Calipers/rotors: D.i.y. Pics

[Sharphooks]

Had a local guy quote $ 1,900 for new rotors and new calipers on a dual axle Shoreland'r

That number gave me an instant nose bleed so I figured I'd try and educate myself with a few Youtube vidz and do it myself.

It was time consuming (getting the old rotors off with zero clearance for tools on the axle flange) but in the end, I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling of having been self-reliant (and an even warmer and fuzzier feeling for having saved some dough)

$ 550 for calipers and rotors + $ 30 for brake cleaner and DOT 3 fluid + $ 100 to my neighbor for helping me bleed the brakes = $ 680

Here's a before and after so you guys can see what things might look like behind the tires of your trailer after 5 years of salt operation:

 

[Sculpin]

Those old ones look better than mine did lol. Oh come on you could have got another year out them ha ha. The new ones look really good. What did you end up going with?

 

[Gypseas]

$100 for your neighbor? shame on the guy for taking your money

New brakes look sleek! Stainless?
cheers

 

[Sharphooks]

hey Sculpin-- I ended up going with UFP---the Kodiak guys couldn't guarantee their calipers would fit the Shoredland'r flange. Would have been nice to try stainless (Kodiak) but pretty spendy equipment-- the UFP calipers are aluminum, the rotors zinc-plated--- just about 50% of the cost of the Kodiak stainless stuff.

hey Gypseas--I had to twist the guy's arm to take the hundred --I wanted to give him double that amount but no way he'd take it---he packed all the bearings and showedd me how to bleed the system

Same guy who helped me take the powerhead off my Honda 9.9 to retrieve a plastic hose that fell into the oil pan last winter. On that deal he just wanted me to buy him some cigarettes.... a hell of a mechanic but I'm not sure I'd want him managing my business....

 

[Enniberg]

I put new brakes on my trailer last year, trying to give them a good fresh water rinse after every dunk, but corrosion is still happening faster than I would like. Any good ideas on how we can keep corrosion at bay and make the brakes last longer?

 

[profisher]

I rinse mine after I launch and after I reload. No point in just rinsing after the trailer has sat all day in the parking lot and the salt has dried and baked on the trailer and brakes. Unless you scrub it won't rinse off completely. I have 2 - 2 1/2 gallon converted pressure water fire extinguishers with a hose and garden spray nozzle attached. They hold enough water to spray down the part of my trailer that gets wet each time I use the trailer. I concentrate most of the water to the brakes/wheels/springs and axles.

 

[Sharphooks]

Submitted by staying alive in a different thread:

QUOTE

I take a can of Fluid Film with me to the boat launch and coat everything that looks vulnerable once I got the boat off

UNQUOTE

I'm not familiar with this coating. The portable wash-down system sounds great but maybe a bit difficult to use in some situations. I read about this same approach on The Hull Truth---the guy posted pix (tacked on to the tongue of his trailer)

Me, I'm going to maybe plumb a wash-down system into my trailer...... but I'm a realist---it'll only help so much and rust is just part of the salt water deal

As long as my calipers float unimpeded on the stainless pins, salt water use is what it is and you can only rinse so much of it off.

My mantra when trailering my boat anywhere--- every time I get out of my truck while on the road, I place my hand on each of the 4 hubs. Every time. No exceptions.

At least you'll have a clue to what the salt and rust is REALLY really doing back there if and when you feel more heat then you're used to feeling....

I ended up Shanghi-ed in Nanaimo last summer for 5 days with a puked caliper. But if I hadn't stopped for gas when getting off the ferry and hadn't felt what was obviously a hot hub when I made that gas stop, I would have nonchalantly kept towing all the way to Port Hardy..... and maybe thirty miles out of Nanaimo would have seen blue smoke come out of the hub at 60 MPH on the highway and maybe blown a tire (or worse)....

 

[profisher]

I'll take a pic tomorrow of my setup with the wash down fire ext. They sit on either side of the main frame rails up front and tucked to the inside in holders with latches and locks. I have one hose (about 4 feet long) that I switch back and forth to the one I'm using at the time. Just unlock it carry it with you around the trailer and spray away. Easy. The biggest pain is filling them again at home, firing up the compressor and recharging them for the next use. Not a pain but less fun than firing them off.

 

[cheech]

X2 profisher. I pressure wash my trailer after launch (when they finally hook up the system, Nanaimo). I also carry a hose that comes in handy. I did fry a bearing this week but (minor repair with the boat in the water). Brakes looked good with the drum off. 3 seasons and not much corrosion (aluminized back plates).
Saw a neat flush system: Guy had strapped a lenght of 3 or 4" drain pipe to each side of trailer. Plumbed some fittings with a pet **** near the axles and a threaded cap at the head. See if I can't get a pic. Very cool idea if there is no flushing available.

 

[profisher]

Here are a few pics of the system I described earlier.

 

[Sculpin]

Holy crap profisher!!! You don't mess around. I like it.

