Trailer brake maintenance yet again...

[unlvrebel]

So I finished up the replacement of my trailer hubs and brakes. They sure do look shiney. The most difficult part was removing the old calipers. The bolts holding them on were rusted on solid. The bolts were allen key head and insisted on stripping out with the least bit of provocation.

The answer was a torch, ice cubes and vise grips. Heat the bolt and treaded portion of the caliper until red hot, cool the bolt quickly with the ice and lock the vise grips and turn. Repeat as necessary. Tough way to get a bolt off but it was effective.

So my quesiton to my fellow trailerers... What do you do in between maintenences to keep your brake assembly rust free? I've done the fresh water thing religiously when I get back from the ramp but it just isn't enough.

 

[chuck1]

Are you sure the bolts were allen head? I know on my trailer they are the funny star type. I ended up buying a standard and metric set to add to my tools.

 

[unlvrebel]

Yeah, positive they were Allen head. What I wasn't sure about was the size. There was so much rust built up I couldn't size them properly. Finally figured out they were a 10MM. Out of all of the bolts I was able to get one off with the Allen head socket.

Vise grips rule.

 

[tdappleman]

I don't think there is much you can do to keep them rust free long term. When you assemble the calipers/slider pins etc back - use a high temp anti-seize on all threads and moving parts. I also use it on the back of the pads where they contact either the caliper or the piston. On the other bolts and screws - I use a spray of PB Blaster about once a month to keep the rust down and to keep it from freezing in place. It really makes a difference.

On the anti seize, make sure it is high temp since disc brakes can get hot. This one is rated up to 1200 degrees and is the one I use at my shop:

 

[Slap Shot]

John, What kind/year is your trailer? I'm having trouble with my 2005 Shorelandr. I think it might require new calipers but do you need new hubs at same time?

 

[unlvrebel]

2005 Magic Tilt trailer. No, new hubs are not needed to change out the calipers. I can't speak for specifically for Shorelander, but in general calipers can be changed out seperately from hubs. Now hubs and rotors on the other hand are a little different. Some trailers come with a seperate hub and rotor and some have an integrated hub and rotor. On an integrated set up, if you have to replace one you have to replace both. On the plus side, they weren't that expensive.

 

[Fishnut]

I saw someone at the ramp doing something that I thought made sense. They had one of those garden bug sprayers filled with a mixture of saltx and water. They unloaded their boat and he was spraying the hubs, brakes and wheels. It makes sense that if you dunk your trailer in salt and set it in the sun all day that you are going to rust out the equipment much faster. Just a thought especially if you have all new equipment on there. :thumbsup: