CornerCarver

I have an opportunity to purchase an open Trailex with surge brakes. Should I stay away from trailers with surge brakes? What are the cons? I will be towing a 2800 lb car with a small SUV.

007DT

Surge brakes many times are better than electric brakes.. You'll be fine for the load you are working with...

FYI Most boat trailers are on Surge Brakes.. Many are heavier than what you are proposing.

Darren

I don't really like that you can't adjust the bias, but one good thing is it self-regulates the pressure so it's not that big of a deal. One really good plus is the brakes always work -- trailer electrics are notoriously finicky. If you tow at reasonable speeds then it's probably fine.

AlpharettaRK

I have a Trailex with surge brakes and it's great. Not having a controller is one last thing to mess around with.
Cheers
Randy

JW in Texas

They are great! I've had many boats with them that weighed considerably more then a race trailer w/o issue

arrivederci

Mine has surge brakes and I'm mostly happy with them. As others have said, they always work and self adjust. But if you're going over any big mountain passes and have a long downhill, you might prefer to have electric brakes that you can manually adjust. A long steep downhill could apply the brakes...

CornerCarver

Thanks all for the great feedback. Do surge brakes require a beefier tow vehicle?

ltc

Electric brakes do offer you the option to manually engage the trailer brakes if the "tail starts to wag"...not sure how you could do this with surge brakes.

MJR911

We have been towing with an SUV, trailex and surge brakes for 12 years... works like a charm. Just understand the distance you realistically need to stop, you'll be fine. You can feel them engage when getting into the brakes, I always check to make sure they're working early into the trip.

DanR

my open trailex has surge brakes and I have no issue towing a similar weight car. Just hook it up and go, nothing else to worry about!

trailex is also a great light trailer, you will not be dissappointed!

aj986s

Ditto that Trailex is a great towing trailer. I'm on my second one, and never had any towing problems. Both were also surge brake models. I much prefer the flexibility of surge brakes. Works well on the Trailex, and means you can attach to any tow vehicle without any worries. Also FWIW, I did find that the surge unit on my current trailer, circa 1994, was starting to not work so well earlier this year; it would stick periodically. Not noticable while towing, but challenged me when trying to move the trailer in the driveway by hand. For about $150, I was able to DIY replace the entire surge unit on the tongue, and all is good again for another 15 or more years.

RickBetterley

Hi Al
My Trailex (sold in 2003 after 4 good years) had surge brakes, as do my boat trailers, and I think they are suitable for the light/open trailer use.
Agreed about the comment about preferring electric brakes in the mountains.

Darren

True but if everything is set up right it shouldn't wag. You can definitely fine tune better with the electric controller which is why I said surge is fine if you drive reasonable speeds. I tow at 80-85, 2 car open trailer, chevy 3500 dually. For me surge brakes wouldn't work too well.

aj986s

I would agree that surge brakes do have their limits. Particularly as the trailer becomes a larger percentage of the trailer/load/tow vehicle weight total.

On a 1-car aluminum trailer, I think the surge brakes work great. But even on a single car steel trailer, I think it may be reaching its limits. Particularly if the tow vehicle is smallish. Otherwise, the tow vehicle's brakes will become the weak link. Definitely agree that a 2-car steel trailer needs electric brakes.

FWIW, I've had my Trailex at well over 80mph, with no problems.

John H

just don't try to back up a hill.