But you do need help and a few clues.
"I do not think I really need trailer brakes on my camper as it is pretty light." is a comment I get all the time.
Case 1: Imagine going down a dirt road on a mountain side with 2 tonne of Landcrusier and 750kg unbraked (to keep it legal) camper. Hit the brakes for something as simple as a corner and the Cruiser skids on the dirt, pushed by the camper. You are into the corner still on the skids and you take the foot off the brake and power around the corner. Done that heaps of times I bet.
OK, so you need trailer brakes right at this point.
Put a bit of rain on that same road and it's 10pm. Very tricky to say the least.
Below is an example of Grey Iron in cheap hubs. Good quality hubs and drums use SC ductile iron.
The hub below could not handle the loading capacity used from a 16" wheels.
Always good to check with your local trailer boys if your setup load capacity has grown over the years.
 
Case 2: Boat trailer towing from the Hawkesbury back to Brisbane, halfway down Cunningham’s gap and two semi's side by side and you are only doing 50'ks but the trucks are going 20'ks. This one actually scared me enough to put disc rotors on my boat trailer.
Ended up locking all four disc brakes on the cruiser, the front were smokin, the boat was swaying and I was heading to the wrong side of the road because I could not wipe of 30'ks before I hit the back of the trucks.
Whether your trailer is currently legal or not legal, brakes are a safety feature to get you out of trouble on most occasions.
Too hard? Too expensive? Don’t know much about brakes on trailers then read further.
OK, enough said. You need brakes on your trailer if you are even thinking about doing long trips.
10" Electric conversion kits are usually fitted by trailer manufacturers or by trailer repair centres. The weld ring (supplied) fits 125mm from the tip of the axle to the front of the weld ring. In many cases the weld ring will fit on the last round machine surface and will press hard against the shoulder should (non machined surface). Axles up to 50mm Round or Square with Ford or Holden Bearings will accept electric brakes.
Once you have tacked the Brake Mounting Plate into position make sure it is absolutely square and concentric with the axle. This is a critical step. If the weld ring is out of square or not concentric with your axle then the Electric Brake shoes will wear unevenly thus reducing braking efficiency.
Note: Different axles use different mounting plates. 12" Electric brakes also use different mounting plates. I have covered the popular models here.
Brake Mount Plate – 73mm Hole Centres. Note: Electric Mount brake plates are different to Hydraulic Brake Mount plates.
Fitting the Electric brakes is a matter of tightening four nuts at the back of the Brake Mount plate and then mounting 10” Drums and bearings.
There are two basic types of weld ring. (a) Those that fit 45mm & 50mm axles and (b) those that fit 39mm and 40mm axles .
10" Electrics have a rating of 1600kg when using 13” – 14” Ford or Holden wheels and 1450kg when using 15” – 16” wheels. If you want 1600kg on 15” – 16” wheels then you will need to go to 12” Electrics and 2 tonne drums.
Remember to use 3mm cable or above when wiring your electric braking system. Often 2.5mm or lower cable is used. These sizes are inadequate or marginal and provide sufficient voltage drop from your battery to cause your brakes to work at something lower than 100% capacity.
Example, when using 2.5mm cable, your controller will be wound up to the maximum voltage. Voltage drop occurs at the point of the electric brakes causing you to have only 50% braking capacity. Install 3mm cable or larger and you see a much better result with very little voltage drop and maximum power at your electric brakes.
It is wise to have your trailer re-certified by an approved inspection station after any DIY work.
Difference between Off Road, Highway and Budget Electric Brakes
(a) Budget Electric Brakes are great for tandem trailers, horse floats and other such trailers performing short haul duties.
(b) Standard Highway Electric Brakes are common on caravan and campers. Brake shoes and magnets are of a higher grade to dissipate heat generated by long haul on Australia's highways.
(c) Off-Road driving can get hot and dusty. Normal duty electric brakes can get very hot because dust, sand, etc builds up inside the Electric brakes. Off-Road electric brakes have been designed to cater for the effects of off-road travel. Better shoe material and stronger magnets make off-road brakes a must for the serious traveller.
Off-Road Magnets have plastic inserts to help prevent magnet wear caused by road corrugations. The magnets rattle on the magnet actuation arm causing these arms to fail if brakes are not fitted with Off-Road electric backing plates.
View Electric Brake Conversion Kits
View Marine Brake Conversion Kits
View Mechanical Brake Conversions
The above photo is a 1600kg Parallel set of Landcrusier Drums.
BASICS (legal stuff)
- Trailers with a total ladened weight under 750kg generally do not need brakes. A fair amount of campers still prefer to put brakes on these lighter trailers.
- Trailers with a total ladened weight between 750kg - 2000kg need any type of brake on one axle. Disc brakes, Mechanical drum brakes and electric brakes are common.
- Trailers with a total ladened weight between 2000kg - 4500kg need electric brakes or electric/hydraulic on all axles plus a breakaway kit.
- A trailer is defined as anything that has wheels and is towed behind your vehicle.
