Brake questions

randallb wrote:
Buy at least one new drum. If you keep this extra drum with packed bearings and seals with you you will never be dead in the water waiting for parts in the event of a failure. The other advantage of carrying extra parts is that it guarantees that this particular part will never fail while on the road.

That is a given, lol. That is why I probably have 250lbs of stuff in the box on my truck. Need to be ready. I'm always in the forest or desert so help is usually some distance away.

Buy at least one new drum. If you keep this extra drum with packed bearings and seals with you you will never be dead in the water waiting for parts in the event of a failure. The other advantage of carrying extra parts is that it guarantees that this particular part will never fail while on the road.

Bearings, if properly serviced, should out last the trailer.

Much easier to buy and install the entire assembly.

The "whole assembly" is in two big parts, I forget their names, but the bearings are in them already greased. So you start over, no worries about past bad maintenance.

You still need to do the electrical side. Mine pulls 12 amps (3 per wheel) which I see on the Trimetric when the breakaway switch is yanked (only do that with the 7-pin disconnected from the truck!)

The garage also checks the equalizers and shackles etc while down there, so you should too if doing it yourself. The bushings for the bolts can wear through and then the bolts wear bigger holes till it all comes apart. Nasty.

You just keep throwing money to the garage guy for his holiday in Hawaii while you shorten in your RVing holiday plans :(

Shoes need replaced and the magnet is showing some wear. I was going to replace the bearing for price of mind. I bought the trailer used and just want to know what I got.

"Should I just replace the shoes and magnet. Seem like its cheaper to just get the whole assembly."

Need more info...what's worn and how much? Only you now the answer.

"I am also going to replace the inner and outter bearings. Same question should I just get the bearings or get the whole drum. My current one seems in good shape."

If they're in good shape why replace? Sometimes its cheaper to buy complete assembly. But you still have to pack the bearings and adjust brakes.

If your thinking is...you'll get new assembly's so you know what you have might give piece of mind maybe.

We all do it a different way...I'd make sure no grease getting on brake shoe and brake was adjusted right and when I was packing bearings I would pick up a spare bearings and cup and grease seals for one wheel and keep it with you in dust proof container. Do a quick temp check with IR gun when you pull over every so often.

But we all do things differently.

I needed a grease job and brake shoes etc. In my case it was about the same cost at the garage to just get new everything. The parts come pre-assembled so little work involved. The cost of the grease job is eliminated as the new parts come with the bearings already greased. I chose the all-new parts method.

If you do the work yourself instead of paying for the garage work that could change the cost comparison.

I went for the whole brake assembly when my pads got soaked with grease also upgraded to larger pads and magnet along with self adjusting.

I stuck with the original hubs but might upgrade to new ones on the next go round.

Ron W.