Dexter brake shoes....a problem.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I found this problem while servicing the wheel bearings.

I replaced these shoes three years ago, they had less than 6000 miles on them.
There was plenty of friction material left, no cracking or evidence of overheating. A simple, but dangerous case of bonding failure.

Just an old "knuckle buster" here wishing for rivets.

Contacted Dexter yesterday, awaiting a reply.

Bob


POI...they ain't cheep, $252.30 for four sets.

[LI Pets]

ouch! I just bought complete brake, magnets/baking plates $180 free shipping

Etrailer.com

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by LI Pets

ouch! I just bought complete brake, magnets/baking plates $180 free shipping

Etrailer.com

Had to get it back together ASAP, didn't need all the hardware, just better quality shoes.

No word back from Dexter yet.

Bob

[slowmover]

Seems like having a set plus a spare set made to your specs would be a good idea.

After reading John Barca's problems with DEXTER drums over on WOODALLS, and now your irritation at their shoes, putting discs higher on list. Nothing is perfect, but "cheap" ought to also be reliable. It ain't, not any more. Andy/Inland RV makes the same point (balance; out-of-round).

Off-topic, but noted some guys buying DEXTER axles with higher rated beams/tubes in order to get the 12" brakes.

I've flat forgotten what size should be the ones on yours, Bob?

.

[wingfoot321]

I have had same problem on two different brakes in last three years.

I have a slightly different explanation. It is my opinion and the shop where I have been buying shoes agrees, that rust on the shoes gets under the bonding cement and causes them to release. It takes 2-3 years for this to occurr.
Only solution is to check your wheel temps every time you get out of the rig. Good old Chinese crap manufacturing.

I attended the Dexter presentation at Sarasota. The fellow doing the presentation said the assemblies are american made with chinese brake shoes.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Perry,

12"X2"...It was a little frustrating at the RV store trying to tell the difference between the 5k shoes and the 7k's. The 7's are supposed to have a better quality semi-metallic friction material but....Iv'e been in the business long enough and have always been able to tell them apart. They looked and felt exactly the same. I'm hoping I can get these cores re-done locally, but not real confident, the cost to drill them and fabricate the material may be prohibitive.

Wing,

Only problem for me with that theory.... as you can see in the pic's, not a lot of rust at all, check the shoe that separated completely, mostly shiny, as a matter of fact, not much evidence of adhesive either.

Bob

[ROBERT CROSS]

Well I contacted Buffalo Clutch Co. this morning to follow up on whether it is possible to have these Dexter cores re-built with riveted linings.

Yes it is, $15 per shoe.

Greg at BC said he is very familiar with the problem Dexter is having with their Chinese manufactured shoes. Bonding failure is a common problem even without evidence of overheating or excessive rust.
He noted that it's not exclusive to Dexter, most manufacturers are using Chinese shoes with their US made axles.

Looks like I'll retrieve them from the trash and save them for next time.
Just makes no sense to me, getting a complete assembly when all you really need is a quality brake shoe you can depend on...support your local small business.

Bob

[perryg114]

I think the crappy shoe material is part of my erratic brake performance problems. Too bad there is not a car part that would fit.

Perry

[Bob Thompson]

That's a bummer because I'm about 2 months away from replacing the trailer brakes, including backing plates, magnets, shoes, bearings, seals, drums, etc.. This is in preparation for a trip in August to Colorado. I hate to think I'll have to at least consider a change to disk brakes. I think I saw somewhere that the disk brake change over ran something like $1100 just for parts.

[richinny]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Well I contacted Buffalo Clutch Co. this morning to follow up on whether it is possible to have these Dexter cores re-built with riveted linings.

Yes it is, $15 per shoe.

Greg at BC said he is very familiar with the problem Dexter is having with their Chinese manufactured shoes. Bonding failure is a common problem even without evidence of overheating or excessive rust.
He noted that it's not exclusive to Dexter, most manufacturers are using Chinese shoes with their US made axles.

Looks like I'll retrieve them from the trash and save them for next time.
Just makes no sense to me, getting a complete assembly when all you really need is a quality brake shoe you can depend on...support your local small business.
Bob

bob, you don't still re-rivet your own linings? ;-) i've noticed rivet holes on a lot of bonded shoes i've seen.

i miss riveted linings too. i was told that they dissipate heat better.

[noreen&sal]

I just did the backing plate replacement recently. Is it just me or are the linings very thin. I actually wondered why I was bothering. Sal.

