User Tag List

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 39
  1. #11
    Site Sponsor Scocciante's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    R.I.
    Posts
    132
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    By far the single best improvement you can make on your RV. After several trips to the dealer complaining about not stopping and being told everything is perfect brought my new 344GK home and parked it. I took it upon myself to order the kit from Stop your Trailer. Figuring for a long day was surprised at how easy it was. The one thing I learned is never trust the dealer. What I found was one side was completely soaked in grease due to bad seals from the factory With less than 200 miles on it

    .Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3594.jpg 
Views:	38 
Size:	1.37 MB 
ID:	34115Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3591.jpg 
Views:	38 
Size:	1.18 MB 
ID:	34116
    Last edited by Scocciante; 05-14-2021 at 05:03 AM.
    2020 Grand Design Solitude 344GK
    B&W Companion 25,000
    Disc Brake conversion
    3 - X-Factor
    MORryde pinbox
    2007 GMC Topkick C5500 Duramax 6.6
    1 Wife 3 Scotties


  2. #12
    Rolling Along vonzoog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    722
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by bfs673 View Post

    Installation went fairly well, a few issues here and there.
    Biggest issue was the poor cast quality of the caliper brackets and required some grinding to correct. A few hours and some words I'm not proud of, but I got it done.
    Could you please elaborate a little more about the calipers? I have done self installed disc brake installation on my last two toy haulers. Both with Kodiak brand disc brakes without any issues on a total of 5 axles (10 calipers). What exactly was the issue with the caliper? What brand?

    Thanks in advance,

    FYI: When I ordered my current RV, I had purchased the new disc brakes kits and they were sitting and waiting for the arrival of the new toy hauler. Installed when I got it home. Drum brakes only made it from the dealer to the house and then replaced. I will let that state my opinion of disc brakes.
    2018 Momentum 376TH
    2016 RAM 3500 Dually

  3. #13
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    182
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by vonzoog View Post
    Could you please elaborate a little more about the calipers? I have done self installed disc brake installation on my last two toy haulers. Both with Kodiak brand disc brakes without any issues on a total of 5 axles (10 calipers). What exactly was the issue with the caliper? What brand?
    Since you're familiar with the installation, it'll be a bit easier to describe.

    These were supposedly Kodiac, the caliper had the Kodiac label so I'm sure about that; but the brackets appeared slightly different from the Kodiac images online.

    The first issue encountered was the caliper not physically fitting between the two bracket tabs. This is a relatively tight fit anyhow, but really no issue unless you attempt to rock it into place... needs to slide in without rocking; I'm sure you know this. Once brackets opening (space between the tabs) was not wide enough to accommodate the caliper. Tried 3 other calipers, all with the exact same issue. Had to pull the disc assembly and remove the bracket. Checked for sit again on the bench, same result. I filed and grinded the tabs a bit (~ 1/16th") to widen the gap.

    This was an issue on only one caliper; though a second one was a bit tighter than the rest; needed a gentle tap to get it into place, but functions properly.
    *** This can and should be checked before installing! Makes corrections MUCH easier ***

    The second issue was the tapped caliper bolt holes in the same bracket mentioned above. These holes have a flange that protrudes slightly towards the inside of the trailer. These flanges, on two brackets, prevented the caliper from going into the same bracket slot mentioned above. The issue was this flange extended too far. This caused the outer brake pad to push extremely hard into the disc; could not physically get it into place. It also caused the pad to be slightly canted, the bottom of the pad was in contact with the disc, while the top had a tiny gap. I verified the bushing and piston positions; those were not the issue.

    Grinding the bottom flange on this bolt hole allowed the caliper to fit properly and the disc to spin freely.

    This added a few hours to the install, mainly from the first issue, trying to understand the root of the problem and proper way to resolve.

    Hopefully this helps!
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Caliper 2.JPG 
Views:	17 
Size:	46.8 KB 
ID:	34121
    2018 Solitude 344gk
    2021 Ram 3500 SRW

  4. #14
    Rolling Along vonzoog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    722
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    ^^^. Wow. I did have one caliper out of the 10 that was very tight and frustrating to get on the rotor. Had me scratching my head and a few precise words were involved. However, I was able to install without any modifications. I guess I was very lucky and unfortunately you were the unlucky one. Sounds like you came across a flawed mounting bracket. In all of the discussions I have had with others, no one mentioned the problem you had. I would be curious what Kodiak has to say about this.

    Sorry for all of you problems. But I do know this, you are going to love the disc brakes,

    Good luck,
    2018 Momentum 376TH
    2016 RAM 3500 Dually

  5. #15
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    182
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Scocciante View Post
    By far the single best improvement you can make on your RV. After several trips to the dealer complaining about not stopping and being told everything is perfect brought my new 344GK home and parked it. I took it upon myself to order the kit from Stop your Trailer. Figuring for a long day was surprised at how easy it was. The one thing I learned is never trust the dealer. What I found was one side was completely soaked in grease due to bad seals from the factory With less than 200 miles on it

    .Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3594.jpg 
Views:	38 
Size:	1.37 MB 
ID:	34115Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3591.jpg 
Views:	38 
Size:	1.18 MB 
ID:	34116
    I wonder if the factory (either Dexter or GD) adds grease using the EZ lube zerk. This is EXACTLY what happened to me a while back. I've heard the horror stories, watched many videos, understood the concept and thought I would give it a shot. Was very slow and methodical about adding the grease, while rotating, etc.

