Disc brakes

We had disc brakes installed on our 08 New Vision triple axle toy hauler this past spring and can't believe how much better the disc brakes are. I can actually come off an interstate and slow to exit speed without slowing on the freeway. It really made a big difference on the way the TV feels. At 23,000 GCW, the disc brakes make down hill stops reliable. My brakes are Kodiak with a Carlisle controller installed by Moryde. Just get the electric drum brakes upgraded to disc on the unit you like and have a super safe vehicle.

We had a boat that was about 8000lbs combined on the trailer. The trailer had hydraulic drum brakes with a surge actuator coupler. I absolutely hated this setup. I know, comparing a surge actuator and tow vehicle operated brakes is like comparing apples and oranges, but I never felt like the hydraulic drum brakes did much.

About 4 years ago I replaced the drum brakes with Kodiak disc brakes and a disc brake surge actuator. The new setup made a world of difference.

The disc brakes on the boat trailer stopped so much smoother and with more force. They also ran much cooler, never had the bearing grease seep out even after towing through the mountains. With the drum brakes, a drive over the mountain was a nerve wracking event and we had grease seep out on a few occasions when the drums heated up (even with new seals and bearing buddies). I didn't feel the boat trailer pushing the truck with the disc brakes as I did with the drum brakes. As an added advantage for a boat trailer, the disc brakes didn't hold water like the drums did, yes I know most RV's don't have this problem.

I realize that a properly adjusted and controlled set of drum brakes are ample to stop most trailers on the road, they are still the industry standard and probably 90-95% of trailers on the road are using them. However, disc brakes became the standard for automobiles (and trucks) a while back for a reason, they are just better. If possible, our next towable RV will have them when ordered or shortly after bringing them home.

OJ

IIRC, the pictures I've seen of trailer hydraulic drum brakes had a primary and secondary shoe and a one-piston wheel cylinder that only pushes the primary shoe for forward braking. I don't know if they are any better than the electric magnet drum brakes. Probably can't be any worse! Craig

Dyno Bill wrote:

I am still wayne_tw wrote:
DynoBill with all due respect you may not have the familiarity with electric drum brakes that seasoned RVers have. While they work, they work marginally especially in demanding situations. With new technology allowing for hydraulics to be used with an electric pump to quickly pressurize disc brakes, they are becoming the gold standard.

Your right, I havn't had any real experience other than hauling horses a bit in a two horse bumper pull and a 33 ft goose neck. That didn't have many mountain roads involved though so I'm pretty green with electric brakes. Question, are there upgrades for the electric brakes like varying level assemblies to increase effective pressure on the shoes and of course do they still use primary and secondary shoes. I'm just curious as I have had a lot of fun building systems in custom cars. More research is needed, I am real familiar with electro hydraulic systems as the Germans were all over that type of engineering up to completely computerized brake systems that were an incredible pain in the backside.

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes-sf-Electric~Hydraulic_Brake_Actuator.aspx

I am still wayne_tw wrote:
DynoBill with all due respect you may not have the familiarity with electric drum brakes that seasoned RVers have. While they work, they work marginally especially in demanding situations. With new technology allowing for hydraulics to be used with an electric pump to quickly pressurize disc brakes, they are becoming the gold standard.

Your right, I havn't had any real experience other than hauling horses a bit in a two horse bumper pull and a 33 ft goose neck. That didn't have many mountain roads involved though so I'm pretty green with electric brakes. Question, are there upgrades for the electric brakes like varying level assemblies to increase effective pressure on the shoes and of course do they still use primary and secondary shoes. I'm just curious as I have had a lot of fun building systems in custom cars. More research is needed, I am real familiar with electro hydraulic systems as the Germans were all over that type of engineering up to completely computerized brake systems that were an incredible pain in the backside.

Thanks for the posts, we are going looking the next few shows, My tv is a 08 chevy 3500 duramax Srw, so have to stay max at 15k. Like the bayhills, Montana's and such but haven't sat down with a sales rep to see if they can order with disc...

I tow work trailers with the common drum brakes, great when new but after a few months their not dependable,..

Thanks

If you can't find a unit you like with Disc brakes and you don't want to do the upgrade yourself, you can always contact Mor/ryde. They do a great job on Disc brake upgrades, but not the cheapest. Just another possible option. We did the Disc brake/IS upgrade to our previous Montana and wow what a difference, so when we ordered our Redwood we included the optional Disc.

We had disc brakes installed as an option on our HitchHiker along with Moryde IS suspension and 17.5" tires. What a combo. Hubby says he would not have another RV without disc brakes.

Have had the Titan/Kodiak for 7 years and 60,000 miles. Zero problems.

I did the Kodiak/Titan conversion on my trailer and was not happy at all with the Titan actuator. I sent it back and paid a little extra for the Carlisle actuator and have been very pleased for the two years it has been in service.
RTer