Hi. As new members and new to camper trailers my wife and I are planning an extended trip later in the year. We will be taking on quite a few thousand km's of dirt. I want to fit brakes to the trailer but have become confused about whether to fit drum or disc brakes. The pro's and con's of both go on and on. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks Mark
Trailer brakes
Moderators: krp102, Coxy68, robcaz
Re: Trailer brakes
Hmmm ... I wonder what type your car has ........
That said , I have electric drums on my trailer ............
That said , I have electric drums on my trailer ............
Peter and Loretta
MDC camper , modded and still modding!
MDC camper , modded and still modding!
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Emjaytrublu
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 2:48 pm
Re: Trailer brakes
Thanks for your response Peter. The tow vehicle is a Triton dual cab. Did you fit drums? If so why?
Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
Re: Trailer brakes
Hi Mark,
Electric drums are the most common used on camper trailers. They cause little trouble & are very reliable. Of course regular inspection & shoe adjustment are necessary which is often only part of a pre-trip maintenance check. This is better done at home so you know everything is in order than on the side of the track in the heat & the dust.
You can get mechanical overrider disc brakes as used on boat trailers. The main downfall with this type reported by members are stones getting caught between the disc & the pad & also the pads coming out on corrugated roads.
Some camper trailer manufacturers offer electrically operated hydraulic discs as an optional upgrade. An electric brake controller operates the hydraulics the same as it would with electric drums.
Electric drums are the most common used on camper trailers. They cause little trouble & are very reliable. Of course regular inspection & shoe adjustment are necessary which is often only part of a pre-trip maintenance check. This is better done at home so you know everything is in order than on the side of the track in the heat & the dust.
You can get mechanical overrider disc brakes as used on boat trailers. The main downfall with this type reported by members are stones getting caught between the disc & the pad & also the pads coming out on corrugated roads.
Some camper trailer manufacturers offer electrically operated hydraulic discs as an optional upgrade. An electric brake controller operates the hydraulics the same as it would with electric drums.
happy camping
Rob & Carol
Australian CamperTrailers Group co-owner
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year
Rob & Carol
Australian CamperTrailers Group co-owner
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year
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Emjaytrublu
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 2:48 pm
Re: Trailer brakes
Many thanks for your response Rob. I do feel more confident about drum so I'm going to run with them.
Happy trails
Mark
Happy trails
Mark
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Aussie battler
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:25 pm
- Location: west wimmera
Re: Trailer brakes
Mark
I have electric drum brakes on my sunset camper that were fitted by the manufacture . I have found them ideal for the camper for several reasons, first is that campers are not all that heavy and discs would be an overkill ,if it is an off road camper it probably will have an oz hitch or similar and these hitches cant be used for overide type set ups ,with the electric brakes the controler is adjustable and you can adjust the trailer braking suitable to the conditions eg highway, gravel ,sand ,mud ,city as well as the amount of weight you are towing .
best of luck with your choice and happy camping .
Doug
I have electric drum brakes on my sunset camper that were fitted by the manufacture . I have found them ideal for the camper for several reasons, first is that campers are not all that heavy and discs would be an overkill ,if it is an off road camper it probably will have an oz hitch or similar and these hitches cant be used for overide type set ups ,with the electric brakes the controler is adjustable and you can adjust the trailer braking suitable to the conditions eg highway, gravel ,sand ,mud ,city as well as the amount of weight you are towing .
best of luck with your choice and happy camping .
Doug