Brakes overheating

Check out Slotted Frozen rotors. They are made to with stand the heat! Do not get the ones that are drilled!

Best response, so far, is from Handbasket. Technique and speed control is the best way to control brake temp. If you go up a 7% grade at 40mph, you go down the same grade at 40 or less with the tranny geared down. Recently I did a switchback ride of almost 15 miles and a 7-9% grade. Truck and loaded trailer pushed 16,000lbs and the tranny never left 2nd gear and averaged 25mph. Used the brakes about four times. I still stopped at the bottom pull out to check truck and trailer brakes. I think the twenty-thirty extra minutes I spent was a lot less expensive than replacing the brake pads and rotors.

In the coach, loaded, I tend to travel in traffic well under the speed of others and don't mind the stares and gestures. Even then, I seem to be about a few vehicles behind the speed demons at the stop lights.

The rear normally has a single rubber hose feeding both rear brakes.

Might want to add an auxillary braking system to your motorhome!

Might want to replace the rubber lines at each wheel when you do a brake job. They can go bad internally and will allow the brake fluid to go to the brakes since it is under pressure but since the return is not it can keep the brakes partially engaged.

Usually (but not Always so don't count on it...) if the problem is a Hose or Caliper, one side will act up first. We had a case of that. Oddly, we'd driven 50 highway miles at 55MPH. Stopped to check in at the state park. At 30MPH a mile into the park, the wheel started to jerk and it felt like a flat tire. Got out and one brake was hot like a BBQ grill. Limped to the campsite and bought parts for both sides. Replaced only the side that was acting up and did the other side after we got home. Replaced Caliper (with Rebuilt), Hose, and Pads. The Caliper Mounting Bracket Bolts call for a 21MM socket which I didn't have onboard, lots of torque (breaker bar I didn't have onboard) and locked with rust besides. I tore it down again, had rotors resurfaced and packed the bearings. Can't remove disks to pack bearings with only Caliper removed - Bracket has to be off too. Very satisfied with the results.
BUT!!! Another case. On a car we had, RUST developed in the Master Cylinder and the tiny Pressure Relief Port for the Front Brakes plugged up. This meant the fluid pressure couldn't release when the pedal was released. Pads stayed in close contact, caliper heated, fluid expanded, brakes applied. THIS kind of problem affected BOTH front wheels at once and felt like ordinary braking.
It sounds like the Brake Fluid may never have been Changed/Flushed. If it's picked up a lot of moisture, it'll boil and brake fluid vapor won't brake.
Seems to me like time for a complete inspection and probably a brake job. Flush at a minimum.
If this chassis is E450, the mounting hardware (Slides) for the Rear Disk Brakes is more prone to sticking than the Fronts. In our case, previous owners had replaced the rear calipers and hoses. Fronts were my turn.

With a heavy vehicle (+extra heavy with your toad), you should manually downshift the tranny on hills and in traffic. Even with my little 9200 lb'er, I don't let it shift into 6th in traffic; heavy traffic I lock out 5th, just use the lower 4, and still downshift one or two as I stop. Downhill at 6% on a curvy i'state, I've been known to use 3rd for as much as 3 miles+, controlling the speed with the throttle, and using the brakes very little. If your tow-haul button locks up the converter, better still.

An acquaintance overheated her E350 class B's brakes just driving thru Philly traffic, no toad. She called in a panic because the steering wheel started shaking. Once I convinced her to let it cool and proceed in 3rd until clear of stop & go, all was fine.

Jim, "On the other hand, you have different fingers."

Well now you know why you need auxilary brakes. That's what happens when you go without a brake set up. If you hit someone with your setup you will be in big trouble. Your brakes get hot because they are working too hard or over loaded. Soon you will warp your rotors from the heat. In the long run it will cost you more than what you saved by not going with a brake system. More than likely it has all ready done damage to your brakes.

Happened to me after driving several hours on the interstate and went to pull off on an exit and brakes failed. Did yours rip the steering wheel out of your hands too when you applied the brake?

No, it had no impact on my steering wheel just on my nerves :-)
Thanks for all the comments and I will have my calipers and master cylinder checked pronto.

spotter wrote:
I have a 2005 Coachmen Freelander Class C with about 33K miles on it. On two occasions I have had the brakes overheat and smell and the brake pedal go to the floor (it still stopped me but scared me).

Happened to me after driving several hours on the interstate and went to pull off on an exit and brakes failed. Did yours rip the steering wheel out of your hands too when you applied the brake?

Long story short. BRAKE LINES.Ford dealership knew right away what it was. There are 2 brake lines on the front. The INSIDE of the line fails and collapses and will do so periodically causing braking problems and then fail all together. The outside of the lines will look fine but the inside is not. Had to replace them with OEM on the Ford E450.

That and check that the calipers are not dragging.