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rivertrails's avatar
rivertrails
Explorer
Jul 28, 2013

Converting surge breaks into electric. Cost?

It seems to convert surge breaks to electric in Hi Lo campers you have to get a new axle . the cost is extremely high. I thought this was the in all camper .But recent google searches have indicated otherwise. The 1972 Star camper i'm looking at does not have breaks. The company is unheard of so i'm sure repairing or replacing surge brakes would be as difficult and expensive as Hi lo campers. How can I tell if a new axle would be needed? if it doesn't is it pretty cheap to convert?This camper is 3000 lbs unladen weight and needs brakes. I can't afford to be putting a lot of money in it for brakes. I would have to take it to my car mechanic to have it done. Do normal little car mechanic shops work on camper? Or are the two different for some reason ?

14 Replies

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  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jul 28, 2013
    etrailer.com is a good source for torsion axles and "brakes".
  • ve7prt's avatar
    ve7prt
    Explorer
    Jul 28, 2013
    If you have surge brakes on the trailer already, there is no need to replace the axle or brakes themselves. They should be hydraulic, either drum or disc. All you should need to do is replace the surge cylinder/hitch with a regular hitch and install an Elecdraulic (Electric over Hydraulic) unit, and an appropriate brake controller to operate it.

    OTOH, if the trailer does not have any brakes on it, then as eHoefler stated above...

    Cheers!
  • rivertrails's avatar
    rivertrails
    Explorer
    Jul 28, 2013
    Oh. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I thought it was much higher priced to convert them than that. I'm going to look at the trailer tomorrow. He just said it doesn't have breaks.( I take it they just don't work) He doesn't know what kind was originally on there. How can I tell by looking with out pulling the tire if surge or electric brakes are on there now.(I'M a woman who unfortunately doesn't know much at all about mechanics. From the pic I can see it doesn't have the piston looking container on the tongue that surge brakes have, But if the brakes longer work it could have just been removed.
  • eHoefler's avatar
    eHoefler
    Explorer II
    Jul 28, 2013
    A new axle would be around $300 with electric brakes. A new Torsion axle with electric brakes is just under $500. Both rated at 3500 pounds and 6 hole wheels, 5 hole hubs are about the same price. If it is a spring suspension, most anyone can change it with common hand tools. Then all you need is the break away switch, wire it into the plug and a brake controller. Redneck Trailer supply has everything you would need.

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