I know this has been discussed before but I called Mor-Ryde to ask about them and the person seemed to think I would need to upgrade my axles on my Bighorn 3670RL from 7000 lbs to 8000 lbs. This does not sound right so I thought I would find out what the ones of you that have changed to disk brakes did.
2010augusta
Well-known member
Mor-Ryde lists a 7,000# disc brake on their web-site.
If you change from 7K to 8K axle assemblies with the standard drum brakes they are 40% larger. I have had trouble with gravel getting in our disk brakes on the trailers and have gone back to drums. If you stay on the hi way most all of the time, this shouldn't be much of a problem. The 8K have 9\16 grade 5 u-bolts from Lippert. They look very good.
Of all the money we have spent to fix and upgrade our Augusta by far the Trail Air has been the best investment. Rides like a dream. We have always tried to tow our trailers/fifth wheels level as possible. Some folks with back spring that are bent may have exceeded the weight due to the equalizer running out of room to move freely. Hate to see someone going down the hi way with the front of the Coach up more than a few inches.
dieselengineer
Charter Member
Hey Jon
So you ordered some disk brakes. Great news, so you will be joining the group of us that can actually stop. Watch out for the stud length with the aluminum rims. I replaced all my that came with the hub assembly with longer units to have a good full lug nut connection. Did you op for the cad plate? My are doing good, no rust over the winter months.
So you ordered some disk brakes. Great news, so you will be joining the group of us that can actually stop. Watch out for the stud length with the aluminum rims. I replaced all my that came with the hub assembly with longer units to have a good full lug nut connection. Did you op for the cad plate? My are doing good, no rust over the winter months.
jnbhobe
Well-known member
Jim; I do have the cad-plated ones comings,with a Carlisle controller. They should be in this week, holiday shutdown. Patti & I were in your neighborhood last weekend, I had to drop a truck off at Supreme in Jonestown, so we went to the farm show and Lancaster and drove thru Spring Gulch campground. Just like the mountains to go up the switchback to your reserved sites. nice place !! JON
to your reserved sites. nice place !! JON 
Delaine and Lindy
Well-known member
7,000 lb axles.
When we done the upgrade to Disk Brakes in 2006 we had 7,000 lb Dexter axles never lube with 8 lugs. The best upgrade we ever did on that 5er. Again I think any 5th wheel over 34' should have Disk Brakes. GBY....
When we done the upgrade to Disk Brakes in 2006 we had 7,000 lb Dexter axles never lube with 8 lugs. The best upgrade we ever did on that 5er. Again I think any 5th wheel over 34' should have Disk Brakes. GBY....
Delaine and Lindy
Well-known member
Disk Brakes
Have had Disk brakes since 2006 and have never had a sticking issue. Disk Frakes aren't new to 5th wheels. We set for 3 to 5 months at a time. But its a choice. My choice is Disk Brakes, have never known any who converted to Disk Brakes that had converted back to electric? GBY....
Have had Disk brakes since 2006 and have never had a sticking issue. Disk Frakes aren't new to 5th wheels. We set for 3 to 5 months at a time. But its a choice. My choice is Disk Brakes, have never known any who converted to Disk Brakes that had converted back to electric? GBY....
We have had and do have both disk and drums on different trailers. Properly set up and sized drum brakes can and will stop the trailers fine as well. What I would like to see is some type of anti-lock system so you could apply maximum braking without the Coach passing you in a panic stop. Then you could set up the controller a bit higher and get on down the road.
caissiel
Senior Member
Its never been any problem for me to lockup the wheels on our unit with the standard brakes, and as far as fading, I am a defensive driver and keep my distance and good speed.
In the last 12 years I never got into any situation that I needed to drag the tires.
The first 5 years of trailering I got into a few situation with the tires smoking heavy blue smoke, but we drove around 70 with under powered trucks to keep speed in the hill.
In the last 12 years I never got into any situation that I needed to drag the tires.
