PDA

View Full Version : disc or drum brakes??



fkeys
05-22-2006, 06:39 PM
Do you have/prefer disc or drum brakes? I was thinking of putting hydraulic, surge discs on the trailer. Alot of trailers have drums, but with the ease of maintenance - it seems the discs are a much better choice. Any comments or suggestions?

Panic Button
05-23-2006, 06:29 AM
Drums are cheaper to install, disc are about double the initial cost.

bubbletop409
05-23-2006, 08:30 AM
Disc brakes are current technology, drums belong in a museum. Discs provide much better braking power, and seem to be less affected by water immersion. They do generate more heat though, and you may want to choose your wheel bearing grease accordingly. If your travels include long down hill grades, disc brake wheel bearing grease is a much better choice. Also discs are much easier to service when necessary.

Beer-30
05-23-2006, 08:41 AM
Honestly, I didn't think they even offered drums on current builds. I haven't seen a late-model trailer with drums in a long time.
If you get discs, you probably won't touch them for the duration of your ownership. They ususally come with a 5-year initial warranty against bearing failure, and pad wear is minimal.
Drums you would have off to check for wear and seized components ever other year.

fkeys
05-24-2006, 08:02 AM
Drums are cheaper to install, disc are about double the initial cost.
Funny thing - I priced drum setups thru etrailers and Champion trailers. Drums were only about $20 cheaper! Needless to say, I got the vented rotor disc setup.
Anyone out there put suspension under their trailers?? I'm looking for pointers, as I plan on cutting everything off at the hangers and replace axles, springs, shackles, equalizers, etc. What I'm concerned with is making sure to get everything square so the trailer tracks straight. I was thinking of triangulating the tips of the spindles to the tongue and maintaining the distance between the axles. Is there an industry standard on doing this?

fkeys
05-24-2006, 09:00 AM
Hey Beer - My parents were raised in Taft! Most of my family is still there or in Bakersfield.
You ever been to Kal Koncepts/Air Syndicate? Cool airbrush work.

Beer-30
05-24-2006, 11:19 AM
You ever been to Kal Koncepts/Air Syndicate? Cool airbrush work.
Nope. Not been there. Heard of it, though.

DelawareDave
06-08-2006, 06:37 AM
Anyone out there put suspension under their trailers?? I'm looking for pointers, as I plan on cutting everything off at the hangers and replace axles, springs, shackles, equalizers, etc. What I'm concerned with is making sure to get everything square so the trailer tracks straight. I was thinking of triangulating the tips of the spindles to the tongue and maintaining the distance between the axles. Is there an industry standard on doing this?
When I built my new trailer, I laid out the spring hangers first, prior to anything. Triangulate the hangers to the hitch ball, particularly the first one on each side. If you buy new axles, and have to weld on the spring perches, locate the brake mounting pads equal distance from the frame rails, left and right. That will center the axles. The spring hangers will locate them front to back. My trailer tracks nicely. The build is documented in my gallery, and here.
Trailer Build (http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95069&highlight=project+hawaiian)

fkeys
06-08-2006, 08:02 PM
Thanks for the advice. I checked out your other post - nice work!
A lot of manufactures recommend putting the brakes on the rear axle due to some weight transfer during braking. Any advice on that? Seems to me tire skid would be less if the brakes were installed on the front axle. All the trailers I've towed lock-up the rear tires - loaded or not.

Beer-30
06-08-2006, 08:29 PM
Thanks for the advice. I checked out your other post - nice work!
A lot of manufactures recommend putting the brakes on the rear axle due to some weight transfer during braking. Any advice on that? Seems to me tire skid would be less if the brakes were installed on the front axle. All the trailers I've towed lock-up the rear tires - loaded or not.
As in the pic, mine has front and rear axle brakes.
Most of the top of the tandems have both axles.

dumbandyoung
12-18-2006, 09:44 AM
yah i dunno any builders still using disc...go with disc money ahead go with the brake controller too!.. its great for hills.. you wont feel the trailer pushing you down steep hills

RitcheyRch
12-18-2006, 01:08 PM
I had brakes installed on my trailer earlier this year. I went with disc brakes. They offered drums for about $25 a side cheaper.

bubbletop409
12-19-2006, 12:11 AM
My triple axle trailer has discs on the front two axles, and they look and stop like new after five seasons.

