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Old May 21st 10, 06:09 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Frank Whiteley
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Posts: 2,099
Default Disk vs Drum on Trailer

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