Arrives before Christmas 
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Free-backing, passenger's-side trailer brake assembly won't engage when you reverse, even if your hydraulic actuator is activated. Galvanized steel resists rust, making the assembly great for boat trailers. Mounting flange has 4-bolt pattern.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Because free-backing brakes are designed to eliminate nearly all friction between the brake shoes and the drum when you are driving in reverse, a trailer breakaway kit will not be effective should your trailer disconnect from your tow vehicle while you are backing up.
Free-backing brakes let your trailer move in reverse without the brakes being activated by your surge actuator. These brakes are needed if your actuator does not have a reverse lockout, which is a mechanism that ensures that the actuator does not activate when your rig moves in reverse.
This Demco free-backing brake assembly has a fall-away shoe that is designed to provide full braking action when your trailer is moving forward and to supply only limited friction when the trailer is moving in reverse. This is largely due to the incorporated dual springs at the shoe's pivot point. (One spring sits on either side of the shoe lever, so only a single spring is visible when looking at the brake assembly.)
When your rig is moving forward and you engage the trailer brakes, the fall-away shoe expands normally, with the leading edge of the shoe catching the drum. This occurs because the plunger on the hydraulic cylinder pushes on the shoe lever, forcing the leading edge of the brake shoe into the drum. Once that edge catches, the dual springs at the shoe's pivot point facilitate braking by forcing the rest of the shoe to pivot into the drum. The action of the shoe against the drum provides the friction required for braking.
When you are driving in reverse, however, the hydraulic cylinder and the springs work against one another. Even though the plunger pushes on the shoe lever, the dual springs of the fall-away shoe overcome the pressure from the brake cylinder, keeping the leading edge from catching on the drum and ensuring that the shoe does not fully pivot into the drum. Because the shoe makes only slight contact with the drum, just enough friction is generated so that only a minimal amount of braking occurs when you are in reverse.
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Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (175 Customer Reviews)
Free-backing, passenger's-side trailer brake assembly won't engage when you reverse, even if your hydraulic actuator is activated. Galvanized steel resists rust, making the assembly great for boat trailers. Mounting flange has 4-bolt pattern.The right and left brake assemblies for my boat trailer arrived quickly and in good shape. The instructional video helped ensure my bolts were oriented properly to allow the brake cylinder to move and it was a relatively easy swap once I got the rusted old assembly removed.
Before you purchase this "kit", check the individual prices for each side. After my purchase, I checked the individual prices and they were LESS than what I paid for the kit which included both sides. I had paid extra for quicker shipping. That did not happen, so etrailer did refund my extra shipping costs. I did leave messages to two separate employees about the pricing problem, but received no response. The backing plates did install easily and do work well, as the only snag to the installation was that the last set they sold me had mounting studs, not bolts. So if you have no bolts on hand, you just need to tap out the old studs and drill the holes in the backing plate a hair larger and the old studs will work just fine. Even though these are marine grade, give them a very thorough rinse after being in salt water, because even with a good rinsing the salt will tear them up pretty quickly.
Perfect replacement parts for a great price! The brakes I needed arrived quickly and fit perfectly to get my trailer back on the road and running safely. I have used etrailer.com in the past and will continue to use them for future purchases.
Mike B. was super helpful! I had a question about my order and Mike was able to get me an answer right away. He also continued to follow up via email with tracking numbers and updates on my order until my order was complete. Thank you Mike!
Item is as advertised. It was quicker easier and cheaper to replace the whole backing plate assembly. If I had replaced brake shoes, wheel cylinder, and spring kit I would have spent more money & time. I will use etrailer for all of my trailer needs. etrailer even upgraded my shipping at no extra charge. Thank you for the great service.
Great company to deal with. Impressive and Professional. Very reasonable in pricing.
Products purchased; trailer Drum and hydraulic surge brakes. Fitted and Work's perfectly. Sad to see everything is made in China.
After a year they're still workin great. These make a trailer brake job pretty easy.
Product is fine, but customer service (pre-sales) and shipping times are so far gone from e-trailer of years past. Site indicated two day delivery, seven days later the item was received - but not complete. Still waiting for another part of the same order.
Katrina D.
8/17/2023
It says in our system that both of these orders have arrived on the 14th and the 15th. Can you please confirm whether you have actually received them both?
Chris D.
8/29/2023
Yes, I received them. Is two day shipping no longer a thing? I don't recall an order taking so long to process pre-shipping.
Katrina D.
8/29/2023
Yes, two-day shipping is still a thing, depending on the time of day that the order is placed and what shipping method is used. It looks like all of your orders have shipped via Free Shipping and seems that some of them shipped via US Mail. I would highly recommend using expedited shipping if you are needing something by a specific time.
Fast shipping, items received were exactly what I ordered.
The brakes on my 30-year-old boat trailer locked up and would not release. I purchased a set of these Demco brake drum assemblies and installed them myself. It was my first attempt at repairing a hydraulic surge brake system. Before beginning the remove and replace process I watched a “how to video” on the etrailer website. Everything went well, the system now functions as required.
