I have a 2 axel boat trailer on which I want to install stainless steel brakes. I purchased the boat and trailer from the US in the summer. The trailer came with surge drum brakes on one axel so in order to be legal I have to make changes to the braking system. From what I have read I am leaning towards "kodiak" as opposed the "tie down". Is there a good source locally or am I better off to go on-line. I understand they won't be cheap, but I also don't want to look at major maintenance every two years or so?
Stainless Steel Trailer Brakes
- Thread starter AlK
- Start date
gon fishin
Active Member
When I checked with ICBC they said having one axel with brakes is ok if that's the way it was manufactered Only 1/2 the work when you have to fix them
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Are there many double axle trailers that come with only one set of brakes?
finaddict
Well-Known Member
Pretty sure that is wrong GF. Once a trailer is registered in B.C., it must comply with MV act legislation, which is brakes on every axle for trailers >Excerpt from BC Motor Vehicle Act
[h=4]Trailer brakes[/h](3) A trailer shall be equipped with brakes at each end of each axle, but brakes are not required
(a) on one axle of a house trailer that is equipped with more than 2 axles,
(b) on any axle of a trailer other than a towing dolly if the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer
(i) is 1 400 kg or less, and
(ii) is less than 50% of the licensed vehicle weight of the vehicle by which it is being towed,
(c) on any axle of a towing dolly towed by a motor vehicle where
(i) the aggregate of the net weight of the towing dolly and the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by the towing dolly does not exceed 1 400 kg, or
(ii) the motor vehicle towing the towing dolly has a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of the aggregate of
(A) the net weight of the towing dolly,
(B) the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by the towing dolly, and
(C) the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle towing the towing dolly,
(d) on any axle of a motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by a towing dolly, and
(e) on any axle of a trailer that consists of a piece of construction machinery towed by a truck where the truck has a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of the aggregate of the gross vehicle weights of the trailer and the truck.
(4) Brakes with which a trailer is equipped shall
(a) when applied be adequate to maintain control of the trailer,
(b) when applied not affect the direction of travel of the trailer, and
(c) where the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer exceeds 2 800 kg, be capable of being applied by the driver of the motor vehicle towing the trailer from his normal seated position.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a motorcycle shall be equipped with a brake on each wheel in contact with the ground, other than a wheel attached directly to a sidecar, and the brake on a rear wheel shall be operated by a right foot control, except where the motorcycle has a motor that produces 3.75 kW or less, in which case the rear wheel brake may be operated by a control mounted on the left handlebar.
(6) Brakes and coordinated brake control are not required on a motor vehicle with gross vehicle weight less than 2 800 kg which is being towed by
(a) a commercial vehicle with gross vehicle weight rating over 5 500 kg, or
(b) a rubber tired road building machine such as a motor-grader with normal operating weight rating over 5 500 kg,
provided that the aggregate weight of the combination does not exceed
(c) the gross vehicle weight rating of the towing motor vehicle, or
(d) in the case of a rubber tired road building machine, the registered test weight in the compliance testing of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1473 brake performance standard.
(7) Brakes and coordinated brake control are not required on a towed motor vehicle that has a laden gross vehicle weight less than 2 000 kg and that is less than 40% of the gross vehicle weight rating of a motor home towing it via a tow bar
[h=4]Trailer brakes[/h](3) A trailer shall be equipped with brakes at each end of each axle, but brakes are not required
(a) on one axle of a house trailer that is equipped with more than 2 axles,
(b) on any axle of a trailer other than a towing dolly if the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer
(i) is 1 400 kg or less, and
(ii) is less than 50% of the licensed vehicle weight of the vehicle by which it is being towed,
(c) on any axle of a towing dolly towed by a motor vehicle where
(i) the aggregate of the net weight of the towing dolly and the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by the towing dolly does not exceed 1 400 kg, or
(ii) the motor vehicle towing the towing dolly has a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of the aggregate of
(A) the net weight of the towing dolly,
(B) the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by the towing dolly, and
(C) the gross vehicle weight of the motor vehicle towing the towing dolly,
(d) on any axle of a motor vehicle one axle of which is being carried by a towing dolly, and
(e) on any axle of a trailer that consists of a piece of construction machinery towed by a truck where the truck has a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of the aggregate of the gross vehicle weights of the trailer and the truck.
(4) Brakes with which a trailer is equipped shall
(a) when applied be adequate to maintain control of the trailer,
(b) when applied not affect the direction of travel of the trailer, and
(c) where the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer exceeds 2 800 kg, be capable of being applied by the driver of the motor vehicle towing the trailer from his normal seated position.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a motorcycle shall be equipped with a brake on each wheel in contact with the ground, other than a wheel attached directly to a sidecar, and the brake on a rear wheel shall be operated by a right foot control, except where the motorcycle has a motor that produces 3.75 kW or less, in which case the rear wheel brake may be operated by a control mounted on the left handlebar.
(6) Brakes and coordinated brake control are not required on a motor vehicle with gross vehicle weight less than 2 800 kg which is being towed by
(a) a commercial vehicle with gross vehicle weight rating over 5 500 kg, or
(b) a rubber tired road building machine such as a motor-grader with normal operating weight rating over 5 500 kg,
provided that the aggregate weight of the combination does not exceed
(c) the gross vehicle weight rating of the towing motor vehicle, or
(d) in the case of a rubber tired road building machine, the registered test weight in the compliance testing of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1473 brake performance standard.