The first 5 years of trailering I got into a few situation with the tires smoking heavy blue smoke, but we drove around 70 with under powered trucks to keep speed in the hill.
Delaine and Lindy
Well-known member
P-3 Controler???
I'm still using a Progidy brake controler, its been in 3 different Trucks. However I may look into getting the P-3 reason being the 5th wheel is has Disk brakes and I have a 32' inclosed Car hauler and a Gooseneck equipment trailer which has electric brakes, wish they both had Disk brakes. The P-3 is capable of changing from hydraulic to electric just by moving a switch.
I do understand that more braking is good, but I never want the brakes to lock up, ever heard of flat spots? And again it depends on what kind of Truck your towing with. Our braking is just fine and we also have a braking system for the Chevy HHR which we tow behind the 5th wheel. GBY....
I'm still using a Progidy brake controler, its been in 3 different Trucks. However I may look into getting the P-3 reason being the 5th wheel is has Disk brakes and I have a 32' inclosed Car hauler and a Gooseneck equipment trailer which has electric brakes, wish they both had Disk brakes. The P-3 is capable of changing from hydraulic to electric just by moving a switch.
I do understand that more braking is good, but I never want the brakes to lock up, ever heard of flat spots? And again it depends on what kind of Truck your towing with. Our braking is just fine and we also have a braking system for the Chevy HHR which we tow behind the 5th wheel. GBY....
caissiel
Senior Member
When I travelled with the GM with front disk brakes I had to carry spare pads due to excess wear of the pads during heavy braking in hills and highways. Changed pads twice during extended travel holidays. Never once I did have problems with the rear drum brakes, other then leaking oil seals.
Now the Ford has rear disk brakes and in the only 2 extended trips that I did, I lost the pads on the rear brakes. Both times it scored the disk and one time it left me stranded with no caliper available for days. They were OEM's the first time. My neighbor with the 2000 model has the same rear brake problem with his.
Now I carry front and rear pads, and check often and replace the pads every year. It has been a maintenance curse for me. Mostly because of the pad separation due to rusting problems.
I lost so many pads on my Volks that I use to change them one at a time. So in my experience I have no need for pads or disk brakes. GM has returned to drum brakes after using disk for many years. Not really practical in HD applications.
Now the Ford has rear disk brakes and in the only 2 extended trips that I did, I lost the pads on the rear brakes. Both times it scored the disk and one time it left me stranded with no caliper available for days. They were OEM's the first time. My neighbor with the 2000 model has the same rear brake problem with his.
Now I carry front and rear pads, and check often and replace the pads every year. It has been a maintenance curse for me. Mostly because of the pad separation due to rusting problems.
I lost so many pads on my Volks that I use to change them one at a time. So in my experience I have no need for pads or disk brakes. GM has returned to drum brakes after using disk for many years. Not really practical in HD applications.
porthole
Retired
Before my current career I did 20 years in the automotive field - during the drum and drum - drum and disc - disc and disc brake transition.
Had you ever a chance to give a Hemi Road Runner or 429 CobraJet Mustang with drum brakes a good run (or similar muscle car)? You would forever convince yourself as to the capabilities of drum brakes
Disc brakes are superior.
If nothing else they are very easy to swap out on a PM program, if you so desire. And a person with average mechanical skills, and taking the time to learn how to do it right, can change out all four wheels in under an hour.
Front brakes do the majority of stopping, but that sounds like a mechanical problem.
That was common on the Tahoe Suburban platform. My Tahoe, which did minimal towing, had 5 sets of pads and rotors by the time I traded it in with 82,000 miles.
I also changed the front rotors with every set of pads after the first replacement.
With that truck I think it was a material problem, defiantly with all the replacement parts. By the third set I found out the parts shop was giving me cheap imported junk.
Again that sounds like mechanical defects as opposed to a drum – disc issue. Changing out one caliper is not a good idea. They should be changed in “axle sets” or all four if it was a contamination issue.
You need to find a new supplier.
As far as GM returning to disc/drum combo, that is only on the 1500 series, and disc/disc is an option on some 1500s.