Over the years I have purchased a lot of product from etrailer. I have received excellent product and service everytime.
John
7/9/2017
After one year the complete brake system is working perfectly.
products were all good quality and shipped on time, Thank You , installed with no problems.
I have a 1996 E Z Loader Boat trailer that needed a brake job. Couldn't get any satisfaction calling around to find parts until I found the etrailer web site. Everything I needed was laid out easy to find and the prices were fantastic. I compared buying one bearing seal at an auto parts store and found I could do the bearing, race and seal for less on etrailer. They shipped everything as I had ordered and they actually arrived earlier than expected. My mechanic said it was one of the easiest brake job that he ever had to do due to the fact everything was preassembled. I have passed this site on to all my Bass fishing buddies.
Ron C.
7/26/2017
Best bang for your buck. Have not had one issue with my new trailer brakes. Hope these last another ten years as I know the trailer wont.
These brake parts were easy to install after watching the videos at etrailer.com. I installed brakes on both wheels on my boat trailer along with new seals and they work great. I've only taken a test drive, but the new brakes really help.
Steven S.
3/23/2017
Very satisfied with these brakes. They grab a little when first coming out of the water, but that goes away after the first stop.
Bought a set of these and a master cylinder for my single axle boat trailer..and now I have surge brakes. Yea!
Products were of excellent quality and exactly as displayed and shipping was prompt and the order process was a breeze!
Great company to do business with and the prices are excellent too!
Lew A.
6/1/2016
It has been a year and I still have great surge brakes..thank you very much!
Replaced original Dico brakes on trailer for 20' Maxxum without a hitch.
Buying the complete assembly is the way to go. Thanks etrailer.com!
Dean H.
7/17/2015
Brake rebuild has been a success over the long term.
This brake assembly bolted right up and installed in minutes. Much faster and easier (and more cost efficient) than replacing just the failed parts of the original brakes (frozen wheel cylinder and shoes). The "free backing" feature doesnt seem to work all that well. I can feel a heavy amount of drag in reverse and leave tire marks from my trailer all the way up my sloped driveway unless I manually engage the reverse lockout on my actuator. I purposely bought this set so I wouldnt have to do that anymore.
I spent a lot of time trying to clean the grease and dirt off my old ones to try to salvage them after replacing bearings and leaky seals that made a big mess out of my brakes. And, removed worn out shoes by messing with all the springs, before I found these, the whole assembly put together already, and galvanized. I bought four and simply installed them with four bolts. Also added a new actuator, tested the brakes, and they work great. Installed on a 1991 Tracker trailer. Like new again, and saved hundreds doing it myself. Wished I knew about this product sooner.
I used to have to stop before going down a hill to disengage my brakes so I could stop barely, then back up hill into my driveway. These brakes work great. I would recommend them and also I would recommend the hub and drum assembly. By the time I put new bearings and races in and turned the drums I wish that I would have bought new ones for my trailer that sees a lot of saltwater.
This part fit 100%. I got the best price from etrailer and I'm so happy that I could install it easily. My brake cylinder was leaking and this was the best way to go to replace the whole unit. I will be ordering the other side this year. Thanks etrailer. PS I'm from Canada and shipping wasn't a problem. I live in Vancouver aND ordered it to blaine aND it arrived really fast. Thanks again
The hydraulic drum brakes with backer plates, I ordered came on time and fit great. I also installed new bearings and they fit good too. I will use them again when I need more parts.
Hydraulic trailer drum brakes. Received within a few days. Easy to install, not that complicated. Needed a second person to help bleed the brakes.
Received the brake assembly, installed it with no problems. Easiest brake job I have ever done, 4 bolts attach the brake line, adjust the brakes and you are done. I had a question on the flange bolt spacing. The 4 on 4" is a diagonal measurement. If you look at the picture of the brake assembly above the spacing of top left to top right is 2 7/8", diagonal top left to bottom right is 4" This fit my application perfectly.
I was satisfied with the drums and brake units supplied by Etrailer. The wheel bearings were junk so I trashed them, and repacked the Timkin's that were already on the trailer.
I was pleased with the support I received from Etrailer ensuring the correct items were ordered to avoid returns.
Perfect replacement for my old rusted boat trailer brakes. Assembly was straight forward. Brakes release well in reverse. All I could ask for.
This product was reasonably price so I purchased it instead of piece parting it. It made the job much simpler. The only thing we have to do at the one year mark is to check the adjustment I would recommend this product to anyone thinking of rebuilding their trailer brakes.
These brakes are a breeze to install! I put them on my boat trailer which I launch in salt water, so it would have been nice to have a washout port (the reason I didn't give them an excellent rating). The price is good and the install is easy, so if I get a couple years out of them I'll be happy.
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Ken
6/10/2023
A year later and brakes are still working well. Definitely pleased with this purchase.