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Buttercup · 07-09-2012, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougsale

Buttercup, there is something dragging somewhere. Loose pins would not cause that kind of distortion to the pad clasp in my opinion. The pads sit loose on the pins and rattle and chatter around until the brakes are applied and the piston pushes the pads against the rotor. An extreme force is bending the clasp. Normal braking would not do that. Are your calipers and spacer bars properly installed?

Well, I believe they are properly installed and assembled. There is not much to them. But they rattle and chatter a lot! They always have. Every bump no matter how small makes them resound loudly. My brother believes that it is the momentum of them slamming into the upper Clevis pin that is making only the outside pads break. Those pads were not lubricated prior to this trip but they are now and with enough inertia maybe they could slam enough to bend during braking. Honestly, I am tempted to weld some extra metal on to them to give them some meat at that area.

4RXLA · 07-09-2012, 09:50 PM

Buttercup, here are a couple pictures of my brakes. Maybe there is something different in your installation? Are you still running the original rims that came with the trailer? A large number of balancing weights could theoretically make contact with the pad taband bend it outward?

4RXLA · 07-09-2012, 09:57 PM

They do rattle even on the slightest bump in the road. Mine have a small amount of play in them. In fact the whole brake assemble has a very small amount of play as it sits on a couple of posts it looks like. I've never put any lubrication on mine. I agree they assemble pretty easily. Is this happening on all 4 wheels or just a couple of them? I'd be interested to hear what Andy's thoughts are.

Buttercup · 07-09-2012, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougsale

They do rattle even on the slightest bump in the road. Mine have a small amount of play in them. In fact the whole brake assemble has a very small amount of play as it sits on a couple of posts it looks like. I've never put any lubrication on mine. I agree they assemble pretty easily. Is this happening on all 4 wheels or just a couple of them? I'd be interested to hear what Andy's thoughts are.

Looks like exactly what I have, but yours looks like the play is less than mine. I can see a gap between my clavis pin and the caliper. And the pads themselves slop back and forth easily.
I could create a backing interface to mitigate that. But I just can't believe that a good slam could bend that metal.

4RXLA · 07-09-2012, 10:49 PM

I agree the metal should not bend from braking. I know your controller is not set too hard because if it were your trailer would be laying down rubber. Any chance the brake pad is dragging on the rotor excessively causing heat and premature wear? I would think that if the force of braking is bending the metal, it would do so on both ends and not just one. What brand of actuator do you have? Could it be applying too much pressure? I'm grasping for anything now...

ROBERTSUNRUS · 07-10-2012, 12:01 AM

Hi, no matter how much pressure is on the brakes, the pads should never come out. On cars and trucks with a different mounting for the pads, the only time that I have seen pads chucked is when the lining has either broken off or has worn down to the metal backing plates. In your case, I would say that the metal backing plates are too weak, possibly made in China. [junk] I would bring a sample to a major brake supplier, to match up the size and shape, and buy some good ones. These are probably something that was adapted from Ford or GM. I definately would not buy anymore pads from who you got these from.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 07-10-2012, 12:24 AM

Hi, I just did a quick search and found this image twice. One said 2005 Chevy Tahoe, and the other one said 2003 Chevy Avalanche. I'm not saying that these will work, but it leads me to think that those are GM brakes on your trailer.

Buttercup · 07-10-2012, 07:57 AM

I got the pads from Inland RV and they were not cheap. I was told that they are custom made. I have had this set in there for about 6 years and previously lost a pad when I forgot to put the retaining clip on the clevis pin on the rear street side wheel. That spit out the inside pad.

I am using a dexter actuator that I have also had for 6 years and I am using a new Tekonsha 3 axis solid state controller that I just love because I can set the max output to the actuator, thereby ensuring that the tires don't lock up too easily. That is my system.

I'll take my one remaining good pad to the auto parts store and see if they can match it. One thing I can say is that I do not believe the brakes should rattle as they do. The ones on my car don't, so why is my trailer doing it. I do suspect this has something to do with it.

damonbeals · 07-10-2012, 09:06 AM

Any play or slop in the pads is not good. You might need to bend the pads so everything is good and tight, or replace worn pins and parts. I just replaced the rear pads in my Expedition and one of the pads was missed formed from the factory I had to grind down the metal in a few places so the pad fit and worked smoothly. But it's hard to add metal back. Hope you have safe travels on your way home.

Damon

Buttercup · 07-16-2012, 05:46 AM

We had been driving with the brakes dialed off and keeping good distance until we got to Park City, UT and the steep downgrade there. I wanted them on as backup so the Hummer would not have to brake too hard. Well, I left them on and when we got to our stop for the evening, we were pulling in and at one point the brakes chattered like I never heard before with the E/H pump on its lowest setting - the point where it just turns on. What a racket.

Robert - I just read what you said about welding a washer on the pad. That is a possibility I will look into. I also am thinking of taking the pads down to NAPA to see what they can come up with. I just know this should not be happening.

Wabbiteer · 07-16-2012, 08:53 AM

No, I don't own that system and have never worked on it.

I did work on 40-ton railcars that had a similar system and we were forever replacing sleeves that protected the brake pad retaining bolts due to wear from high-speed flutter that amplifies as more free-play is introduced.

Pads were changed out often from friction pad material wearing out and the backing plate ears 'opening all the way up' problem didn't occur often since the backing plate was a better grade of steel with the softer metal retaining sleeves absorbing the impacts.

I can see shadows and bright metal in the pictures so it looks like the tolerances have widened from rusting and metal being 'cut' from vibrations and wear. Without 'being' there and measuring things I can only guess those pins are a wear item too. And, is there an outer sleeve missing from the retaining pins?

Yes, the railcar brake discs weighed 160 pounds each new and the pads were huge in comparison, plus the sleeves were the size of half-dollars and may have had 100,000 miles of revenue service on them but disc brakes are disc brakes.

If the assemblies are assembled according to spec - all spacers and brackets in their appointed places, the friction pad sweeping the correct band on the disc - and the disc itself has no untrue warpage perhaps from uneven rust scale building up and trapped behind one edge on the flange behind the lug nuts - and the pad retaining pin diameters are correctly matched to the bores in the castings...

Then installing new pins (and possibly sleeves) should limit the travel from pad flutter and reduce the peening and movement of metal on the pad ears. Notice I said reduce not eliminate as the tolerances have widened from rust, and any un-true elements of the disc or pads not retracting fully off the disc surface will keep some oscillation in play but with new pins reducing the amount of travel the impact force on the pad ears will be lessened.

Excella CM · 07-16-2012, 10:46 AM

Has anyone checked the rotors for run out? If the rotors are badly warped, the ends of the pads will be forced back and forth along the retaining pins while under pressure which may be causing your wear problem?

r carl · 07-22-2012, 11:18 AM

So what does Andy have to say about the pads?

Buttercup · 07-22-2012, 12:03 PM

I haven't talked to Andy and he has said nothing here. I cannot say that it is a problem with his pads. I can only say that the constant rattling over thousands of miles takes a toll on the pads I did have and that is the most likely contributor to the failure.
I am replacing the clevis pins today with new ones custom made for me by my brother.

3Ms75Argosy · 07-23-2012, 08:44 AM

Interesting issue... I too have never seen anything like that. New clevis pins should help, but I'd try finding the auto equivelant for those pads and see if they also come with a "quieting" shim (they look like a plastic shim) to help hold the pads from rattling. I think having the rotors turned would be beneficial too. If I'm not mistaken, the rotors from Kodiak are the same as Chevy 3/4 ton 2wd rotors, and I think the calipers are as well.

Good luck!
Marc