Trailer Brakes

Diamond C offers three types of brakes: Electric Drum, Electric Over Hydraulic Drum, and Electric Over Hydraulic Disc brakes. Below are some helpful tips for choosing the right brakes for your trailer.

BREAK-IN PERIOD MANUAL

Electric Drum Trailer Brakes

Electric drum brakes are the utility and flatbed trailer industry standard for trailer braking systems. They are controlled by an in-cab controller that comes standard on many of today’s trucks and SUVs. Electric drum brakes are well suited for most general use applications – trailers that are used moderately within their capacity and towed with some regularity. If you plan to use your trailer aggressively in relation to its PAYLOAD CAPACITY and plan to tow it on a more regular basis, then keep scrolling to see our electric over hydraulic brake options below.

Electric Over Hydraulic Drum Trailer Brakes

Electric over hydraulic drum brakes are similar in that they are controlled by the same in-cab controller as standard electric drum brakes. They also share the same actual drum braking components. Where they differ is that instead of electromagnetic force being utilized to help slow the trailer, the electric pulse from the tow vehicle activates a small hydraulic pump that sends fluid into the drum to forcefully apply braking pressure. 

Electric Over Hydraulic Disc Trailer Brakes

Electric over hydraulic disc brakes are similar to both previous brake types in that they are operated by an in-cab controller. However, disc brakes are what avid heavy-duty trailers users would describe as “the ultimate” when it comes to trailer braking systems. They use the same hydraulic force we mentioned in electric over hydraulic drum Brakes for better braking pressure, but where they differ is the use of disc (rotor) / caliper braking components instead of the drums. Disc brakes provide increased stopping power over drums. In addition, disc brakes are more cost-effective when it comes to upkeep and preventative maintenance over time. With disc brakes, you can replace individual brake pads versus replacing the more costly full drum braking assembly.

If you are a gooseneck HOT SHOT trailer user who has put in a lot of miles over the years, we highly recommend hydraulic disc brakes.

Benefits of Hydraulic Disc Brakes:

1. Last longer
2. Stop faster
3. Cheaper to maintain for high mileage trailers

16K Disk Brakes

In early 2021 we announced the 16K Electric over Hydraulic Disc Brake option. This industry-first option has been a long time coming, resulting from a 2-year collaborative journey between Diamond C and LIPPERT. These 16K Disc Brakes are now available on all FMAX216, SDX216, & PX216 models.

Tune in below for the whole story:

Build Your Trailer

Ready to build your trailer with your choice of brake selection? Click below to view and price all our trailer models:

BUILD & PRICE