YeLLowBoaT
12-19-2006, 12:19 AM
Disc brakes are current technology, drums belong in a museum. Discs provide much better braking power, and seem to be less affected by water immersion. They do generate more heat though, and you may want to choose your wheel bearing grease accordingly. If your travels include long down hill grades, disc brake wheel bearing grease is a much better choice. Also discs are much easier to service when necessary.
If disks are so great then why do almost all comm'l trucks use drums?
Its simple you can get more surface area to diameter then you can with disks. If your running 15" or bigger wheels you won't run have a prob, but if your runing say 14"( old school) you will get better breaking from drums then disks. Also there is more mass to drums then disk... so it takes more to heat them up.
I'm not saying I would not get disk, but there is nothing wrong with drums...In some cases they are actaully a better choice.

sawtooth
12-19-2006, 07:55 AM
Does anybody know if there is a company out there that makes a kit that will convert a trailer that currently has drums over to disk (bolt on maybe) Thanks.

Jetaholic
12-19-2006, 08:55 AM
I'm currently having a tandem axle trailer built for my boat and it has discs on it. Think about it...when you sink that trailer to launch, all that water that gets in the drums...it stays in there for a period of time, rusting parts and what not. With discs, they're exposed to the open air, so most of the water just drips right off of them. Tap the brakes a few times and the rotors are dry!
Just my $0.02.

HOTPURSUIT
12-19-2006, 02:27 PM
Does anybody know if there is a company out there that makes a kit that will convert a trailer that currently has drums over to disk (bolt on maybe) Thanks.
Pacific Trailers in Chino 909-902-0094 has a disc brake conversion (drum to disc) kit available. Good Luck

HOTPURSUIT
12-19-2006, 02:31 PM
If disks are so great then why do almost all comm'l trucks use drums?
Its simple you can get more surface area to diameter then you can with disks. If your running 15" or bigger wheels you won't run have a prob, but if your runing say 14"( old school) you will get better breaking from drums then disks. Also there is more mass to drums then disk... so it takes more to heat them up.
I'm not saying I would not get disk, but there is nothing wrong with drums...In some cases they are actaully a better choice.
exactly right... i think disc brakes are much better for a boat trailer application.. being that they are all exposed and easy to access/rinse off, etc.

supersoaker509
12-19-2006, 06:12 PM
I have done the conversion many times.
Check out http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm

dumbandyoung
12-19-2006, 10:24 PM
just a few more bucks for disc...do it.. drums are bad for when u dump them in water

dumbandyoung
12-19-2006, 10:27 PM
When I built my new trailer, I laid out the spring hangers first, prior to anything. Triangulate the hangers to the hitch ball, particularly the first one on each side. If you buy new axles, and have to weld on the spring perches, locate the brake mounting pads equal distance from the frame rails, left and right. That will center the axles. The spring hangers will locate them front to back. My trailer tracks nicely. The build is documented in my gallery, and here.
Trailer Build (http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95069&highlight=project+hawaiian)
it came out nice too. good job!

Boatlesss
12-22-2006, 10:58 AM
Kodiac Brakes, (this is the supplier to most of the trailer companies) has a disc conversion kit.
Don't waste your $$$ on leaf springs. Get the torsion bar axles and disc brakes and forget about trailer maintainance.

HOTPURSUIT
12-22-2006, 12:34 PM
Kodiac Brakes, (this is the supplier to most of the trailer companies) has a disc conversion kit.
Don't waste your $$$ on leaf springs. Get the torsion bar axles and disc brakes and forget about trailer maintainance.
You should never forget about trailer maintenance..
Torsion Axles are nice, however theres alot more to it.
Torsion Axles do not equalize .. this means that when going over a high spot in the road (in/out of a driveway) for example, you momentarily put the entire weight of the load onto 1 axle. With traditional springs they equalize/compensate each other and distribute the load evenly to each axle. This is more important when you have heavier 3-axle loads. Most torsion axle manufacturers will not warranty torsion axles when used on a 3 axle trailer configuration.
Also, if you damage a torsion arm, chances are you are going to have to replace the enitre axle (for sure if the arm is welded on). If you damage a spring then you can fix that on the side of the road. But not with torsions..
Also, water could get inside of the tube and rust from the inside out...
But I do like the way torsions axles ride... they sit the boat lower, smoother ride and no springs to rust out.

1999baja
03-07-2007, 04:59 PM
I converted over two years ago to S.S. dic and calipeirs with no problems.No rust and thats with salt water.

sleekcraft78
03-13-2007, 06:13 AM
When converting over to disc, do you have to change the master cyl? I had to use a bigger master on my jeep when I did a rear disc setup. Disc brakes take more fluid to push the pads out than drums.
Is this the same case on trailer brakes?