As far as GMC goes, the 2500, 3500, Denali and the Hybrid all use 4 wheel disc.
I think the reasoning for going back to drums on the light duty is because the average person with a 1500 series truck (doesn’t matter what brand) hardly ever carries a load in it. So brake proportioning can be a bit difficult without load sensing or ride height proportioning valves, hence it is cheaper to just revert to drums.
My 2006 Sierra has just over 60K now, with the original pads and rotors, and I am pleased with the stopping performance.
The only problem I have had, and it wasn’t a problem caused by the truck, is brake fade.
That incident was when I had a Banks Brake (electronic version) installed. I had many problems with the Banks system and eventually took it out. The most serious issue I had was the brake would cause the truck to go into neutral, at the most inopportune times. Occasionally it would cause improper clutch application in the trans and cause a really serious bang shudder condition.
The worse was coming down a 3.5 mile 14% grade hill in western NC pulling my motorcycle trailer (about 5000 pounds at eh time) with 60K worth of bikes inside.
½ mile down the hill the Banks system did something that was so violent I though the rear axle came apart. The truck went into neutral and I could not get it to go back into gear. So I basically went the next 3 miles using only the truck and trailer brakes, with no help from the engine.
By the time I got to the bottom and turned off the road the brakes were starting to fade and the rotors had warped.
That was last June, still using the same brakes but the pads and rotors will be changed out this spring.
Just my 2 cents
Had you ever a chance to give a Hemi Road Runner or 429 CobraJet Mustang with drum brakes a good run (or similar muscle car)? You would forever convince yourself as to the capabilities of drum brakes
Disc brakes are superior.
If nothing else they are very easy to swap out on a PM program, if you so desire. And a person with average mechanical skills, and taking the time to learn how to do it right, can change out all four wheels in under an hour.
Front brakes do the majority of stopping, but that sounds like a mechanical problem.
That was common on the Tahoe Suburban platform. My Tahoe, which did minimal towing, had 5 sets of pads and rotors by the time I traded it in with 82,000 miles.
I also changed the front rotors with every set of pads after the first replacement.
With that truck I think it was a material problem, defiantly with all the replacement parts. By the third set I found out the parts shop was giving me cheap imported junk.
Again that sounds like mechanical defects as opposed to a drum – disc issue. Changing out one caliper is not a good idea. They should be changed in “axle sets” or all four if it was a contamination issue.
You need to find a new supplier.
As far as GM returning to disc/drum combo, that is only on the 1500 series, and disc/disc is an option on some 1500s.
As far as GMC goes, the 2500, 3500, Denali and the Hybrid all use 4 wheel disc.
I think the reasoning for going back to drums on the light duty is because the average person with a 1500 series truck (doesn’t matter what brand) hardly ever carries a load in it. So brake proportioning can be a bit difficult without load sensing or ride height proportioning valves, hence it is cheaper to just revert to drums.
My 2006 Sierra has just over 60K now, with the original pads and rotors, and I am pleased with the stopping performance.
The only problem I have had, and it wasn’t a problem caused by the truck, is brake fade.
That incident was when I had a Banks Brake (electronic version) installed. I had many problems with the Banks system and eventually took it out. The most serious issue I had was the brake would cause the truck to go into neutral, at the most inopportune times. Occasionally it would cause improper clutch application in the trans and cause a really serious bang shudder condition.
The worse was coming down a 3.5 mile 14% grade hill in western NC pulling my motorcycle trailer (about 5000 pounds at eh time) with 60K worth of bikes inside.
½ mile down the hill the Banks system did something that was so violent I though the rear axle came apart. The truck went into neutral and I could not get it to go back into gear. So I basically went the next 3 miles using only the truck and trailer brakes, with no help from the engine.
By the time I got to the bottom and turned off the road the brakes were starting to fade and the rotors had warped.
That was last June, still using the same brakes but the pads and rotors will be changed out this spring.
Just my 2 cents
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