Has anybody ever added disc brakes to a NON-brake axle?

[ronb]

Just curious, would be a heck of a lot cheaper and easier than replacing a whole axle if possible..

Thanks,
-ron

[ronb]

ah hell lets ask all my stupid questions in 1 spot...

Trailer brake controller, better to have surge type (with compression tongue) or electronic controller?
If your vehicle does not have a brake controller is the answer the same?

Why don't trailers have softer spring rates and utilize shocks?

Wheel sizes....
On a tandem axle trailer, can you run 10" tires (my pontoon is 22ft on a trailer that is built for 22/24ft pontoons)
Would it be worth swapping sizes to get a lower ride height? (I would also ask about lowering the pontoon bunks closer to the wheel fenders
Is there any noticible difference when trailering with shorter/wider tires versus the taller skinny 13" ones I have now?

LED lighting
Do I still need to unplug it when backing into the lake?
If you unplug the lighting on a trailer with brakes, do they all prevent you from being able to back up? (I borrowed a trailer the other day that was 5pin instead of 4 pin and when the tires hit a slight stop, the brakes engaged, I was not happy)

Has anybody added extra steps onto their trailer to allow easier access to the side or rear portions of their pontoons?

I unload a lot of stuff from my side door when I get home and it might be handy to add a bolt on/fold down step right under it.

My brain roams free with many, many, many dumb questions that I never ask.. but here ya go.. here's a few...
-ron

[GXPWeasel]

I've never added disc brakes, but I HAVE added drum brakes to a trailer that didn't have brake to begin with. First things first though, you need to make sure your axle has the backing plates for brakes. If not, you need a new axle anyways. Check out my post here, if you have any further questions regarding electric drum brakes and boat trailers.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10104&hilit=adding+ ... ler+brakes

[Bamaman]

Whenever I have a question about trailers, I sign into:

http://championtrailers.com/

They have a technical question section on their website that answers most common questions to do with trailers. They're also a good place to purchase components.

[ronb]

I just finished reading the article and now want to know...

Is that pretty normal to only have brakes on the front axle?

Adding or working on brakes isn't anything new for me, back in my ancient days I used to be ASE certified to work on them, of course cars ain't electric actuated though.. and adjusting auto brakes requires a scewdriving/prybar or one of those fancy brake adjuster wrenches through the lower adjustment hole.

On a similar note.. anybody ever seen, tried, or considered this?
Drilling Drums
http://www.tffn.net/drilldrum.html

Part of the reason I asked about disc instead of drum was because they are less susceptible to water (dry faster), and I wasn't sure how much price difference there would be.

thanks,
-ron

[rancherlee]

Ah, brakes, everyone had opinions on this one.

With 10" wheels you are very limited on break choices. I'm not sure if Discs are even available for 10" wheels. I run without breaks on mine as its under 3000# so I'm not required by law to have brakes on it in Minnesota. There are both electric and hydraulic 7" drum brakes available and that's what I have installed on both axles of my home built 4 place sled/atv trailer with 10" wheels and my Tiny 8" wheels off my pontoon trailer DO fit over those drums but they are tight. I run the 18.5x8x8 tires on my pontoon to keep it as low as possible and this keeps my bunk height at a low 23" off the ground. I prefer electric/brake controller OVER surge brakes as I have complete control over the trailer brake plus that New F150 I'm purchasing soon has a built in controller! I run LED lights on all my trailers and NEVER unplug them at the boat landing. Every connection is soldered and sealed with shrink wrap and the LEDs are all sealed from the factory, the trailer will rust out before the wiring every fails. Iff you trailer above 60mph for 60+ mile trips I'd probably run 12 or 13" skinny tires on my trailer just to keep the wheel bearing happy, me I have over 1000 lakes in less than 60 miles so I really never exceed 60mph with my trailer. The fuel mileage alone keeps me at 60mph on all highways, I get 13mpg @ 60 and it drops to 10mpg @ 70! pulling the pontoon, I hope the new 5.0L will be better than my 4.6L

[ronb]

FWIW, the top of my trailer frame with 13" tires on it is at 22"... just for comparision..

My wife traded in her '06 Equinox for a '12 Tahoe last week, no brake controller though, dang!

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I still need to work out the trailer balance, there is way too much tongue weight, then I will hopefully have to use a 2 or 4" drop to get it level again. Right now it is a 2" rise but after all the weight transfers to the tow vehicle it is level.

But I am worried that if I move the axle cradle I will have to do an elaborate trailer axle re-alignment. Not something high on my list just yet...

-ron

[Ray Jr.]

yes you can get disc breaks for 10" tires, my shorelander has them.

[ronb]

This project for me hit a wall, my axles don't have the flanges welded on to them to add brake brackets.

IMG-20120727-01923.jpg (64.57 KiB) Viewed 1725 times

So I suppose I still have 2 options.
1. Replace the axle with one of similar construction but WITH the brackets welded on by the factory
2. Weld on appropriate brackets..

The second option really isn't out of the question, I would bribe my neighbor (builds circle track stock car chassis) to build and weld into place a couple chunks of steel, it would be a trivial project for him. I am an UNSKILLED welder and would leave that to the professionals.. but it could be done.

In this second picture you can see the 'cradle' that is movable on my trailer to move the axles forward or back.. Just loosen/remove 2 ubolts on each side and move it to the desired location..

IMG-20120727-01924.jpg (80.54 KiB) Viewed 1723 times

The movable axle cradle does leave me with another issue.. What if I put on brakes and then later want to move the axle again? How do I cleanly route he wiring or hydraulic lines?

-ron

[Ray Jr.]

A top quality replacement axle with the brake flange is fairly reasonable, I had to replace an axle on my atv/snomo trailer 3 years back, i couldn't find the right spring spacing/ hub width from northern or tractor supply. I went to the Dexter axle web site and found a semi-local distributor, called him up gave him the measurements of the old one and $90 and 2 weeks later I had the new axle with brake brackets in my hand.

As far as the break lines go use a fairly long flex hose and you should have all the adjustment you need.

[ronb]

I called the manufacturer of the trailer Newmans Inc this morning and left a message to see if they had any 'retro-fit' kits or if they could give me a cost of a factory direct replacement axle with flanges. The trailer was brand new this spring and they sell it with brakes, I just opted not to get them and am now having second thoughts.

From my house to the lake it is pretty much a straight line and there aren't any real hills to deal with except maybe the last 4-5 miles of the trip. And even those are the low rolling type, not massive uphill/downhill grades with blind corners or anything like that.

-ron

[Bamaman]

Disc brakes can be easily added either by buying a couple of $100 axles or by having new spindles welded on the end of your axles ($24.95 each.) Discs can be added for $139 per axle--per Championtrailers.com

My new trailer didn't come with brakes, but I'm pretty satisfied with stopping ability of my diesel crewcab 3/4 ton truck. I'm using top notch Hawk LTS brake pads, Bilstein shocks and my suspension has been carefully checked out--like new condition.

Trailer brakes would be required for anyone with a marginal tow vehicle, or if the boat was often towed in the mountains or in heavy traffic. My idea of a great tow vehicle is a 1/2 ton or heavier pickup truck or V8 powered SUV. Marginal tow vehicles are anything front wheel drive for the most part. (This subject is talked about often on this website.)