Stupid question about surge brakes
 

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Thanks

In article ,
says...

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Thanks

Not sure what your 'FIL' is, but only DOT 3, or DOT 5 fluids would
be approved for road use. Dot 3 is far more common, and is an ignorant
choice by manufactures for use in and around water. It traps and holds
moisture, Then promotes heavy corrosion of the aluminum pistons in the
wheel cylinders. I could only hope that the boat trailer brake folks
went to 'hydraulic fluid'. Dot 3 is a bit yellow tinted, Dot 5 is purple,
and turns a bright antifreeze green when it is water contaminated, and
hydraulic can be clear such as power steering fluid, or redish such as
automatic tranny fluid.

I hope this info helps, please let us know, and I really do hope they
quit using caustic Dot 3 around the water!!

Guðmundur....(Icelander living in the states)

On Mon, 16 May 2005 02:12:13 GMT, "Rob V" wrote:

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Your father in law is right in one respect - brake fluid is a type of
hydraulic fluid. However, you need to use brake fluid and I suspect
that Dorsey recommends DOT-5. DOT-3 isn't recommended for immersion
in water.

As Dorsey is no longer in business, play it safe - use DOT-5.

Later,

Tom

In article ,
says...

On Mon, 16 May 2005 02:12:13 GMT, "Rob V" wrote:

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Your father in law is right in one respect - brake fluid is a type of
hydraulic fluid. However, you need to use brake fluid and I suspect
that Dorsey recommends DOT-5. DOT-3 isn't recommended for immersion
in water.

As Dorsey is no longer in business, play it safe - use DOT-5.

Later,

Tom

It is very important to know if the system is a DOT 3, or DOT 5 system.
DOT 5 fluid is silicone based, and will within about 3 days time, attack
and destroy all the rubber cups used in the brake system if they are also
a silicone rubber molding. MANY ARE!! Several folks here have added
DOT 5 to their DOT 3 system, and the mess is expensive to repair. DOT 5
has a distictive purple color, and to an experienced eye, it is easy to
tell if it is a 3, or a 5 system. SS is correct that DOT 3 is a stupid
choice around water, but about 80% of the surge brake systems I have ever
repaired were in fact DOT 3. The rubber cups must be rated for a silicone
type fluid, otherwise the cups just simply dissolve into a black gooey mess.

Gudmundur wrote:
It is very important to know if the system is a DOT 3, or DOT 5 system.
DOT 5 fluid is silicone based, and will within about 3 days time, attack
and destroy all the rubber cups used in the brake system

I was just about to say the same thing, except that IMHO 3 days is an
optimistic time estimate.

DO NOT PUT DOT-5 IN YOUR TRAILER BRAKES UNLESS
1- you are ABSOLUTELY positive that's what it's spec'd for.
OR
2- you wanted to replace your whole trailer brake system anyway.


.... SS is correct that DOT 3 is a stupid
choice around water, but about 80% of the surge brake systems I have ever
repaired were in fact DOT 3.

Yep. But it's not that bad, really. Just drain & replace the fluid every
year or so... more often if you look into the reservoir and see it's
cloudy. Back when we had a trailerable I considered it normal trailer
maintenance.

Fair Skies
Doug King

On Mon, 16 May 2005 13:30:47 -0000, (Gudmundur)
wrote:

In article ,
says...

On Mon, 16 May 2005 02:12:13 GMT, "Rob V" wrote:

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Your father in law is right in one respect - brake fluid is a type of
hydraulic fluid. However, you need to use brake fluid and I suspect
that Dorsey recommends DOT-5. DOT-3 isn't recommended for immersion
in water.

As Dorsey is no longer in business, play it safe - use DOT-5.

Later,

Tom

It is very important to know if the system is a DOT 3, or DOT 5 system.
DOT 5 fluid is silicone based, and will within about 3 days time, attack
and destroy all the rubber cups used in the brake system if they are also
a silicone rubber molding. MANY ARE!! Several folks here have added
DOT 5 to their DOT 3 system, and the mess is expensive to repair. DOT 5
has a distictive purple color, and to an experienced eye, it is easy to
tell if it is a 3, or a 5 system. SS is correct that DOT 3 is a stupid
choice around water, but about 80% of the surge brake systems I have ever
repaired were in fact DOT 3. The rubber cups must be rated for a silicone
type fluid, otherwise the cups just simply dissolve into a black gooey mess.

Well I'll be damned - I didn't know that - I thought they were forward
compatible.

http://www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com/pdf_2848_2.pdf

My bad - should have looked first. Thanks for the correction.

Later,

Tom

After reading here and talking a few others - Id agree that DOT 3 was the
right call.
I was finally able to find a boat place that has dealt w/ dorsey - they said
to use DOT 3 as well.

Thanks for the all the help.

R
"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 May 2005 13:30:47 -0000, (Gudmundur)
wrote:

In article ,
says...

On Mon, 16 May 2005 02:12:13 GMT, "Rob V" wrote:

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it
looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic
fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Your father in law is right in one respect - brake fluid is a type of
hydraulic fluid. However, you need to use brake fluid and I suspect
that Dorsey recommends DOT-5. DOT-3 isn't recommended for immersion
in water.

As Dorsey is no longer in business, play it safe - use DOT-5.

Later,

Tom

It is very important to know if the system is a DOT 3, or DOT 5 system.
DOT 5 fluid is silicone based, and will within about 3 days time, attack
and destroy all the rubber cups used in the brake system if they are also
a silicone rubber molding. MANY ARE!! Several folks here have added
DOT 5 to their DOT 3 system, and the mess is expensive to repair. DOT 5
has a distictive purple color, and to an experienced eye, it is easy to
tell if it is a 3, or a 5 system. SS is correct that DOT 3 is a stupid
choice around water, but about 80% of the surge brake systems I have ever
repaired were in fact DOT 3. The rubber cups must be rated for a silicone
type fluid, otherwise the cups just simply dissolve into a black gooey
mess.

Well I'll be damned - I didn't know that - I thought they were forward
compatible.

http://www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com/pdf_2848_2.pdf

My bad - should have looked first. Thanks for the correction.

Later,

Tom

On Mon, 16 May 2005 02:12:13 GMT, "Rob V" wrote:

Quick question.
I have a new Dorsey trailer w/ surge brakes.
I checked the fluid level today when we got back from the lake and it looks
low.

What kind of fluid should I use to fill it - brake fluid or hydraulic fluid?

My FIL says hydraulic - but I think brake. I dont have the manual and I
cant find it online any where.

Thanks

ATF only.


Me and the wife
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/harkra...bum?.dir=/1323