Boatmate Trailer Hydraulic Brake Bleed

[Bad Bob]

Hello Folks,

Just wondering if anybody has experience bleeding the hydraulic trailer brake system. I have quite a bit of slop when stopping and starting again. I assume that this is because the brakes have worn down and the actuator needs more travel to apply braking power. The trailer is a Boatmate and it has the disc brakes on it. Any info is appreciated.

-bob

[Razzman]

Hey there Bad Bob and welcome!

The Boatmates use the UFP A-60 actuator. It's a great design but does have one flaw imo, the internal shock. When it starts to wear out you will get a lot of slop and banging back and forth. My last boat needed the trailer rebuilt so i did it myself to include replacing the actuator because i wanted disc brakes. I have since rebuilt two other A-60s for friends and after replacing the shock they all said it was much better.

But air in the lines can contribute too so i would start there first. I bleed mine with a Mity Vac applying pressure to the system and it's like power bleeding your brakes. A basic Mity Vac can be had for around $30 and comes with hoses and adapters. If you look at your A-60 you'll see a disc on top that covers the master cylinder plug. Remove the plug and notice the hole size.

Go to Home Depot or such and get a tapered rubber plug that fits in that hole but won't drop in. Drill a hole through the plug and insert the Mity Vac adapter and hose, connected to the Mity Vac. Using an assistant to lightly apply pressure to the Mity Vac, open your bleed valves slighty and watch how easy the air bubbles come out. Top off brake fluid. Takes about ten minutes and your done.

[Bad Bob]

Thanks Razzman. Can the actuator be rebuilt or, better yet, is it worth doing so? In case bleeding shows no improvement. Is it an easy r & r? I assume I would need the bleeding tool regardless... if I chose to do the work myself that is?

Just curious here. I pulled away from the trailer some time ago with out unhooking the breakaway cable. It didn't pull it out or anything. Just gave it a good tug. Is there something in the breakaway system that would need to be reset that could be causing the extra play?

[Razzman]

They are expensive actuators for one, but good actuators and the shocks aren't that much. It's a bit of a pain to do but doable.

If you broke the little clip on the safety cable which is easy then it needs to be replaced.

Check it out here; UFP (http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/A-60,%2075%20_%2084%20Actuator%20Maintenance.pdf)

[Bad Bob]

Thanks for the info. When I was asking about the rebuild, I meant the shock in the actuator. Sorry if i was completely unclear. That link is perfect. I'll take it from here. Thanks again.