DIY Disc Brake Upgrade Info - Solitude/Momentum

[minnow101]

We live just south of Charlotte in SC. I avoid I-77 thru Charlotte as much as possible. I’ll detour up to Hickory and catch I-40 over to Statesville. That shows how much I hate 77 through Charlotte.

Two years ago in my brand new truck, got rear ended in our brand new truck near Huntersville/Lake Norman on 77 by some idiot that guessed the sea of lit brakes lights didnt really mean slow down. The area is notorious for traffic backups. Although my truck sustained 10 grand in damage, his car was totaled and the Highway Patrol gave him a court appearance date too.

[BigGuy82]

First off, here's a shameless plug for Kodiak disc brakes but there's also a lot of good info here:

https://binged.it/2MlRHPj

In fairness, I had Titans on my last rig and they were also a great product.

Now for my progress (I've been concentrating on installation - I'll include install pictures later, but here's a few of what it all looks like when it shows up on your doorstep).


I've installed the Hydrastar controller in the generator compartment, snaked the cable through to the pinbox and wired it all in. I ran the brake line directly from the controller through a pre-existing hole in the back of the compartment and snaked it through the coroplast into the rear area under the chassis.

Today, I did the installation on the first wheel, got it all together and the brake calipers wouldn't fit over the disc. Why? Well it seems that some manufacturers weld their flanges on certain axles a little further back on the axle so that a 1/4" metal spacer is required between the flange and the caliper bracket. These flanges aren't included in the brake kits and there is no mention made of them in the instructions. Called Kodiak and 6 brackets are being sent via Fedex, so all is good except I get to take the wheel apart again and do it all over again! Everything else fit and went flawlessly and I guess if this is the biggest problem I have today, life is good.

Overall, no big surprises and everything is pretty straight forward although, this being my second installation, I'm less prone to making the same stupid mistakes I made the first time - giving me the opportunity to make all new ones!

By the way, I'm a true believer in disc brakes over the antiquated electric drums included in most new trailers and the attached video gives a few reasons why. I think that this is the single most valuable upgrade an RV'er can make, but that's just my opinion.

Safe travels

[BigGuy82]

So I’m taking my time - got four wheels done and two to go. All wiring and hydraulics complete. While doing the center driver side wheel, I noticed the grease seal sprung a leak on the factory grease seal. Doesn’t matter how new it is ... always check Less than 2000 miles on coach.

[BigGuy82]

OK - so for those of you who are interested, I just finished ll six wheels on my Solitude. Bled the system, and everything is working just fine. I haven't taken it out for the test ride yet, but I can attest to the fact that it stays stationary in my driveway far better than it did with drums!

Anyway, I only took a few pictures because being busy and with greasy hands 90% of the time, I wasn't thinking about pictures. If these help any of you who are considering doing this, great:

This shows the mounting of the acctuator and the way I passed it through an existing hole in the rear wall of the generator compartment (don't have a clue why the first one is on it's side and the other is upside down):



I snaked the line above the coroplast and brought it out through a hole I drilled in the metal wall at the frame drop- make sure to protect the line from abrasion. Then I ran 1/4" copper nickel to the splitters for each axle. Not shown is the 3/16" I used to go from the splitters to the wheels once they were installed (first one is oriented properly, second is flipped):



Finally, the old brakes:



Sorry but that's all the photos I took. The initial parts list I published was right on the money except I needed a little more 3/16" line. Ballpark for the whole schtick is $2,500 for three axles. It's not a small job, so unless you have the skills and the tools, pay someone to do it. Probably cost an additional $1,500 for three axles.

[bigb56]

How does the actuator connect with the truck? I have an older Ford with a Prodigy controller, will I completely replace that with the new controller? I watched an etrailer video with the Tuson actuator system and it looked like he plugged it into the OBD port but that can't be right can it? I use my OBD port for live monitoring of engine data and I don't want to give that up.

[BigGuy82]

How does the actuator connect with the truck? I have an older Ford with a Prodigy controller, will I completely replace that with the new controller? I watched an etrailer video with the Tuson actuator system and it looked like he plugged it into the OBD port but that can't be right can it? I use my OBD port for live monitoring of engine data and I don't want to give that up.

What you are asking is really a question for the actuator manufacturer. There are some very knowledgeable and talented people on this forum, but what you are asking is too critical to leave to opinions. Suggest that you get this info from the pros.

[bigb56]

What you are asking is really a question for the actuator manufacturer. There are some very knowledgeable and talented people on this forum, but what you are asking is too critical to leave to opinions. Suggest that you get this info from the pros.

OK fair enough but can you at least tell me did your brand of actuator come with a switch for the cab?

[Cate&Rob]

bigb56 - Any trailer brake controller in the truck supplies a variable voltage to the trailer brake system. In the original electric drum brake system, braking force is controlled by electro magnets and the higher the voltage supplied to these magnets, the greater the trailer braking force. This voltage can be “fine tuned” with the gain control to match trailer braking to truck braking.

The EoH (electric over hydraulic) system that powers hydraulic trailer disc brakes uses this same variable voltage from the truck to tell the hydraulic actuator for the trailer brakes how much hydraulic pressure to apply. This should work with any OEM or aftermarket in-truck trailer brake controller.

Typically the new trailer disc brake system works with your existing trailer brake controller . . . it does not include a new controller.

Rob

[bigb56]

bigb56 - Any trailer brake controller in the truck supplies a variable voltage to the trailer brake system. In the original electric drum brake system, braking force is controlled by electro magnets and the higher the voltage supplied to these magnets, the greater the trailer braking force. This voltage can be “fine tuned” with the gain control to match trailer braking to truck braking.

The EoH (electric over hydraulic) system that powers hydraulic trailer disc brakes uses this same variable voltage from the truck to tell the hydraulic actuator for the trailer brakes how much hydraulic pressure to apply. This should work with any OEM or aftermarket in-truck trailer brake controller.

Typically the new trailer disc brake system works with your existing trailer brake controller . . . it does not include a new controller.

Rob

Thanks Rob, that answers my question as to whether or not the disc brake conversion would work on my truck. I was sure it would till I watched the etrailer video which left me with more questions than answers!

[BigGuy82]

Thanks Rob, that answers my question as to whether or not the disc brake conversion would work on my truck. I was sure it would till I watched the etrailer video which left me with more questions than answers!

You can make any disc brake coversion work on any truck but you may have to change the controller (which is easy and not very expensive) - what worked with your electric brakes may very well NOT work with your discs. As an example, the Hydrastar will not work with my 2016 Ford unless you add an HBA CAM Adapter Module. Without that, the brakes will not function correctly. You also need a controller that allows you to select "electric over hydraulic" rather than just "electric". You also need to know which actuator to buy so that it is "beefy" enough to meet your needs. Regarding compatibility, here's a list of the controllers it will and won't work with (and this is just one brand):
Note all of the s/n considerations also included.

Also, there may be one somewhere, but I haven't seen any kits that contain a controller, again because the buyer may or may not need one.

I've done two of these conversions - one from a kit and one from scratch on two different fivers. In both instances, I have called the actuator and disc manufacturers with compatibility questions before I order to insure that I know what I'm doing. That way, there are no misfires in the ordering process and no worries about incorrectly installing a key component. 15 minutes on the phone with the factory tech can save you a lot of time and result in a safer brake system.

As a side note, I have used Titan and Hydrastar actuators and prefer the Hydrastar (by Carlisle). I've used Titan and Kodiak brakes and the last time I used Kodiak - I don't have a preference for either brand - they both work great.