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 !

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

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

Hi Tony,

Apparently not, I haven't ever seen disk brakes on a trailer so I
can't have much of an opinion on them. My only concern would be that
trailers tend to sit out side a bunch and I wonder if corrosion on the
Disks would be a concern.

Brian

On May 21, 9:29*am, Brian wrote:
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

Hi Tony,

Apparently not, I haven't ever seen disk brakes on a trailer so I
can't have much of an opinion on them. My only concern would be that
trailers tend to sit out side a bunch and I wonder if corrosion on the
Disks would be a concern.

Brian

yea, one of my local friends had the same concern which prompted me to
put up this post.

You all should be happy that you have me thinking strongly about
electric brakes now.

On 5/21/2010 7:29 AM, Brian wrote:
On May 20, 9:14 pm, 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

Hi Tony,

Apparently not, I haven't ever seen disk brakes on a trailer so I
can't have much of an opinion on them. My only concern would be that
trailers tend to sit out side a bunch and I wonder if corrosion on the
Disks would be a concern.

It doesn't seem to be a problem for airplane disk brakes, or all the
cars that sit outside. Drum brakes can rust, too, in a humid enviornment.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (netto to net to email me)

- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz

*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.