(7) Brakes and coordinated brake control are not required on a towed motor vehicle that has a laden gross vehicle weight less than 2 000 kg and that is less than 40% of the gross vehicle weight rating of a motor home towing it via a tow bar
I converted my single axle to Kodiak S-Cad. It was half price to get it delivered to Pt Roberts (Point to Point) than anything I could find in BC. To do the job right, you need to swap out the actuator with a Disc Brake actuator, I added Stainless Brake lines as well. The S-Cad is way more cost efficient, and gets good reviews, check out "thehulltruth.com". Worst case scenario is that the calipers can be swapped out with 2 bolts, and the rotors are easy to replace. Contrast that to trying to take off a seized drum brake. Everything is open to the air to dry as well.
vetteman
Active Member
You are correct. I've built a few trailers and if you want to liscense them in BC you've got to have brakes on all axles and they must all be operational.
Dave
gon fishin
Active Member
Alk is your trailer already licenced and inspected if so they wouldn't have passed it if they needed brakes on all 4 The lady at icbc said and I double checked That if a trailer is imported and was previously licenced and was manufactered and engineered to have only one set of brakes no modifacations would be required to operate that trailer here in BC I know of a few guys that run single brakes that brought boats up from the states I am just waiting for a new vin sticker for my trailer to register mine The above regulations posted by finaddict would apply to any trailer made in Canada The ICBC lady also said that you cannot modify any trailer made anywhere to have single brakes I believe that the single axel that has brakes on my trailer has a higher GVW rating than the standard ones we are use to I will let you guys know once I register mine Could alway check with the guys that do the inspections when the trailer come into the country
the fog ducker
Well-Known Member
My dual axle trailer from Virginia had one axle with shot drum breaks ,
My report required them to be upgraded to both axles ,
I did put the Complete SS disc break package , the trailer slows my truck lol . unreal , even 2 years in ,
a quick rinse after Salt usage , Still look brand new , quick service once a year , mostly just a bearing clean and re-grease
should last you years...
My Shop that Installed -
Burnaby Hitch - Trailer Specialists - Linex BedLiners..
( Loui )
FD
My report required them to be upgraded to both axles ,
I did put the Complete SS disc break package , the trailer slows my truck lol . unreal , even 2 years in ,
a quick rinse after Salt usage , Still look brand new , quick service once a year , mostly just a bearing clean and re-grease
should last you years...
My Shop that Installed -
Burnaby Hitch - Trailer Specialists - Linex BedLiners..
( Loui )
FD
My trailer was inspected by Canadian Tire and it is now licenced and insured. There was no notation made by Canadian Tire that there were brakes on only one axel. I am somewhat cynical when it comes to the inspection that was done by CT. When the so called trailer inspection was done they didn't have the keys to the truck to see if any of the lights (running, brake, turn-signals, emergency) would work and nothing was said about the brakes. I think all they did was look at the manufactures lable and then charged me the tire levy. Actually, before I bought the boat and trailer in the US, I spoke to a local trailer manufacturer and he said that Canadian Tire will likely not even notice that the trailer has only brakes on one axel. For my personal safety and others on the road, I will install brakes on both axels and not take a chance with brakes on only one axel. Even though I have a full size Dodge pickup it is important to me to be able to stop safely and quickly in an emergency with a boat and trailer that weigh 5500 lbs.
From a maintenance perspective the two piece hub and rotor make more sense to me as opposed to the integral (one piece) hub and rotor. Any comments on that?
From a maintenance perspective the two piece hub and rotor make more sense to me as opposed to the integral (one piece) hub and rotor. Any comments on that?
I've had disc brakes for over 20 years on 2 Shorland'r trailers that I've owned. I just replaced the brakes after 7 years on the trailer I own now. The original rotors weren't SS, the kits I installed aren't either. One rotor got scoured from a sticky caliper. Funny enough that happened because a SS piston had corroded/pitted and jammed itself in the bore. So that brake was dragging. The rotors would have been fine after 7 years if not for the stuck piston. I replaced the entire 4 brakes with new. I wouldn't spend the extra on SS, you don't need to. Rinsing off the rotors and periodic use keeps them in good shape for years. Knowing what I know now I would change the pads every year to keep the pistons as far back in the caliper bores as possible. I would also flush out the fluid every 2 years, as it absorbs water and will corrode things from the inside out.
nahmint
Member
Hey, AlK.... My report echoes Fogduckers experience. I also replaced the drum brakes on my dual axle trailer with Kodiak stainless rotors and calipers and am very pleased with how well they work & how well they are standing up to salt.... no comparison with the drum & pad setup that came from the factory. Koleszar Services in Powell River did my job & I was happy with their price & service. I did shop around.... I like the two piece setup too.
hooktender68
Well-Known Member
I went to SS Kodiak calipers and discs. A little pricey but well worth it, rinse after use and done! moving towards third season now, as compared to heavy service on non SS every spring. Got all parts from CR Springs in CR and did the work myself.
Gray Escape
Member
I have a triple axle alum trailer with the Kodiak disc brakes on all axles.
When I imported the boat and trailer I had to convert from surge to an electric actuator and glad I did as the stopping power is amazing.
Just touch the brakes and the programmable controller will apply as much braking power to the trailer as you want.
The Kodiak also have the replaceable disc which I think is a nice feature.
A Vancouver hitch/trailer shop I used called Mobile Hitch does a real nice job on the bearing service, cheap enough that I won't bother with it myself.
He does the triple axle for the same price as a double axle, go figure.
His name is Shane and is a really nice/honest young guy, does a nice job.
GA
When I imported the boat and trailer I had to convert from surge to an electric actuator and glad I did as the stopping power is amazing.
Just touch the brakes and the programmable controller will apply as much braking power to the trailer as you want.
The Kodiak also have the replaceable disc which I think is a nice feature.
A Vancouver hitch/trailer shop I used called Mobile Hitch does a real nice job on the bearing service, cheap enough that I won't bother with it myself.
He does the triple axle for the same price as a double axle, go figure.
His name is Shane and is a really nice/honest young guy, does a nice job.
GA
