Hydraulic disc brakes

[CampinGpa]

Just wanted to check to see how those that have disc brakes on their Cedar Creek like them and if there's any disadvantages of having it I would like to get them put on my Hathaway Edition going to run just a tad over four grand and I'm trying to see if it is worth it. Can do it myself for three grand doesn't seem to be too complicated do it comes with everything including the brake lines the only thing I would have to purchase is the brake fluid.

[5picker]

While I don't have disc brakes, in all my years of perusing R/V forums I've never seen a negative review about them other than expense. But most of them even say while costly, it was worth it.

[5er_tom]

Best money I ever spent on an RV. If I ever get another fiver it will have disk brakes.

[Mountndream]

Last season had some white knuckle experiences braking in our travels to Yellowstone and Grand Teton.



Got home, ordered them but due to supply chain issues with the Brake Actuators, was unable to have them installed until End of season last year.



end of Feb, we traveled to Moab Utah from ST Louis Mo via highway 40 and finally got to test the brakes. My only complaint is that i didn't have them installed sooner.



Preston from Performance Braking (performancetrailerbraking.com) did the install in a long day at my home They also do suspension work like wet bot kits etc. Very professional and well worth it

[dalford]

Get them installed. Well worth it. I’ve had mine for about a year on Cedar Creek Silverback 33IK. It is so nice to brake and not be pushed like I was with my electric brakes.

I posted a while back about a wheel failure I had where I lost a wheel and the studs. The only studs I could find were too short to remount the disc and the tire so I did not mount the disc and I disabled the the hydraulic brake for that one wheel. I was in Connecticut on my way to Bar Harbour. Long story short I drove with 3 disc brakes to Bar Harbor and then back to Florida. All I did was turn the brake gain up by 1 and our RV stopped better on 3 disc brakes than it ever did on electric brakes.

The price you mentioned sounds about right. GET THEM….

[SailorSam20500]

Not on a Cedar Creek, I have them on my Flagstaff...
Disc brakes stop a LOT faster with less fade. I feel I now stop in about the same distance needed as if the trailer wasn't there.

Only downsides I've found are:

You have an extra step when servicing wheel bearings assuming you are not doing the E-Z-Lube method. You have to unbolt the calipers and support them when pulling the disk rotor. Not a particularly big deal, but be aware of it.
Replacement brake pads may not be readily available - depends on what calipers you use. Not a bad idea to have a spare pair on hand. They aren't expensive. Note that when replacing, like tires, you should do both ends of an axle at the same time.

I also had Performance Trailer Braking do my trailer. After watching the install, I could probably have done it myself. Biggest issue was how to route the brake lines - which were supplied with the kit. A few s-bends to take up extra length did the job. Installer started work about noon and was finished at about 6:30. We had the job done "on the road". We were in a state park in Iowa and the installer met us there.

[TitanMike]

When comparing drum brakes and disc brakes there is no question which is best.

When wet drum brakes can be non-existent. Disc brakes are self cleaning and don't need to dry out first. Also cool quicker due to less metal, less mass to retain heat. Brakes are just devices that convert motion into heat and the quicker the heat is dissipated, the quicker the motion stops.

Only reason factories have stuck with drum brakes is purely cost.

[Joe_GA]

Best money I ever spent. I also got the Performance Trailer Braking package. Installed it myself. Great system!

[Superduty glampers]

I would check with MorRyde, I got 8k independent suspension and disc brakes for 7k worth the money if your going to keep the unit.

[aceinspp]

Friend of mine had them installed on his Wildcat and said best thing he ever done. Good friend of ours did the installation for just under 3 grand. naturally prices have probably gone up. I would have done my camper but knew I was selling it so did not want to spend the money. Later RJD

[FordSuperDuty]

I had Performance Brakes install mine in February while in Florida this year. Best money I have spent on my Cedar Creek other that at Orvan's. Going thru Atlanta, at rush hour in stop n go traffic wasn't near as bad, as in the past. Several reasons for me to have them install, is they know their product, and come with parts in case something has been left out of the box when shipping. They have a bender for the steel brake lines and also a flaring tool to make the job neater and quicker. Should the time come for another 5th wheel, the first thing is to change to disc brakes. An example of how good they work is, for the first time after pulling the camper and stopping for the night,(after going thru Atlanta), I found the couch had slid forward almost a foot, never had that happen before. For me it was worth the install money, to know the job was done right, and get any questions answered on the spot.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by FordSuperDuty

I had Performance Brakes install mine in February while in Florida this year. Best money I have spent on my Cedar Creek other that at Orvan's. Going thru Atlanta, at rush hour in stop n go traffic wasn't near as bad, as in the past. Several reasons for me to have them install, is they know their product, and come with parts in case something has been left out of the box when shipping. They have a bender for the steel brake lines and also a flaring tool to make the job neater and quicker. Should the time come for another 5th wheel, the first thing is to change to disc brakes. An example of how good they work is, for the first time after pulling the camper and stopping for the night,(after going thru Atlanta), I found the couch had slid forward almost a foot, never had that happen before. For me it was worth the install money, to know the job was done right, and get any questions answered on the spot.

