Changing to disc brakes
Am considering having my current brakes (drum) swapped out for a disc brake system. Present systems is not very effective and I have had the brakes adjusted and checked numerous times with no improvem...
Forum Discussion
I just got finished with a drum to disc conversion and have some feedback on the process of swapping out the brakes and the results.
I have a 34 ft. 5th wheel that weighs 12,400 pounds that I tow with a 2007 Silverado with an integrated brake controller. The trailer has Dexter 6,000# axles and had the typical drum brakes. Wiring to the electric drums was 14 gauge. When I was pulling it out of the axles I thought to myself that is was too small for the job and I suspect that it may have decreased the performance of the electric brakes. At that point I had spent the money on the new brakes and was committed. So, onward with the swap.
Speaking of performance, I could not lock up the electric brakes on a gravel road with the brake controller set to max and manually applying full power from the cab of the truck. In short, the electric brakes sucked. They did not have enough stopping power and they easily overheated. Early on I invested in a Banks SpeedBrake (exhaust brake) so that I didn't have to depend on them. On the positive side, they responded instantly and were very smooth. I feel that the integrated brake controller is a big plus and helps to improve the response and smoothness of the electric brakes. I previously towed the same trailer with a different truck that had a Prodigy controller. The integrated controller was clearly an improvement.
I went with Kodiak discs and a Titan electric/hydraulic controller. I ran rubber lines for all of the hydraulic connections. Parts were purchased from TrailerParts.com and the cost was about $1,400. It took me two weekends of part-time work to install them. A significant amount of time was spent thinking about where to mount the controller and how to route the electrical and hydraulic lines. The time spent wrenching on stuff was about two days. There are several videos on-line that show how to do the drum/disc swap. That part is really easy. I spent as much or more time packing the wheel bearings than I did removing the old and installing the new brakes. I really hate packing wheel bearings! It is a messy, messy job and no matter how hard I try, I manage to get that goo all over my workbench. I used Mobile 1 synthetic grease and I have the kind of axles that have built-in grease fittings. I consumed two tubes of grease. It took over 100 pumps of the grease gun to completely fill the hubs on each wheel. My gripping muscles were pretty sore the next day.
I drove the rig for the first time yesterday and then put some actual miles on it today. The pads will take a few more miles to get completely seated to the rotors but I can say that the difference is already like night and day. I am now able to lock up the brakes on dry payment. The stopping distance is *much* shorter. In the few hours that I have driven the rig, my confidence in the braking action has greatly increased. I found myself applying the brakes at the same point that I would if driving the truck without the trailer.
There is about a one-second lag between applying the brakes and getting full stopping power from the trailer. There has to be some lag as the electric pump on the controller cannot instantly build pressure in the hydraulics. I mentioned earlier that I ran rubber hydraulic lines for the entire system. I suspect that if I had hard lines down the frame and across the axles that the lag would be somewhat reduced as rubber lines can stretch under pressure and could increase the time required to build full pressure. I would be curious to hear from others how much lag they have.
That said, I find the braking response very acceptable. I tried a couple of full-on panic stops from 30 MPH and it was remarkable how much shorter the stopping distance was. The trailer tires locked up on the first test so I dialed back the controller. On the second test they did not lock up and everything came to a smooth, short, no drama stop. Nice! I will need to be careful when I open the cupboards as things have surely moved around and fallen over in them.
I am fairly certain that increasing the gauge of the electric brake wiring would have helped and if I had, I might not have made the switch to discs. Of course, increasing the wire size would not have eliminated the need to adjust the drums or improve their overheating characteristics. Many years ago I made a vow to never buy a car or truck with drum brakes. I service the brakes on my vehicles and drum brakes are a royal pain. If disc brakes had been an option when I purchased my 5th wheel, I would have gone that route from the beginning.