0kg to750kg Trailers
Generally do not need brakes however you are permitted to put brakes on your trailer if it makes you feel more comfortable and you plan to travel long distances. Brakes may be required when towing according to your car manufacturers recommendations.
750kg to 2000kg Trailers
- 10" Disc rotors are the cheapest type of braking system you can install. You will need to weld onto your axle a caliper mounting plate and the hard part is over. If buying a new axle just ask your retailer to arrange for the calliper anchor plate to be installed for you.
Disc brakes are engaged by an override coupling that works when the vehicle brakes. Simply, when the tow vehicle brakes, the trailer pushes into the tow vehicle and activates the override assembly pulling the cable attached to your disc calipers. There is a small time delay with all override couplings. Commonly used on boat and tandem trailers. Not recommended for camper trailers except if you are doing a lot of sandy beach work..
- 9" Mechanical Override brakes work the same as disc rotors except you need to weld ring onto the axle to hold the mechanical brake backing plate. A little more expensive than disc rotors and used by small caravans and trailers.
- 9" Hydraulic Brakes work on an override assembly as above except the cable is replaced with hydraulic lines. Mainly used on older caravans and tandem trailers.
- 10" Electric braking systems use a 4 hole weld ring to secure the 10" electric backing plate to the axle. Once the electric backing plate is bolted to the weld rings, the drum is then fitted and is secured with the axle nut. 10" Electric brakes are suitable for axles up to 50mm in diameter. When tightening your axle nut, tighten as much as possible then back of 1/8 turn.
- 12" Electric braking systems are installed on axle’s sizes 50mm and above. Loads over 1600kg on a single axle will require 12" braking systems.
Maximum axle size for these system is 50mm. Ratings are 750kg/39mm Round Axle, 1000kg/40mm Square axle, 1500kg/45mm Square Axle.
Maximum Tandem set-ups for 45mm are 2900kg with regard to 10" Electric Brakes. Over 2900kg on a tandem and you will require 12" Electrics.
2900kg - 4500kg require 12" Electric Brakes on 50mm to 65mm Round depending on weight requirements. Brakes on all axles + breakaway kit.
Once you have decided what weight you wish to carry then it is simply a matter of selecting the axles, brakes and spring set-ups.
Most common set-up? Electric brakes on campers and caravans by a long margin.
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CLICK HERE: Some good advice on how to adjust brakes, bearings and general trailer setups from ALKO.
FAQ
Question: I am building a trailer and I want a complete set-up under 750kg to go to Cape York.
Answer: Go for a 45mm Round axle rated at 1450kg. Off-Road springs with 6 Stud lazy hubs. You can install brakes later if you feel the need. A lower rated set-up will give you trouble because you will almost certainly be carrying more than you think. Water, fuel, Food, gear, etc will add more than you think to your total trailer weight.
Question: My boat trailer is about 2 tonne tandem with 50mm Square axles and brakes on all axles which do not work anymore. I purchased the trailer and boat cheaply but the trailer needs work. I think I just need disc brakes on one axle because the weight is pretty close to the limit.
Answer: Together a trailer and a boat will almost certainly weigh over 2 tonne unless you can get a weigh bridge certificate to prove it otherwise. Nonetheless you will need one of these certificates anyway to get it registered in your name, so I suggest that you weigh the rig so you are not throwing money at a brake set-up that you may be required to change later. You’ll save a lot of money in the long run by having the correct set-up the first time around.
Question: I purchased a set of Electric brakes and had them installed. The brakes do not lock the wheel when the brake controller is set to full power.
Answer: (a) Check wiring to the electric brakes and make sure the wiring is 3mm or larger. You may have a problem with voltage drop. (b) The brake shoes may not have bedded themselves if you have not travelled 100klms – 150 klms and re-adjust the brakes. (c) Apply 12volt directly to the brakes, you will not be able to move the wheel. There may be a problem with your electric brake controller if the direct method works well.
Question: My brakes are getting hot even when the shoes are backed right off and the electrics are disconnected.
Answer: (a) Remove drum and inspect shoes. Shoes must be concentrically aligned. One or both shoes may be out of centre. Re-centre shoes and re-install drum. (b) Once drum is re-installed adjust shoes until there is no more adjustment, then wind the adjustment lever 13 clicks. 13 clicks is the factory setting. The main reason electric brakes get hot when first installed is the shoes are not aligned correctly and rub the drum on one end of either or both shoes. Another reason is Chinese Bearings getting hot, change them to Japanese.
Question: I purchased my trailer bearings from a reputable shop. How do I know if they will cope with large trips.
Answer: We do not support any one brand of bearing. The word JAPAN must appear on the bearing to ensure you have a good long haul bearing. If the word JAPAN does not appear then you may have inferior bearings. I trust companies that put their brand on their products. We would not recommend and Chinese or Indian bearing for long haul journeys.
View Complete Axle Setups
View Complete Tandem Suspension Kits
View Off-Road Axle Kits
Footnote: Advice on this page is obtained from a number of sources and is not necessarily our own.
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