park the trailer. No rinse. Probably at least 9 out of 10. I see probably half that many retrieve out of salt water and just leave for home.

My boat and trailer get a thorough wash after ever SW dunk. Hubs and brake check every year. All good.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
Please expound on how you flush after launch? I've never been to a public ramp where fresh water is available, certainly not for a trailer wash. I've always assumed that you carry a tank of fresh water in the truck or have some kind of portable sprayer. Even so, I can't see how you could carry enough water for a thorough flush. I always rinse on returning from the ramp but that doesn't help with the launch. I've wondered about this for years but have never asked the question. I can confirm that I have never seen anybody flushing brakes at the ramp before. Unfortunately we only lauch in fresh water once a year for the St.John's gathering.

Hoping your response isn't so obvious that I look stupid :-)
 
I launch in the salt and after putting on new hubs and brakes when I bought the 25 last year vowed to flush each time after launch and retrieval.

I bought a 1 gallon garden sprayer tank at Home Depot and put Salt Away and water in it. I pump it and spray hubs and brakes after each dunk and after a year, a little surface corrosion, but not bad. Guess I need to post a pic. Should have taken a pic when new and then another now, 1 year later.

This should extend the life of everything, it only takes a couple of minutes and I think is worth it.
 
Molly Brown":1rjt1viz said:
Please expound on how you flush after launch? I've never been to a public ramp where fresh water is available, certainly not for a trailer wash. I've always assumed that you carry a tank of fresh water in the truck or have some kind of portable sprayer. Even so, I can't see how you could carry enough water for a thorough flush. I always rinse on returning from the ramp but that doesn't help with the launch. I've wondered about this for years but have never asked the question. I can confirm that I have never seen anybody flushing brakes at the ramp before. Unfortunately we only lauch in fresh water once a year for the St.John's gathering.

Hoping your response isn't so obvious that I look stupid :-)
Click to expand...

Actually at many of the public launches up here in the PacNW, fresh water is available. It certainly is in Everett, Neah Bay, Bellingham and at other sites I've launched. It's actually less common in this area to have a launch site without fresh water than with.
 
Interesting. I hear ya'll don't do fixed docks as much either. Bigger tidal range for one, but even here with 2' on average, I'm always looking for the floating dock.
 
We've found many salt water ramps with no water nearby so we use the portable shower aboard, a converted garden sprayer
It's only a gallon but can rinse pretty well, when we get back to town we find a car wash and do a good rinse
Having gone to surge disc last year we are very happy, we'll pull the wheels in the spring prior to the season to check, my mechanic said leave it a couple years with these new hubs...but I can't
Gotta look
 
Colby,
I see that your first post states (Nov 5th,2014) that you have had the electric brakes for three years and had 7 or 8 thousand miles on them. I guess that is an average of about 2600 miles per year. Not quite a year later you state you have 20 thousand miles. Last year you really must have done some traveling to rack up the 12000 miles. Since drum brakes are more or less outdated brake technology. (Even bicycles are switching to disc brakes). Your love of electric brakes is more about them being cheaper than them offering better performance. Disc brakes are just plain better all around than drum brakes no matter whether it's surge or EOH. Drum brakes are better than no brakes at all. Since this is a forum for opinions you have yours and this is mine. I think the majority of new boat trailers come with disc brakes. I wonder why?
D.D.
 
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