Disk vs Drum on Trailer

I'm sure RAS has an opinion. I'm going to be putting brakes on my
trailer. I'll be adding a Flexride axle and I can either buy just the
axle and buy drum brakes to fit it or i can get it shipped with Disk
Brakes installed. Thoughts?

On May 20, 1:49*pm, Tony wrote:
I'm sure RAS has an opinion. *I'm going to be putting brakes on my
trailer. *I'll be adding a Flexride axle and I can either buy just the
axle and buy drum brakes to fit it or i can get it shipped with Disk
Brakes installed. Thoughts?

Disc brakes hadn't been invented when the Cherokee was built !

*I'll be adding a Flexride axle and I can either buy just the
axle and buy drum brakes to fit it or i can get it shipped with Disk
Brakes installed. Thoughts?

Electric- which *effectively reduces your options to drum. (*there are
elec/hydraulic setups for disc, but for some reason I don't think you
want to add $k+ to the total...) So far the only arguments I've heard
against elec brakes are that basically only your tow vehicle or others
outfitted with the correct controller will work with them. No problem
for most, since it will be your own vehicle that racks up most towing
miles your own trailer. Also there is no 'real' parking brake, but
pulling the pin on the emergency brake cutaway switch provides at
least 20min of locked wheels. There are a whole host of problems that
plague surge activated hydraulics, rendering them a less desirable
choice for glider trailers in my book.

Elec are much much cheaper, reliable, easy to maintain, replace, etc.
Hydraulic are expensive, finicky and bottom line unreliable in the
long term. Search for posts here as the subjects have been well beaten
to death in the past. Take note of all the problems folks have with
hydraulics (like self engaging down hills and burning hubs/drums/
wheels, sticky mechanisms not engaging brakes when you need them and
think they will be there, general wear/adjustment/replacement issues
etc), and how much they've spent to retain them rather than switching
to elec the first sign of trouble that costs more than new complete
elec setup.

I'll send you my 10 point list (or repost it here if requested...) on
elec brakes vs surge brakes to your PM if you like.

-Paul

Youve already sent me your 10 commandments Paul. But I think I'm
going to go with hydraulic so that I don't have to worry about
maintaining a battery for break away and so anyone can hook up and
pull the trailer.

"Tony" wrote

Youve already sent me your 10 commandments Paul. But I think I'm
going to go with hydraulic so that I don't have to worry about
maintaining a battery for break away and so anyone can hook up and
pull the trailer.

Sounds like you were about already decided on the hydraulic, anyway.

I'll toss out one factor in favor of electric that nobody has mentioned yet.

If you have electric brakes, and a sway starts to develop, (seems to be a
common theme with glider trailers) or has already gotten well developed and
getting REALLY hairy, a slight tap or easy pressure on the brake controller
will straighten up that trailer RIGHT NOW ! ! ! It is amazing if you have
never used electric brakes for that purpose.

That reason in itself is the _best_ reason in the world to go with electric.

Shoot, go for two axles, get reduced sway characteristics, and put electric
on one axle and hydraulic on the other.

The argument that the tow vehicle can only be your own does not hold water,
in my opinion. In most cases the controller will work fine, and in some,
the new vehicle might have to adjust the bias, slightly. Not a big problem
in most cases. If you go electric, make sure you use a standard plug, and
have it wired according to standard, also. Get an electronic controller
that is easily adjustable if you want to tow other people's trailers.

Re-think your decision, I think.
--
Jim in NC

On May 20, 2:30*pm, Tony wrote:
Youve already sent me your 10 commandments Paul. *But I think I'm
going to go with hydraulic so that I don't have to worry about
maintaining a battery for break away and so anyone can hook up and
pull the trailer.

Hydraulic can be just fine; I've got hydraulic brakes on my whale
trailer.
Its got plenty of miles on it (though not in the last decade) !
Make sure you can find a light enough actuator (surge tongue assembly)
for your application; most are intended for heavier trailer weights...

See ya, Dave

On May 20, 11:15*am, Dave Nadler wrote:

Disc brakes hadn't been invented when the Cherokee was built !

"Disc-style brakes development and use began in England in the 1890s.
The first caliper-type automobile disc brake was patented by Frederick
William Lanchester in his Birmingham, UK factory in 1902 and used
successfully on Lanchester cars."

Am I to believe that RAS has no opinion about Disk vs Drum brakes??
Obviously you all have an opinion about all the stuff that I didnt ask
about

On May 20, 9:14*pm, Tony wrote:
Am I to believe that RAS has no opinion about Disk vs Drum brakes??
Obviously you all have an opinion about all the stuff that I didnt ask
about

I've only had overrun drum brakes on glider trailers. I haven't towed
off with the parking brake engaged, thus I've never damaged them. I
once had a dual axle trailer with one braked axle. Tracked straight
but was a bugger to turn into a tight spot. Eventually one of the
wheels fatigued and failed around the center and took off on its own
one day. However the trailer was quite happy to keep moving on three
wheels. I replaced the duals axles with a single axle.

I'm not a fan of electric brakes though I did have them on a boat
trailer long ago. I understand the attraction. I prefer the
flexibility of any number of vehicles towing and having trailer
brakes, so I prefer surge brakes, whether hydraulic or mechanical as
on my LAK-12 trailer, which work just fine. You just have to maintain
them. I've towed several glider trailers over many states and
mountain passes with a Dodge RAM Van and an F150 4WD. 5-6 of those
trailers had not brakes, so that's my minimum tow vehicle size with no
brakes.

I don't recommend driving at night with a glider trailer in tow.
There are just way too many deer. In Wyoming they plant nice prairie
grass along the Interstates for erosion control. Guess where the deer
spend the night? We counted 14 deer grazing in median and along
side I-25 south of Sheridan. Next morning, just into Montana, we saw
an 18-wheeler that pulverized a deer at night, but it also buried that
big front bumper into the left front wheel and wasn't going anywhere
except by wrecker.

Frank Whiteley

I'll second Jim's response... Go electric.

A "Panic" button connected to the controller would be just the thing to
stop an inadvertant or unplanned trailer sway.

My $0.02.


Larry



"Morgans" wrote in message
:

"Tony" wrote

Youve already sent me your 10 commandments Paul. But I think I'm
going to go with hydraulic so that I don't have to worry about
maintaining a battery for break away and so anyone can hook up and
pull the trailer.

Sounds like you were about already decided on the hydraulic, anyway.

I'll toss out one factor in favor of electric that nobody has mentioned yet.

If you have electric brakes, and a sway starts to develop, (seems to be a
common theme with glider trailers) or has already gotten well developed and
getting REALLY hairy, a slight tap or easy pressure on the brake controller
will straighten up that trailer RIGHT NOW ! ! ! It is amazing if you have
never used electric brakes for that purpose.

That reason in itself is the _best_ reason in the world to go with electric.

Shoot, go for two axles, get reduced sway characteristics, and put electric
on one axle and hydraulic on the other.

The argument that the tow vehicle can only be your own does not hold water,
in my opinion. In most cases the controller will work fine, and in some,
the new vehicle might have to adjust the bias, slightly. Not a big problem
in most cases. If you go electric, make sure you use a standard plug, and
have it wired according to standard, also. Get an electronic controller
that is easily adjustable if you want to tow other people's trailers.

Re-think your decision, I think.
--
Jim in NC