Question about trailer brakes

[CampCritter]

My brake coils on a Dexter 3500 pound axle are not wearing flat. There is a ridge at the bottom of the coil as if that portion of the coil is beyond the armature on the hub and isn't seeing the wear that the rest of the coil gets.

The ridge is quite noticeable and I'd estimate it at about 1/16" high.

The Dexter manual states that the magnets should be replaced if worn unevenly or abnormally.

Manuals are not always correct though. Has anyone seen this type of wear? Is it normal? If not, what can I do to prevent it? Should I replace the coils?

[Cummins12V98]

Look into the National seals! They do NOT rotate on the spindle. Maybe you already know this.

[C_Schomer]

I haven't had the discs off for 6 1/2 yrs and the oil was dark so now I'm in the middle of new seals and oil. I bled them last Oct. before I headed for Phx and the old fluid still looked just as clear as the new fluid. The discs and pads have no wear, yet... I'm that easy on brakes. I ran oil on my OTR trucks and trailers in the early 70s and I don't think it's any better than grease but it's nicer than messing with grease and oil lets you know when something is wrong when there is a leak. I've had some trouble with 0-ring seepage on the caps and I just went to a hydraulic store and got 1/8" nitrile rings. Next will be a new Dometic 320 (elongated) real man potty and we're ready in case we get to camp again! Craig.

[Cummins12V98]

C Schomer, GOOD CALL on the disks AND oil bath!!!

Is that a 8k Kodiak system? If so Here is the BEST true oil bath seal out there. The seal turns within it's self. All these parts should fit if or when you need to maintain the system.

The "O" rings are PIZZ poor quality and I have gone to the below with zero leaks, no tearing of "O" ring.

[C_Schomer]

$1750 in parts in Oct., 2013. I also don't like hoses so I made my own hard lines. My steps are right between the axles and the batteries so that's where I put the actuator... it just fit. On a heavy rv like this, I would do it again in a flash. I have an e brake and drive very politely but there's always some a-hole that makes you do a panic brake test and my 5er used to stop like a loaded freight train! I've tried everything under the sun to make drums work well. on my previous heavy rv, and I wasn't going to waste the time and $$ again. Again, if yours stops well with drums... no need to spend so much money on discs. Craig

[Cummins12V98]

time2roll wrote:
Disk does seem expensive until you spend a bunch on the drums and still have marginal braking. For a few $$$ more you can go right to disk.

YEP!!!

Best way to look at this. I am going to spend lets say $500 on complete new brake assemblies. Not lets say I am going to spend $1,500 on Disk Brake upgrade kit.

Reality the Disk brake upgrade will cost $1,000.

When "I" built my house I looked at everything with that in mind.

[time2roll]

Disk does seem expensive until you spend a bunch on the drums and still have marginal braking. For a few $$$ more you can go right to disk.

[Grit_dog]

But 12V you had a totally different situation.
Electric drum brakes work just fine and aside from extreme use are long lasting.
Disc conversion is nice but adds complication to the system compared to electric only

[C_Schomer]

All of my smaller RVs that have a 10 inch drum brakes stopped great, in fact they were capable of locking up the wheels. Then when I moved up to much heavier RVs with 12 inch drums, they didn't stop worth a darn. It was the huge weight increase but very little increase in braking capacity.
Stopping ability is the deciding factor for me, it's not always necessary to have disc brakes? My current 15,000 pound fiver definitely needed disc's. I would just keep the maintenance up on your drum brakes if the RV stops good. If your drum brakes are adequate, buy the backing plate assemblies and you will get new shoes, magnets, springs etc. for only a few dollars more than replacing just the shoes and magnets. Craig

[Cummins12V98]

"Rubber lines age out, crack or fail internally and you can't tell the quality of a line by looking at it other than seeing it's rubber"

On a RV I would go with Steel lines and brass blocks at junctions, mostly because of ease of keeping them tidy. BUT what about the rubber lines that feed each wheel???

My rubber lines on Boat trailer had 3 years on them and each wheel is doing the same amount of braking checked by IR. I know these were good quality not the cheapest CHITZ from ebay.

[ScottG]

Rubber lines age out, crack or fail internally and you can't tell the quality of a line by looking at it other than seeing it's rubber, which I know isn't the best. Looking at the price of it, there's no way it's can be that high end. It's made to a price-point.
"Steel" (or copper nickel) doesn't suffer from any of those issues and it's just the right way to do the job.
My drums work surprisingly well. They are the same exact brakes our last TT had (which was 2K# lighter) but have a lot more stopping power for some reason (wiring probably). I can lock them up pretty eassily.
Like I wrote, not enough miles a year to justify at this point.

[Cummins12V98]

I was so sick and tired of my POS surge/drum brakes and sprung axles I spent the BIG $$$. Well worth it!!!

I had my friend replace everything 3 years ago and it simply was a horrible system.

Now I have brakes that actually work GREAT!!! I know it's a Boat but same thing.

Not a darn thing wrong with rubber lines if they are quality. Steel is a easy alternative.

[ScottG]

Because of this thread, I looked into the disc conversion.
Looks like it would be around 2K and frankly, I don't like some of the details. The idea of running rubber line all over the trailer is not acceptable to me. I've replaced to many of them. I would have to plumb hard line, which means having to design an entire circuit with all the pieces. The kits don't include the actuator either, kwhich is like $800+ and would be tough to find a place for on my TT.
Since we only put about 5K miles a year on it, it just isn't worth it at this time. If I ever need new brakes, I'll revisit it but between having an exhaust brake and being generally easy on my brakes, I never end up needing to do brake work.

[deltabravo]

Disc brakes are nice, but as you found they are very expensive.

The only time I'd recommend them is for someone that travels a LOT (full times) and has a long and heavy rig.

I converted my cargo trailer to Dexter Nev-R-Adjust brakes. I've only towed it once and was amazed at how well the adjust themselves.
Any time I do brakes again, that's what I will use. (unless I win the lottery and buy a 40' triple axle toy hauler, then I will do disc brake

[ScottG]

CampCritter wrote:

ScottG wrote:
That's just the area that runs against the drum. Your magnets wear dots are gone so it's time to replace them.

Thank you! I was wondering about those holes. The Dexter manual says that, "the magnets should by replaced if any part of the magnet coil has become visible through the friction material facing of the magnet." It doesn't mention the dots at all.

🙂 Glad to help!

S