Disk brakes

[treerat]

All

we are forever having issues with our dive club trailer. As we don't use it enough the breaks seize and drop the shoes with regular occurrence - and that's after a wash out after each use.
One of the guys has suggested disk breaks may help with this. Not something I've seen before.

Any suggestions on this as an idea please? It's a 4 wheel trailer with a 5.4 viking on top.


Ta

Andy

[Peter_C]

Hydraulic disks are awesome! Easy to flush, they work super smooth with plenty of stopping power, the stainless doesn't corrode, and they are super low maintenance.

[Trailer Guy]

If only they were available in the uk!

[paddlers]

Originally Posted by Trailer Guy

If only they were available in the uk!

Surely there's an opportunity for someone to do these. Wouldn't it be great if you could stop worrying about brakes & bearings every time you take the boat !!

Not much good to you TrailerGuy but I bet you'd have loads of work converting. Are they prohibitively expensive?

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by paddlers

Wouldn't it be great if you could stop worrying about brakes & bearings every time you take the boat !!

You have the same bearing issues with disk brakes. Maybe more, as disk brakes drag a bit while running, meaning more heat to the bearings.

The advantages are that all the brake components are visible, so it's easy to inspect that part of the system.

Are they prohibitively expensive?

They're not cheap. Do a search for Kodiak Stainless Disk brakes. An All-Stainless kit runs about $500 US per axle. You can get coated mild steel components for less though (and apparently can pick and choose on what components are stainless or not.)

jky

[beamishken]

I'd imagine type approval would be the biggest hurdle & the market probably isn't big enough to make it cost effective to do it

Does the op leave the park brake on or reverse up an incline to park so the shoes are in contact with the drums
I assume they stick when parked?

[Nick Hearne]

Rapide where offering the about 5 years ago, but don't think the offer them any more + they are now part of Mersea trailers.

[Nasher]

Part of the issue with offering disc brakes on trailers in the UK is legal requirement for the auto reverse feature.

Not so easy to engineer with discs.

I've had a mechanism sketched out for a few years, but haven't gone anywhere with it.

Nasher

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Part of the issue with offering disc brakes on trailers in the UK is legal requirement for the auto reverse feature.~
Nasher

What is the auto reverse feature?

Is that something that cuts the brakes loose when backing up? Super easy, put a solenoid in triggered by the reverse lights. A 5th wire is a common trailer connection in the USA.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

What is the auto reverse feature?

Is that something that cuts the brakes loose when backing up? Super easy, put a solenoid in triggered by the reverse lights. A 5th wire is a common trailer connection in the USA.

Unfortunately electric activation isn't legal over here.
It has to be fully mechanically automatic as the trailer is pushed backwards by the tow vehicle.

If electric operation was acceptable here I'm sure we'd all have them.

Nasher.

[cptsideways]

Marine spec brakes are standard issue on boat trailers in the USA, from riveted brake shoes to stainless fastners & galavanised parts throughout.

I'm fed up replacing basic parts every 6-12 months on a frequently sea dipped trailer!!! Don't even mention bearings.

[Peter_C]

I find it odd that in the UK you can't have hydraulic brakes on a trailer, yet you can on a vehicle. Build the brake system with redundancy if you must, but disk is far superior along with hydraulic in so many ways. Why take the braking system back to what we used in the 1920's, that today would be deemed unsafe.

The biggest benefit of the UK system is to have a parking brake, but even still wheel chocks are superior, and work on a hill going backwards.

As to reverse and cutting the brakes loose, our trailers here have a place to put a "coin" or the proper part which fits into the trailer tongue not allowing the brake to mechanically function.

cptsideways, to protect your bearings, have you ever tried giving each wheel a pump of grease right before launching? Gives it a positive pressure instead of a negative as the hot bearings hit the cold water.

[CJL]

Originally Posted by treerat

All

we are forever having issues with our dive club trailer. As we don't use it enough the breaks seize and drop the shoes with regular occurrence - and that's after a wash out after each use.
One of the guys has suggested disk breaks may help with this. Not something I've seen before.

Any suggestions on this as an idea please? It's a 4 wheel trailer with a 5.4 viking on top.

Ta

Andy

Do you leave it with the brakes on?? If you do try chocking the wheels instead first as that the cheapest option before going down the disc brake option.

Chris

[treerat]

Originally Posted by CJL

Do you leave it with the brakes on?? If you do try chocking the wheels instead first as that the cheapest option before going down the disc brake option.

Chris

Hi - nope - but they still seem to be able to seize up.

So in short they aren't legal in the UK?

Is that just for sale or can one be built / retro fitted?

[Richard Selman]

My Dixon Bate trailer has 2 axles with WAP disc brakes.

Not perfect but much less work than the previous standard drums on the old boat. Seems to be much easier to keep them working properly (mostly for show on the 5.5m - nice to feel them coming on the 7m)

All carbon steel but its easier to keep them flushed.

Also you can remove the discs and callipers without opening the bearings - no rust to drop in. 6 years old and still on same bearings. 2nd set of pads.

Auto reverse mechanism requires frequent strip downs to keep working but its a fairly easy job.

[9D280]

I have a reasonable <tow distance to # launches> ratio, and use the fresh water flush thing (sprays "clean" water around inside the hubs). Ihave only once ever had my brakes sieze - when I accidentally left them on one night after I arrived and forgot to drop the handbrake lever after I chocked it.... Granted with the flush I then usually tow for at least 40 mins with plenty of hiills to allow things to warm up & dry off on the overrun....

Friend kept his at a marina dry storage so was in & out the water every weekend with no chance of drying everything off. (but did flush) He took tyhe boat out a couple of times a year by road to go other places. All he did was remove all the brake gubbins when he got back as he reckoned he wasted less time re- installing the clean components before he left twice a year than fighting to un- sieze everything.

[Rokraider]

Some years back we had a trailer that had vacuum operated brakes that worked off the inlet manifold on the engine and had a good sized tank. It basically had a set of bellows that operated the trailer brakes. There was a hand control lever by the flasher stalk and you could use the trailer brake before applying the vehicles brakes, which made it very nice under under braking, far superior to the push me pull you nonsense we normally have to endure.

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

Some years back we had a trailer that had vacuum operated brakes that worked off the inlet manifold on the engine and had a good sized tank. It basically had a set of bellows that operated the trailer brakes. There was a hand control lever by the flasher stalk and you could use the trailer brake before applying the vehicles brakes, which made it very nice under under braking, far superior to the push me pull you nonsense we normally have to endure.

Back in the mid 90's I was looking to make use of a little known piece of legislation that allowed the LR Disco to tow 5000kg with coupled air brakes. A couple of firms quoted to build the trailer and I actually tried a 3.5T version from a firm somewhere near Southampton. Very very effective, load stopped easily and the trailer was rock solid even under a heavy right foot.

But there were lots of moving parts and all of the manufactures would only warranty the trailer if I didnt dip it, seemed a bit daft to have a trailer and use a crane all the time. Before I made a decision the 97 trailer regs came in and they killed the idea.

[Peter_C]

Are electric brakes common in the UK? They are used on every camping trailer/caravan trailer here in the USA, along with hauling trailers, and livestock trailers. We use a brake controller mounted under the dash which allows the driver to control the braking of the trailer.

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Are electric brakes common in the UK? They are used on every camping trailer/caravan trailer here in the USA, along with hauling trailers, and livestock trailers. We use a brake controller mounted under the dash which allows the driver to control the braking of the trailer.

Nope, illegal in the Uk.Most of our trailers run on tech from the 50's