Where in Florida did you have this done? Do you know what areas they cover? I looked at their website but to get answers they wanted info from me. I already have disc brakes but a buddy is thinking about them. I live in the Melbourne area, do they have installer in that area?

[FordSuperDuty]

Yes I was in Webster, FL they had installs in AL, GA and FL and it included mine. all and talk to them. They were great work with

[brucec]

I got them on my 2nd Cedar Creek loved them got them with the independent suspension also.

[BM Welder]

I put disk brakes on my 2015 CKTS 4 years ago and what a difference. I went from a 8.5 gain to a 4 with brakes that really work.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by CampinGpa

Just wanted to check to see how those that have disc brakes on their Cedar Creek like them and if there's any disadvantages of having it I would like to get them put on my Hathaway Edition going to run just a tad over four grand and I'm trying to see if it is worth it. Can do it myself for three grand doesn't seem to be too complicated do it comes with everything including the brake lines the only thing I would have to purchase is the brake fluid.

So, what did you decide?

[CampinGpa]

Sounds really good but have not decided yet thank you to everyone for all of your great inputs

[wheelin14]

As everyone has said, disc brakes are highly recommended. However, some things to know from my experience: Google for the full thread of my experience at “rv.net disappointed in disc brakes”. That title was just an attention getter---the brakes are great, but there are considerations about the actuator and the brake controller. I will assume the OP knows that an actuator will be installed somewhere—usually in the under-nose compartment in fifth wheels. The actuator is a hydraulic pump that creates brake line pressure proportional to the amount of trailer brake signal voltage coming from the truck. All controllers start at zero pressure and start working at some voltage. DO NOT get a Dexter brake actuator—mine didn’t turn on until 3 volts so I didn’t get any help from the trailer on braking until I was well into serious braking with a very jerky response. I dumped that actuator and went with BrakeRite (now owned by Dexter). In my testing the BrakeRite starts up at 1 volt. Hydrastar is another popular brand of actuator, but I couldn’t get their technical department to tell me what their start up voltage was.

I use Kodiak disc brakes and like most others they work so well that they’ll skid your tires unless you dial down the gain on the controller. Once you reduce gain to reduce braking at the top end, you are also reducing the brake effect on the low end. On a very light petal press you may not be sending enough voltage back to the actuator to start it. Once enough voltage is achieved to start the actuator, then ALL actuators will have a time delay effect as they build hydraulic pressure. Hydrastar claims to have the shortest time delay, but that may be measured after the actuator starts. The BrakeRite has a proportional valve which they claim is unique. From experience, I’ll say that once the BrakeRite starts pumping it responds VERY quicky to changes in line voltage. Online, folks that use Hydrastar say they are just fine.

The last issue is the controller used: the profile of the OP says they drive a Ford—hopefully, it is a 2015 or later with a built in Ford controller. That range of years has a setting for trailer braking aggressiveness of low, medium, or high. That basically raises the brake voltage to the trailer for low amounts of petal push (similar to the B1, B2, B3 settings on Prodigy controllers). By setting up the aggressiveness the actuator will start working sooner and work harder on low amounts of petal push giving a more balanced feel between truck and trailer braking. Since, my 2012 Ford does not have this setting, I had to resort to installing a Tekosha Prodigy P3 so that I could use the B3 aggressiveness setting which provides the most balanced feel with our trailer.

None of this should discourage one from disc brakes—they are great. Both Performance Braking and MORRyde are well-known after-market installers. I drove my trailer straight from the dealer to a Dexter axle shop to have heavier Dexter Axles and Kodiak disc brakes installed. After the learning curve on controllers and actuators, I love them and will never be without them.

[CC75]

Originally Posted by Mountndream

Last season had some white knuckle experiences braking in our travels to Yellowstone and Grand Teton.



Got home, ordered them but due to supply chain issues with the Brake Actuators, was unable to have them installed until End of season last year.



end of Feb, we traveled to Moab Utah from ST Louis Mo via highway 40 and finally got to test the brakes. My only complaint is that i didn't have them installed sooner.



Preston from Performance Braking (performancetrailerbraking.com) did the install in a long day at my home They also do suspension work like wet bot kits etc. Very professional and well worth it

Same here. Preston from Performace Breaking. 3 years 25K miles on them. Still happy with it. I also had Timkin bearing installed, steel lug nuts, (instead of the the lugs-with-caps that came with the unit) and wet bolts. Only thing I would do different is the zerk fitting. They ought to be 45 degree or 90 degree instead of the ones that were installed. Hard to get grease gun to them.

[CampinGpa]

That is some valuable information and I thank you so much. I do drive a F-250 Super Duty diesel 2011. we'll have to do some more research and thank you again