MoRryde IS and disc brakes

[Jlawles2]

Jimmer You may need to have each axle weighed to determine if the IS needs adjusting (vague memory here that you can alter the load on each one slightly) as the front axle may be carrying less load than the rear leading to the lock up.

By chance are your rear tires wearing faster than the front? You might need to do a "chalk" test using some thick paper or other medium placing powdered chalk on the paper, lowering the tire onto the chalk, then lifting the tire and rotating to where you can measure the circumferential length of the chalk. Doing this with the same air pressure in the tires will give you an indication if the loading is significantly different. (NOTE this is not a "scientific" method, but a back yard trick to help)

[Jimmer]

Hey Guys, Thanks for your responses.



This is what the brake pads look like on the right front wheel of my trailer. The outside pad has significantly more wear than the inside pad. This means that the floating caliper is not freely floating. The IS was installed about 1.5 years ago, and has about 6,000 miles of use.

I will properly lubricate the sliding components of the caliper. I didn't realize these Kodiak 225 calipers are not like conventional automobile floating calipers, in that the caliper does not slide on the bolts/pins. Thanks for linking to that other thread.

I did not properly state my issue with the trailer brakes. When I said the caliper was locking up, what I should have stated was that the caliper was not releasing after the brakes were applied. No matter how high I turn up the brake controller, I can't get the trailer brakes to lock up a tire and skid, but they do put out a ton of braking, so it seems like the braking system is properly applying braking. I tried opening up the bleeder valve on the caliper, and there is no hydraulic pressure on the caliper, so the failure of the caliper to release is not a problem with the Hydrostar actuator.

Before I rebuild my calipers (change the seal surrounding the brake piston), I will lubricate the floating mechanism of the caliper and see if the caliper releases so that the wheel can freely turn after the Hydrostar stops pumping. Currently, after the Hydrostar stops pumping, the caliper is sticking/not releasing and it's difficult to turn the tire on the camper by hand when the wheel is jacked up and off the ground. With the caliper off, the hub/rotor turns freely, so it's not a problem with the wheel bearing. Hopefully, it's just a lubrication of the floating mechanism, as it's a bit more complicated to replace the seal within the caliper.

[Jimmer]

The metal tube (guide bolt sleeve) that goes over the guide bolt and that slides within the rubber bushing on the one caliper (Kodiak 225) that I pulled on my camper which has the MORryde IS had a sticky substance on it that prevened the guide bolt sleeve from properly sliding within the rubber bushing. The guide bolt sleeve would barely move within the rubber bushing. See the below picture.



I'm not sure if this is old grease, or part of the rubber bushing which melted. It came off with brake clean and a lot of rubbing, so I'm guessing it's old grease, but not certain. I note that I have not done any servicing on the brakes since they were installed by MORryde. I will install new rubber bushings which will be lubricated with non-petroleum grease and hopefully this will fix the sticking caliper issue.

[Country Campers]

That is one fault of disc brakes, the sliding part of the caliper.

Brian

[Jimmer]

That is one fault of disc brakes, the sliding part of the caliper.

Brian

Normally, floating calipers have a metal-on-metal sliding which works well when properly serviced. Maybe Kodiak continues to use this rubber bushing design for the sliding mechanism as these brakes are popular on boat trailers which are submerged when the boat trailer goes in the water. However, this mid-80s design of General Motors is not used any more on cars (to my knowledge).

Brake calipers can get really hot, and the rubber bushing is subject to a lot of heat. These brake calipers were originally on cars that weighed 4,000 pounds. They seem undersized to stop a trailer weighing 11,000 pounds.

[Country Campers]

I have not had good luck with sliding disc brakes on vehicles. Here in the land of snow and ice melt chemicals I have almost been forced to tear these down and grease on a yearly basis on vehicles we use almost everyday. I know disc brakes are superior but only when the caliper moves correctly. I have seen plenty of pads where the outer is almost completely gone and the inner is close to new in 1 years time. Granted they do not make pads like they use to but still. I have cleaned and polished the moving surfaces and lubricated with high temp anti seize or equivalent brake grease all with similar or same results.

Brian