    Same issue as above, inner grease seal blow-by. It's not designed for the pressure exerted by adding grease via the zerk.

    Here's my post from a while back on the matter:
    https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...at-a-mess-!!!!
    Last edited by bfs673; 05-14-2021 at 10:24 AM.
    2018 Solitude 344gk
    2021 Ram 3500 SRW

  6. #16
    Fireside Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Dover. FL
    Posts
    91
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I'm glad to read the positive statements about disc over drum brakes. I purchased the disc brake conversion kit from Performance Trailer Braking last month at the Central FL GD Owners Rally. Will be installing g it along with the MORryde SRE 4000 suspension equalizer and x-crossmembers on my next long weekend. I've not inspected my brakes yet this year but I'm interested to see how the drums held up with just 6000 miles on them.
    Tom & Misty - Dover, FL
    Gracie, the Black Lab 🐶
    2020 Solitude 344 GK-R
    2018 Dodge Ram 3500 4X4 6.7L Cummins CC/LB/DRW

  7. #17
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Deer Island, Oregon
    Posts
    165
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by bfs673 View Post
    Well I pulled my drums a month or so ago to repack the wheel bearings, inspect brakes, etc. for the season.
    Brakes were shot, one pad in each of the drums on the passenger side was to the metal, digging into the drum. Several pieces of brake liner fell out as well. Both on the passenger side.
    Drivers side was great, pad life was good, all looked OK.

    Rather than replace the drums and disc brake assemblies, I decided to upgrade to disc brakes.

    Initially ordered my kit from etrailer, who stated they had it in stock. After 2 weeks of a pushed ship date, I cancelled my order and Ordered my kit from Bill at StopYourTrailer dot com. Very nice fella, lots of knowledge. FYI, I ended up with a better quality brake actuator, 9/16" studs, full set of lug nuts cheaper than the base kit from etrailer.

    I know there are industry shortages that have caused issues, but he was able to put together the kit for my Dexter 7k axles and ship about a week after my order.
    As mentioned, I went with 9/16 studs/lug nuts and the Brakerite actuator. FYI, with our wheels, I needed a thinner wall socket, my standard impact socket would not fit.

    Installation went fairly well, a few issues here and there.
    Biggest issue was the poor cast quality of the caliper brackets and required some grinding to correct. A few hours and some words I'm not proud of, but I got it done.

    All in all, took roughly 20 hours of wrenching to complete.

    Took it around the block after a quick test and set-up in the driveway.

    I'm absolutely shocked at the difference. This isn't a subtle difference, with the brakes being a "bit better". This difference is night and day.
    I will never own a trailer any where near this weight with drum brakes again. No way, no how !!!


    I look forward to seeing how it performs on a longer journey later this month.

    If you're trying to decide whether to do this conversion, I can tell you that I would do it all over again; Even if it took twice the time to complete!

    If you have questions, fire away!
    I am going to upgrade my axles and go to disk brakes also. You did installation yourself looks like. I have a couple questions. Are your 7 k axles are mated to 16" tires- Wheels? or 17"? Are your wheels a 6 bolt or 8 bolt pattern ? Do you have the V bracket modification on your spring hangers? i have heard they reinforce against extra stress force when switching to disk brakes. Is your actuator mounted inside the couch or outside somewhere? What brand of sizing of actuator did you install?

    Thanks!
    Alan and Paula
    2019 Reflection 303 RLS, 2004 Dodge 3500 5.9L
    Magnum 2k watt inverter-charger, 300 AH Battle Born battery bank, 560 watt solar power. 6K axles and disc brakes. Pepwave max transit cellular router.

  8. #18
    Seasoned Camper mbergthold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Woodland, WA
    Posts
    182
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Has anyone installed the disc brake conversion kit and the Timken axle-less spinkles? Our 2500RL has the "generic" Dexter 3500# axles, which IMO are barely adequate. The Timkens are rated at 5200#.
    Mark and Judy
    USN/USAF family (parents and kids)
    2021 F350 Lariat Crew 4x4 SRW 7.3 Godzilla
    2021 Imagine 2500RL w/Hensley Arrow hitch

  9. #19
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    131
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I believe disc brakes can only be used with hydraulic over electric. No electric disc brakes?
    Is that correct?
    Dustin and Doris

    2018 2600RB
    2016 Tundra: 5.7L with towing package.

  10. #20
    Rolling Along Tigger1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    MD
    Posts
    734
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    A couple in our camping group have a Jayco Pinnacle 5er, 40+ft. When they bought it a few years back the first modification was to disc brakes. The driver said he would never go back to drum. They have towed from east to west and back more than once.

    I don’t know the specifics but shortly after their install he sent me this link which I found informative:

    https://roadslesstraveled.us/trailer...el-rv-upgrade/

    Also as a side note; last year at the Mid Atlantic GD Owner’s Rally I saw several owners of 5ers having the conversion performed. Took the better part of the day to finish.

    Taking all of this in with our camping friends and seeing other GD owners convert, I would definitely have it done or ordered if we ever go 5er.
    2010 Tundra SR5 DC 5.7L 4x4
    2020 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    Andersen WDH
    Dexter E-Z Flex Suspension Kit
    2018 Rockwood Mini Lite 2104s
    2014 Jayco x17z Hybrid

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.