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Old 04-02-2008, 10:52 AM   #1
BobW
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How long to stop?

I have a concern about the stopping distance. I have drum brakes and don't feel that the truck is stopping the RV quick enough. My question is, would it be of an advantage to switch over to disk brakes? I called DT and they told me I have no problem with what I have. Why am I concerned? Last year I had a car suddenly stop in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and the truck started to slide. It seemed that the RV brakes didn't grab enough to help with the stopping. What disk brakes should I be looking into? Can I do this conversion myself? I normally keep a greater distance between me and the guy in front of me, but, you never can tell what other people will do.
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Old 04-02-2008, 12:02 PM   #2
47hook
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You are pretty heavy and it takes a while to stop. Having said that, what kind of brake controller do you have and is it adjusted properly? Prior to my MS with Kodiak disc brakes and Carlisle electro/hydraulic pump I had drum brakes and a Prodigy controller which I had set to about 9 volts and Boost level 3 and it worked ok. The current discs are just fantastic and in a similar situation to yours this past week I had to really hit the brakes and it just came to a very quick controlled reduction in speed. I personally would upgrade to discs just because of the smoothness and better feel to the brakes. In my case, you could feel the TV & 5er were one.
Check out the Kodiak disc brake site, IIRC they have installation instructions there. I would suspect the most difficult part would be locating the electro/hyd pump and runnig the necessary hyd brake lines. If you can find a MS/EliteSuites with disc brakes that would help you with how the factory install looks.
Good luck.
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Old 04-02-2008, 03:21 PM   #3
Diesel-Gypsy
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I have the 3 3/8" drums brakes as you do.
I find them quite adequate with my controller set on #3 of a possible 10.
I use the least aggressive setting on the sync-control as well.
It is possible that you are a little like some of us, and want a lot more stopping power.

4 years ago I made an adjustment to my ability to stop my 5th. wheel trailer.
I now mostly just let the jake brake do the initial slowing down, then I lightly touch the brake pedal for a complete stop.
My stopping distances are as good as it gets.

My trailer is just over 16,500 lbs.
My truck is just over 17,500 lbs.

You may just want to look at a bigger truck.....


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Old 04-02-2008, 10:29 PM   #4
rdunk
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When I was getting ready to buy our 2005, I did enough research to learn that Disc Brakes would be the only way to go for us. Actual controlled testing with a fifth wheel trailer has shown that disc brakes have typically a 30% to 40% shorter stopping distance compared to drum brakes. For anyone concerned about safety as we travel the highways, that should pretty well answer the question.

Whatever the shorter stopping distance might actually be, with disc brakes, shorter is better :D , shorter is safer :D , and shorter might be the only difference between going on down the road :D , or going to the hospital. :cry:

This is what Mor/ryde says about disc brakes on their website -

* "Disc brakes improve towing safety by offering automotive-grade brake performance that provides up to 30% shorter stopping distance".

*Disc Brake Benefits

* Smoother, quieter braking
* Reduced heat build-up
* Fewer moving parts
* Reduced maintenance costs
* Replacement parts available at most automotive stores"

http://www.morryde.com/php/products/trailer_brakes.php

A really good brake controller, with the disc brakes, would enhance the combined braking of the tow vehicle and 5er also. I don't mind saying, my recommendation is the BrakeSmart controller. Like the discs brakes, the BrakeSmart does cost more, but it too is well worth the extra.
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Old 04-03-2008, 12:10 AM   #5
billr
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Bob,

We have the disc brakes and they are far better than any of the elec brakes I have had. But, the elec brakes should be giving you better service than you are saying. Like said above, brake controller type, adjustment is a start.

You do need to re-adjust the brakes themselves each year. Easy to do by jacking up each one and adjusting like the old car drums. This helps a lot! They may have never ben adjusted properly right out of the factory!! Have seen it happen.

Next make sure you have solid connections at the brakes, no pulled wires or shorted to ground. The truck plug is also a good place to inspect for corosion inside on pins and where wires connect. The "blue fuzz" builds up here pretty quick.

I understand that the disc upgrade is getting cheaper and more places are doing it. They have kits ready to install. Plumbing the hyd lines and digging out the brake control wire will be the biggest challenges.

Even with the discs on the MS, towing with the pickup I had some tense moments. Like Rick said, I too am looking foward to towing with the bigger truck.


Bill
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Old 04-03-2008, 08:26 AM   #6
Motor31
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Bob,

The first thing I think you need to do is check the equipment you currently have. As already mentioned, check to make sure all of the brakes are connected electrically.

You also need to get the instructions for your controller and reset it like it was brand new. I like to take the rig and reset the controller before any new trip. I can also test it by taking it to a dirt lot or road and have someone watch the wheels while I apply the brakes to the trailer only to see if all 4 of them lock up. I do not expect them to lock up, especially at low test speed on pavement. I'll set the advance or power boost to the point where I feel in normal traffic the trailer is handling itself with only a little extra power being supplied by the truck. Keep in mind your truck does have better brakes.

Even if you do all of that you will still require more stopping distance with the trailer than without. You are going from about 7,000 lbs to over 22,000 lbs GCVW and that kind of weight takes more stopping distance. Even if you have brakes strong enough to lock every wheel on the rig you will still take more distance in a normal or panic stop. BTW skidding only increases the braking distance as tire friction goes down in a skid.

The moral of the story is leave a lot more distance between you and traffic. If you think you have enough space, try to increase it by half again as it almost certainly is not enough in the case of a hard or panic stop. Remember if you hit something because you couldn't stop in time you are still responsible for hitting it. The fact that you are bigger and heavier only requires more attention and care on your part, it does not excuse a failure to stop absent extenuating circumstances.
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Old 04-03-2008, 10:01 AM   #7
WildJohn
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Let me see 5 answers to a question about stopping and 3 of them are driving HDTs ??? I think a 12,000lb front axle trumps a 7,000lb truck every time. I always check my trailer brakes as stated above and the trailer brakes, stopping the trailer and TRUCK/MOTORHOME, will usually (always) lock up the wheels on gravel or dirt if everything is right.. and I just go out and look at the skid marks to evaluate the stopping ability of the trailer brakes.. I disconnected the wire and tried it once without the trailer brakes and it felt pretty impressive. I am happy with our choices.
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Old 04-03-2008, 10:20 AM   #8
BobW
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All I have is what came with the truck. The standard controller and drum brakes. I've tested it every time we leave by using the hand controller. It does stop the RV. I agree, the heaver the truck, the better the truck will stop the RV. But, I want the tires on the Rv to do most of the stopping. I'm looking into disks.
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Old 04-03-2008, 11:22 AM   #9
Red Ram
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Bob, if after you have checked out your brakes and still are interested in going the disc brake route, I live about 75 miles South of you just off I-5 and you would be welcome to hitchup to my trailer and get a seat of the pants example of how the disc brakes preforms.
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Old 04-03-2008, 12:36 PM   #10
BobW
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Wow, what a guy. I would love to come down, but I'm having trouble with my truck. I had the oil changed last month and they found oil leaking from the bottom of the engine. They put some dye in the oil and found out that I had a leaky oil pan. No problem, right? Well it seems they need to pull the engine out to change the pan gasket. Can you believe that? Remember years ago you could do that job in a couple hours? Are we going backwards? I also found some light colored oil on the dipstick. That needs to be looked into also. Yuk.
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Old 04-03-2008, 03:47 PM   #11
Red Ram
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Sorry to hear about the problems with the truck. As a former auto mechanic of many years ago, I can hardly believe the way they are building the newer rigs.

The offer stands, just PM me when things get back to normal. I don't have any big travel plans for the next few months.
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