Air brake questions?

Coach Cleats wrote:
I realize that everyone's driving styles are unique therefore brake replacement differ.

We are at 71K on our 2004 Safari and its beginning to require more pressure on the pedal to stop. That's probably the answer to my question ay!

Coach Cleats, you are right in acknowledging huge differences in the mileage expected but, at 71K, your brake shoes "could" have significant life left. However, other parts in the system age and as self adjusting air brakes age and wear they will require maintenance. These brakes will only self-adjust within a certain tolerance; when the air brakes go beyond this tolerance they must be serviced.

If you are not able to check them yourself, have it looked at by a professional-you may not need anything more than routine inspection and maintenace. If it has been sometime since your air brake system has been checked and serviced, it's time to have it looked at.

Ours at 62K miles are at 75% life or more I estimate.

Do you use the exhaust brake more then 90% of the time?

Using it will help to extend brake pad life.

I’m the original owner of my 2004 Country Coach and I have 84,000 plus miles. My Pac Brake is always on and I have always had a supplemental brake system on the three toads I have used. Most of my miles have been in the mountain west States. My mechanic at the last service said I had about 85% brake left.

Yes , I can only go on my prior experience as a commercial driver, not mechanic, that would say the average RV’er would never need to change the brakes out. 200,000 miles is I believe a realistic number. This is of course for a heavy duty air brake system.
If you ride the brakes , have a lot of mountain driving without proper Jake/ Exhaust Brake use, or any of a large list you may not get there. A competent inspection should quickly determine pad thickness and / or if a adjustment is needed. If in fact your pedal pressure needed is increasing it needs something. Get it looked at . I’ve never paid to have the brakes replaced , but like all things DP I can believe it “ain’t” . Cheap to have done.

Do you have hydraulic disk brakes (like older Safari coaches) or air drum.

Maintenance is COMPLETELY different.

Requiring more pedal pressure is not a symptom I would associate with worn brakes. That would express more as noise or uneven braking.

Possibly you've gotten some oil on the brakes from a leaky seal. Or there could be issues with air pressure.

Best to get some professional assessment.

I just had my front axle brakes replaced. Calipers, pads, rotors and brake lines. I had a left front brake that was sticking so I decided prior to going full time I would just replace everything. This was on a 2001 Beaver DP (43000 miles) with air over hydraulic brakes. My brake pedal seemed as if I had to push it a lot harder to stop and the left front overheated.

with air brakes, you'd have to go back a long ways to find ones with out automatic slack adjusters.

If they are working is another question.

Last year at 65,000 miles we had our 2005 DP into the Freightliner dealer to service the air dryer. While it was there they greased it and checked the brakes. They said we had a lot of years left of the brakes.

You might check to see if you have any oil leaks on both the front and rear axles that could be getting on the brakes. I had the right front plastic cover start leaking but I caught it long before it got to the brakes.

Bill

lj2654 wrote:
I just had my front axle brakes replaced. Calipers, pads, rotors and brake lines. I had a left front brake that was sticking so I decided prior to going full time I would just replace everything. This was on a 2001 Beaver DP (43000 miles) with air over hydraulic brakes. My brake pedal seemed as if I had to push it a lot harder to stop and the left front overheated.

Have not worked on that new a Safari/Beaver product, but are you sure it is air over hydraulic and not hydraulic over hydraulic (hydraulic boost)?