Now that the planning and work is finished, I am glad I made the switch. They are silky smooth, have great stopping power, and will never have to be adjusted. As they are vented rotors, I am confident their ability to absorb heat will also be improved. That is not so much an issue for me as I have the Banks exhaust brake, but it may be important to others.
I have a 34 ft. 5th wheel that weighs 12,400 pounds that I tow with a 2007 Silverado with an integrated brake controller. The trailer has Dexter 6,000# axles and had the typical drum brakes. Wiring to the electric drums was 14 gauge. When I was pulling it out of the axles I thought to myself that is was too small for the job and I suspect that it may have decreased the performance of the electric brakes. At that point I had spent the money on the new brakes and was committed. So, onward with the swap.
Speaking of performance, I could not lock up the electric brakes on a gravel road with the brake controller set to max and manually applying full power from the cab of the truck. In short, the electric brakes sucked. They did not have enough stopping power and they easily overheated. Early on I invested in a Banks SpeedBrake (exhaust brake) so that I didn't have to depend on them. On the positive side, they responded instantly and were very smooth. I feel that the integrated brake controller is a big plus and helps to improve the response and smoothness of the electric brakes. I previously towed the same trailer with a different truck that had a Prodigy controller. The integrated controller was clearly an improvement.
I went with Kodiak discs and a Titan electric/hydraulic controller. I ran rubber lines for all of the hydraulic connections. Parts were purchased from TrailerParts.com and the cost was about $1,400. It took me two weekends of part-time work to install them. A significant amount of time was spent thinking about where to mount the controller and how to route the electrical and hydraulic lines. The time spent wrenching on stuff was about two days. There are several videos on-line that show how to do the drum/disc swap. That part is really easy. I spent as much or more time packing the wheel bearings than I did removing the old and installing the new brakes. I really hate packing wheel bearings! It is a messy, messy job and no matter how hard I try, I manage to get that goo all over my workbench. I used Mobile 1 synthetic grease and I have the kind of axles that have built-in grease fittings. I consumed two tubes of grease. It took over 100 pumps of the grease gun to completely fill the hubs on each wheel. My gripping muscles were pretty sore the next day.
I drove the rig for the first time yesterday and then put some actual miles on it today. The pads will take a few more miles to get completely seated to the rotors but I can say that the difference is already like night and day. I am now able to lock up the brakes on dry payment. The stopping distance is *much* shorter. In the few hours that I have driven the rig, my confidence in the braking action has greatly increased. I found myself applying the brakes at the same point that I would if driving the truck without the trailer.
There is about a one-second lag between applying the brakes and getting full stopping power from the trailer. There has to be some lag as the electric pump on the controller cannot instantly build pressure in the hydraulics. I mentioned earlier that I ran rubber hydraulic lines for the entire system. I suspect that if I had hard lines down the frame and across the axles that the lag would be somewhat reduced as rubber lines can stretch under pressure and could increase the time required to build full pressure. I would be curious to hear from others how much lag they have.
That said, I find the braking response very acceptable. I tried a couple of full-on panic stops from 30 MPH and it was remarkable how much shorter the stopping distance was. The trailer tires locked up on the first test so I dialed back the controller. On the second test they did not lock up and everything came to a smooth, short, no drama stop. Nice! I will need to be careful when I open the cupboards as things have surely moved around and fallen over in them.
I am fairly certain that increasing the gauge of the electric brake wiring would have helped and if I had, I might not have made the switch to discs. Of course, increasing the wire size would not have eliminated the need to adjust the drums or improve their overheating characteristics. Many years ago I made a vow to never buy a car or truck with drum brakes. I service the brakes on my vehicles and drum brakes are a royal pain. If disc brakes had been an option when I purchased my 5th wheel, I would have gone that route from the beginning.
Now that the planning and work is finished, I am glad I made the switch. They are silky smooth, have great stopping power, and will never have to be adjusted. As they are vented rotors, I am confident their ability to absorb heat will also be improved. That is not so much an issue for me as I have the Banks exhaust brake, but it may be important to others.
