Hello to all. I have a few questions that I hope some of you can help me out with.
I have a 2002 supercrew 5.4l, 4x4, tow package, 17" AT's, etc. and I am planing on towing a show car 1925 Studebaker super six) this summer. I am going to tow it once a year for about 110 highway miles total trip. The car is about 3800#.
The first question I have is about the brakes. I am going to rent a trailer from uhaul that says they have surge brakes. I understand the principal behint surge and electric brakes but should I be concerned with one or the other with occasional use.
Second, I have a bag with the electric brake harness and two relays. Can I plug those relays on so I don't lose or damage them without having anything else in use? Does that short harness just wire to any brake controller and get pluged in under the dask or do you have to do anything else? Thanks a LOT for any help that anyone can give me.

 

There is no harm in plugging in the relays. The only thing that will happen is that the corresponding pins in the 7-pin connector will be active. One is the trailer battery charge circuit (active only with key on), the other is trailer backup light circuit.

The brake controller pigtail can be used on most any controller. It's pretty much a plug and play set-up. Be sure to follow the controller instructions for brake adjustment.

more info

 

Thanks for the help. Do you have an opinion on surge vs. electric brakes? Thanks again.

 

My toy trailer has electric brakes and my boat trailer has surge brakes. I prefer electric since you get the main benefit of being able to apply the trailer brakes manually using the controller in the event the trailer starts to sway. Of course if you have the trailer loaded properly it probably won't sway anyway but I've been in a few situations in bad weather where activating the electric brakes without pushing the brake pedal of my truck straightened me out of a couple of mild slides in slippery road conditions. You also have the safety feature of a break-away switch with electric brakes that automatically apply the brakes if the trailer breaks free from the tow vehicle. I've never seen a trailer with surge brakes with this feature but that don't mean they don't exist.

One negative of surge brakes is if you back the trailer up a hill the brakes activate unless there is a reverse lock-out feature on your particular trailer. My boat trailer don't have that feature so it's a pain in the butt sometimes to back it up when there is resistance to the trailer rolling freely like inclines, mud, sand or real wet/soft ground. Anything pushing against the trailer when going in reverse will activate the brakes if you didn't have the reverse lock-out, and once they activate you need to move forward to get them to turn off. Bugs the heck out of me.

My preference, if I had a choice, would be to go electric. If I could retro my boat trailer to convert it to electric I would do it as my next project. I'm not sure I have that option without spending a ton of money.

 

I've towed using both electric and surge. Both have their advantages/disadvantages.

I like the electric because you can usually adjust the amout of braking for various weights (depends on the controller type). This is really handy in stop and go traffic, where you don't really need much trailer brake. Then, when you get going again, just remember to adjust them back for actual stopping. Then, I've had electric brakes not work for whatever reason....... Usually, just something to do with the wiring, but I guess it could happen.

The surge brakes work very well, and since it's all mechanical in the way it's activated, they should "always" work. You just don't have the advantage of much adjustment. Especially, from the cab. It's either "ON" or "OFF". The stop and go traffic thing is a real PITA with the trailer brakes wanting to engage with every stop. I'm sure you can adjust this at the hitch, but I've not done that before. Just hitched it up and verified that they worked, then went.

But it's not an "either / or" situation either. The trailer has the brakes that came with it and that's what you are stuck with. If it has electric, you need the controller, if it has surge, then you don't need a controller. And, if you have one, it's not doing anything.......

Good luck. Sounds like a nice ride you got. Any pics?

 

That was exactly the information that I needed. I guess that I have to go with what uhaul has on the rental trailer. This site is the best because of people like you. As far a photo in a gallery named screwed02 but I have not figured out how to get it on here.
https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=1004

 

I got the link but I wanted the photo. Oh well.

 

Not a problem... Nice SCrew, but really want to see a pic of that 1925 Studebaker super six!!

 

I've towed with U-Hauls surge brakes many times. They work fine. Sure, I'd choose electric in my own trailer, but for a rental they work fine.

Typically U-Haul has them adjusted very "tight". They need significant force on the tongue to activate them. This means that you will mostly be stopping the trailer with your truck brakes under most conditions. When you really slam on the brakes they come on pretty hard to help in emergency situations. The nice thing about them being "tight" is that you can back up, they don't drag going down hills, and it isn't annoying around town. You won't flat spot the trailer tires in a "rushed" stop. It also saves wear on the brakes on the trailer, which U-Haul loves.

The bad part is that it wears your truck brakes faster, and doesn't give 100% in an emergnecy.

Anyway, like I said, for a rental they work fine. I typically test them by performing 10 normal stops in the begining of my trip (after the trailer is loaded). Then I get out and feel the drums on the trailer for a little warmth, unless I can feel them working. U-Haul has rented me a trailer once with defective brakes. Its easier to stop at the rental company near home for a repair/adjustment than it is to find out when someone pulls out in front of you.

 

I think the reason that you rarely see electric brakes on a boat trailer is because the wheels are often immersed in water, and unless you have waterproof solenoids, you risk shorts. Plus, if you launch in saltwater, you have an increased corrosion factor.

 

I will work on that one. It is my fathers and it is living at there house. I will try to get a photo and post it for you. Thanks again.