 

[profisher]

A friend who is a metal fabricator has done a bit of work for me. Otherwise it would be rigged with nuts and bolts and look more redneckish lol

 

[Foxsea]

I put new brakes on my trailer last year, trying to give them a good fresh water rinse after every dunk, but corrosion is still happening faster than I would like. Any good ideas on how we can keep corrosion at bay and make the brakes last longer?

Haven't done it on the new, tandem trailer yet but used a drip irrigation kit, running 1/2" tubing teed to to 4 X 1/4" tubing, zap-strapped to the frame. Put a 15 gph micro-sprayer at each brake. The other 1/2" end was terminated with a garden hose fitting for home flush. I rigged an inexpensive plastic, pump-up garden sprayer with a male hose end for wash-down in the marina parking lot. The system was $50 (including sprayer) and about 2 hours work. When I get the new one rigged I'll put up a couple of pictures - similar to the Starbrite system.

 

[Sculpin]

Haven't done it on the new, tandem trailer yet but used a drip irrigation kit, running 1/2" tubing teed to to 4 X 1/4" tubing, zap-strapped to the frame. Put a 15 gph micro-sprayer at each brake. The other 1/2" end was terminated with a garden hose fitting for home flush. I rigged an inexpensive plastic, pump-up garden sprayer with a male hose end for wash-down in the marina parking lot. The system was $50 (including sprayer) and about 2 hours work. When I get the new one rigged I'll put up a couple of pictures - similar to the Starbrite system.

That sounds fricken awesome Foxsea. Sharphooks, this one is turning into a monster. I love it!!!!

Can't wait to see the pic's Foxsea. I have to rig up a DC system up at Salmon Beach for flushing my motors and washing the trailer brakes. It rains enough up there for washing the boat lol so I'm not that concerned about the vessel itself.

 

[Foxsea]

That sounds fricken awesome Foxsea. Sharphooks, this one is turning into a monster. I love it!!!!

Can't wait to see the pic's Foxsea. I have to rig up a DC system up at Salmon Beach for flushing my motors and washing the trailer brakes. It rains enough up there for washing the boat lol so I'm not that concerned about the vessel itself.

Thanks, John. I'll be clipping coho on Saturday but maybe I can get that done and pics up Sunday.

 

[Sharphooks]

Hey Sculpin, I'm all for threads like this going off in constructive directions --speaking of which, anybody out there besides Profisher who has a creative trailer wash-down system in place? Anyone using a plumbed-in drum brake or disc brake wash-down system that might want to share pictures?
That's my next project and I want to be sure I'm using components that will last for awhile and have hose diameters and lay-out that will really do a wash-down of the calipers rather then just dribble some water back there.

Anybody seen this Star Brite vid? :


http://www.newportnautical.com/Starbrite-Trailer-Spa-Boat-Trailer-Washdown-Syst-p/sta-077550.htm

Lots of hole drilling going on (fine for an "I" beam aluminum trailer, I guess.) Wouldn't want to get a leak in a system like that --- might get water on the trailer

 

[Foxsea]

Can't wait to see the pic's Foxsea. I have to rig up a DC system up at Salmon Beach for flushing my motors and washing the trailer brakes. It rains enough up there for washing the boat lol so I'm not that concerned about the vessel itself.

Okay John - I got it done today. Here's a few pics; You can buy the materials at Corix, even C.T.
I got the spray tank from Wally's - I like the hook-the-hose-up feature! Ideal for this job.


If you fill the tank you could use vinegar or salt-off before pumping the tank up. I'm going to put a small in-line valve just behind the tank so the pump has a chance to get the pressure up before the water goes.


Here's the back-of-envelope sketch (just like a tradesman would do - "fail to plan = plan to fail"):


I ran the header line right to the back of the bunk. It has a tee to the opposite side and 4 - 1/4" taps and 1/4" tubing branced off to the spray-heads. It has a hose fitting so that two short hoses can be connected to the motors for flushing (when used with city water hook-up). One shot deal: it will flush the brakes and the motors at the same time!

For sharp hooks: if you like, you could use pex pipe and crimps to get a heavy-duty job but I don't see it's necessary. The hose provides plenty of water and you can get bigger volume heads, too. The limitation is the 2 gallon tank, if not on city water.

Here's the wash-down in action:
/
I tested it and will have to tweak the lines a bit to get the maximum wash effect. You can see the lines run down the frame, tie-wrapped on every 3 feet. I used the same holes that the wiring tie-wraps were in - doubled up. If you have leaf springs you might want a few more heads to wash them, as well. (Mine's torsion bar.)

You get a similar effect with the tank but not for too long - 2 gallons per minute. I did the work with the boat on the trailer so it took longer. Got wedged under the trailer and had a nap while I lost enough weight to get out again!

 

[Sculpin]

That looks really cool Foxsea. It's like that Star Brite system but portable. Thanks for posting the pic's and the description.

 

[AlK]

Profisher and Foxsea, thanks for sharing. Those pictures are difinitely worth more than a 1000 words.

 

[dss]

Profisher if you plumbed like Foxsea what a awsome setup that would be. You could use quick change fittings at the hose end for easy change overs.