[VAL] Re: Surge Brakes

["Marvin W. Murray" <mwm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Finally a subject I know something about.

For many years I owned a '33 boat which I trailered on a triple axle trailer 
equipped with surge brakes. The total weight of the boat and trailer was 
10,000+ pounds. My tow vehicle was a GMC 1 ton crewcab daully with a 454 
engine.

The surge brakes worked reasonably well. Backing up is not a problem as the 
brakes respond only to surges which compress a hydraulic cylinder in the 
hitch (deceleration when you apply the tow vehicle brakes to stop when 
traveling forward  and, conversely, acceleration when you apply the gas to 
back up.) If you don't gun the throttle while backing up (and who would want 
to),  the brakes don't activate. Indeed, it never happened to me.

It is my understanding that all large boat trailers have surge brakes 
because electric brakes would likely malfunction after the boat is launched 
or retrieved, during which the trailer wheels are completely submerged in 
the water.

Marvin Murray
'76 Tradewind 25'