New owner, electric over hydraulic brake questions

[Sunchaser1997]

Hello,

We just traded our 2011 Montana 3100RL in on a "new to us" 2019 Solitude 377MBS-R. During Pre Delivery Inspection, found out the Electric over Hydraulic Brake Actuator is not working. (see NO BRAKES). I'm told it was part of an upgrade to Disc Brakes. Our dealer is working to resolve, I'm looking for any feedback (pro or con) on this set up from other users. How dependable is this configuration? Dexter/Titan BrakeRite is manufacture. Brakes on this heavy of a RV are critical, hoping this is just a fluke failure.
Thanks

[trailrydr]

Anything mechanical or electrical may fail. With that being said, most who have done the conversion are VERY satisfied with the results and wished they had done it sooner. We are looking to do this with our 5er over this winter.

[MoonShadow_1911]

Hello,

We just traded our 2011 Montana 3100RL in on a "new to us" 2019 Solitude 377MBS-R. During Pre Delivery Inspection, found out the Electric over Hydraulic Brake Actuator is not working. (see NO BRAKES). I'm told it was part of an upgrade to Disc Brakes. Our dealer is working to resolve, I'm looking for any feedback (pro or con) on this set up from other users. How dependable is this configuration? Dexter/Titan BrakeRite is manufacture. Brakes on this heavy of a RV are critical, hoping this is just a fluke failure.
Thanks

If you've never had disc brakes on a trailer before, you are in for a treat. On average, you will be able to stop in about half the distance of drum brakes.

There is about a 1/4 to 1/2 second delay before they start to grab, just so you are aware of that.

All the heavy trailers I've ever owned, I've converted to disc, or electric over hydraulic; it was the first big investment we made on our 320MKS.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[SolarPoweredRV]

Knowing how the system works is the best way to start to figure out what is wrong.

Normal RV brakes work by activating a magnet that is attracted to the face of the brake drum, this magnet is attached to an arm that acts as a lever that expands the brake shoes against the outside of the drum.

Disk brakes on an RV act the same way disc brakes on a car work. There is brake fluid in the lines and calipers that when compressed, presses the brake pads against the disc which rotates between the two brake pads on each wheel.

The problem is that there is no easy way to transfer the brake fluid in the truck all the way back to the wheels of the RV. This is where the Brakerite hydraulic pump comes in. The 7-way plug is plugged into your truck just like if you had electric (magnetic) brakes, however, instead of the electrical impulse going to the magnets, the truck's electrical impulse goes to the Brakerite unit and that unit begins pressurizing the brake fluid (hydraulic fluid) in the brake lines which causes the calipers to squeeze the brake pads onto the disc causing the RV to stop.

If you pull your emergency brake wire you should hear the pump inside the Brakerite unit activating and pressurizing the brake lines, if you tried to move the coach while the lines are pressurized the brakes should be locked up preventing movement. Of course, in order for this to happen you need to have a fully charged battery in the coach.

So, first place to start your troubleshooting is with the 12 volt battery in the coach is it fully charged and is the battery disconnect switch set to supply power to the coach?

The next area might be with your truck. What type of brake controller do you have? Does your brake controller have a setting for Electric Over Hydraulic Brakes?

I have a built-in Brake Controller and it has a setting for Electric Over Hydraulic Brakes right in the dashboard menu.

If you hear the Brakerite pump activate when you pull the Emergency Brake Wire then it is likely the brakes are working on the coach. Figuring out if your truck (Brake Controller) is communicating with the Brakerite pump will be a bit more challenging.

My guess: Your coach battery is dead and you need to change the settings on your brake controller.

Please let us know what the issue turns out to be.

[geotex1]

Hello,

We just traded our 2011 Montana 3100RL in on a "new to us" 2019 Solitude 377MBS-R. During Pre Delivery Inspection, found out the Electric over Hydraulic Brake Actuator is not working. (see NO BRAKES). I'm told it was part of an upgrade to Disc Brakes. Our dealer is working to resolve, I'm looking for any feedback (pro or con) on this set up from other users. How dependable is this configuration? Dexter/Titan BrakeRite is manufacture. Brakes on this heavy of a RV are critical, hoping this is just a fluke failure.
Thanks

There may be nothing wrong at all. What is your tow vehicle? Some tow vehicles need an adapter module. Others need the correct configuration set in the system settings. Another thing I have seen is dealer yard jockeys yanking out the breakaway switch pin, which will burn out the actuator. Could be as simple as the dealer swapped batteries and missed the electrical connection since the actuator has to be wired directly to battery

[SolarPoweredRV]

There may be nothing wrong at all. What is your tow vehicle? Some tow vehicles need an adapter module. Others need the correct configuration set in the system settings. Another thing I have seen is dealer yard jockeys yanking out the breakaway switch pin, which will burn out the actuator. Could be as simple as the dealer swapped batteries and missed the electrical connection since the actuator has to be wired directly to battery

Yes, all of the above...

[Captcolour]

Anything mechanical or electrical may fail. With that being said, most who have done the conversion are VERY satisfied with the results and wished they had done it sooner. We are looking to do this with our 5er over this winter.

Depending on where you are located, "over this winter" may be mid-May 2022 like ours!