[wmarsha]

Have you finished your install of the new shoes? if not, have them riveted, also. save yourself some aggravation down the road. If so, how much work is it to take them out versus the lost miles in replacing them prematurely? thanks for the headsup.

[Globie64]

this is pretty interesting. I have about 500 miles on my new Dexter axle, and have noticed that the brake drums get rusty very quickly- we live in a damp environment, and the car brakes grind after sitting for a few days, but I had never noticed this with the trailer. How many miles have you all gotten out of a set of brake shoes?

[perryg114]

Yes they are very thin and they should be twice that thick to fill out a standard 12" drum. If they are not thick enough they are only going to touch the drum in the middle which causes problems. I have never had glued on linings fail before on a car.

Perry

Originally Posted by noreen

I just did the backing plate replacement recently. Is it just me or are the linings very thin. I actually wondered why I was bothering. Sal.

[noreen&sal]

Originally Posted by perryg114

Yes they are very thin and they should be twice that thick to fill out a standard 12" drum. If they are not thick enough they are only going to touch the drum in the middle which causes problems. I have never had glued on linings fail before on a car.

Perry

So, as thin as they are, not enough "meat" for rivets? Sal.

[william Haym]

Since these brake situations are taking place, it would be wise
to inspect the brakes every spring before you use the trailer.
Rust can get in between the shoe and the lining.
This has happened on cars/trucks.
Heat, as well as inferior materials can definately cause the lining to separate from the shoe. I'm sorry my fellow airstreamers are experiencing these problems.

[perryg114]

I wonder if disk brake pads are made in china as well. Maybe going to disk brakes would make these problems go away. However, if the disk brake systems use a trailer specific brake pad then you may have the same problems because there is this mindset in the industry that anything trailer is not worth spending the money to do right. Why does something that is used on farmer John's pig trailer that never goes over 25 MPH, need to be engineered correctly.

Perry

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by noreen

I just did the backing plate replacement recently. Is it just me or are the linings very thin. I actually wondered why I was bothering. Sal.

Sal,
Yes...the Dexter lining's are a lot thinner than a regular auto replacement.

That's the reason you can't just drill and rivet a standard Dexter shoe. You need enough material on the new lining to account for the drilling and countersinking of the rivet holes in the new linings.

Originally Posted by wmarsha

Have you finished your install of the new shoes? if not, have them riveted, also. save yourself some aggravation down the road. If so, how much work is it to take them out versus the lost miles in replacing them prematurely? thanks for the headsup.

Yes, I have replaced with OEM Dexter 7000lb shoes.
How much work? I think what folks find most frustrating about replacing just the shoes is getting the darn springs re-secured without the proper tools. Most find it easier to replace with the "loaded" assembly. The price's quoted on etrailer say to me that the entire assemblies are made in China.
That may very well also apply to the Airstream OEM's.

Originally Posted by Globie64

this is pretty interesting. I have about 500 miles on my new Dexter axle, and have noticed that the brake drums get rusty very quickly- we live in a damp environment, and the car brakes grind after sitting for a few days, but I had never noticed this with the trailer. How many miles have you all gotten out of a set of brake shoes?

Surface rust on the friction surface of drums & rotors is common in damp conditions. Not usually a serious problem on vehicles used every day as the friction material usually removes it within a couple brake applications. On a trailer that sit's for an extended period it becomes a bit more of a problem. But as you can see in the pic's from my bearing re-pack post, even after sitting thru the WNY Winter it's not cause for drum replacement.
I had less than 10k on the OEM's, not for ware but for cracks and glazing, 6k on the second set for bonding failure.

Perry,

Have you replaced the shoes with the 7000lb replacement's? They are supposed to have a more aggressive friction material than the 4-5k shoes.

Bob,

You might consider trying to find a local brake rebuilding shop in your area that can do the riveted up-grade.
Or do the google for Buffalo Clutch in NY and ask Greg for his recommendation's, he seemed to be very familiar with the bonding problem.

Bob

[Bob Thompson]

I think my approach will be....take the new shoes to a Brake and Clutch rebuilder and have them surfaced with the best shoe material plus rivets.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

I think my approach will be....take the new shoes to a Brake and Clutch rebuilder and have them surfaced with the best shoe material plus rivets.

Bob,

Keep us posted...

I plan to have my cores done also but won't be installing them until the new Dexters fail/ware out.

Bob