Kodiak ss disk brakes

N

nordicstallion

New member
Hi kids ! What's the general consensus on ss rotors? Reading past threads I read that ss is soft & folks say they tend to warp & score. Planning a winter brake overhaul from rusty drums to ss kodiak disk. Wondering if I should go with the plated rotors over solid ss. Only tow about 35 miles a day a couple of times a week & never tow long distance. Rust from the salt water marinade is my primary concern.
 
I think the bigger problem is rusting of the calipers, not the disks. Having SS disks will not help that.

If you use the trailer regularly, the brake action will keep the working part of the disks clean. It doesn't really matter if the rest of the disk rusts a bit (at least until you try to remove them). Another big issue is rusting of the caliper bolts.

However, if the calipers rust up you can end up with them seized open (no braking) or seized closed (always braking). You can monitor the face of the disks to see if any are not working by noting the rust accumulation (there won't be any). If one seizes closed, you'll know about it in fairly sort order.

When I got my CD22 (steel disks) all the calipers on the trailer very rusty and were seized in the open position. The calipers had to be replaced, but the disks just required the attention of some emory cloth. Getting the caliper bolts out required a blow torch, big vise grips, and a 3# hammer.

I replaced the steel calipers with the aluminum ones.
 
A couple of years ago I replaced the original Kodiak disc brakes and brake lines on our EZ Loader trailer. The lines had corroded at the dissimilar metal connection between the steel line and the brass fittings and the calipers were rusted pretty badly. I put on flexible lines by Tiedown and new Kodiak Dacromet coated rotors and calipers. They have been very satisfactory but like anything in salt water you have to periodically service the calipers. Mainly you have to make sure the caliper pistons do not freeze due to corrosion. I had one freeze and it took 130PSI air to break it free but then after cleaning up the surfaces the caliper has worked flawlessly. Were i to do it again from scratch I might go for the stainless steel setup but the up front cost is more than double.
 
here is Kodiak's description of their anti-corrosion setup:

Kodiak Corrosion Protection Options
Corrosion resistance is important on all types of trailers and is a major consideration in
salt water or other corrosive environments.
Kodiak pioneered the use of brass fittings, stainless steel guide bolts and sleeves, and
stainless steel pistons in trailer disc brake calipers.
Kodiak rotors are offered with an automotive finish (as machined), E-Coated, Dacromet
Coated and Stainless Steel (not available in integral hub/rotors).
At a minimum, all Kodiak caliper castings and caliper mounting brackets are e-coated
with options for dacromet coated, KodaGuard or an all stainless steel product.
Note: On a stainless steel caliper, all parts are stainless steel except for the fittings,
which are brass and the backing plate on the friction pads are stainless steel too.
 
Our trailer has the standard Kodiak brakes. It is going on five years old and outside of replacing brake pads and the brake fluid everything is original. The rotors always look like they could be replaced. I'm pretty sure new ones would look the same way in short order. Cast iron is a better material for a brake rotor than stainless steel. As long as the rotor is with in the thickness specification I'll leave them be. I do pull the brakes apart every year when I service our wheel bearings. I have a hose bib for our fresh water tank so I try to empty the water tank before trailering by washing off the brakes as best as I can after putting the boat back on the trailer coming out of saltwater. Car dealers obsess about resurfacing rotors and in some instances they are removing hard facing from the rotor and all the while making them thinner so they can tell you they need to be replaced because they too thin. New pads wear in pretty quickly on existing rotors. I'd save your money and stick with the cast iron rotors. No one will notice.
D.D.
 
Replaced our original brakes w/ SS sets from Tie-Down Eng. and changed the flex hoses at the same time No complaints and the rotors have not rusted at all. The calipers still look good too. All I do is rinse w/ H2O, then quick rinse w/ Salt-Away. They are only 2 yrs old and not many looooooong miles.
 
local boy,

You're listed as being from/around/near Lake Stevens. Does that mean you launch in fresh water or salt water? did you get SS calipers too?

Since I'm going to rebuild Jounrey On's brakes this winter, I just want to know more about how the SS ones work.

Boris
 
No matter what the material--it is always good to wash the brakes down with fresh water every time the trailer is dunked--this means at launch and haul out in salt water. If there is no wash down, we use a garden sprayer.
 
localboy;

Glad to hear they work in salt water. The calipers in that assembly are aluminum with an aluminum/stainless piston. They're not rated for electric-hydraulic operation, due to the line pressure.

Has anybody installed stainless calipers? And how do they work? They're pricey, I know.

And while were on the subject what have C-Brats done for wheel lugs/nuts?

Boris
 
Yep they are not rated for electric over hydraulic but I had no intention of switching now and needed new brakes. As for lug nuts, I used the standard galvanized steel but use a little anti-seize prior to install.
 
IMG_1759.sized.jpg

I replaced all the calipers on the TomCat EZ Loader trailer today.

IMG_1760.sized.jpg

It was a no-brainer. New pads and a rebuild kit for the cylinder was $65 per hub. All new calipers with new pads and cylinders were $75 per hub, and no rebuilding the cylinders. Only 1 1/2 hours and one smashed thumb nail.

I got the parts from E-trailer with free shipping. Kodiak 225 calipers. Yes I know there were stainless steel parts also available, but the originals lasted 10 years and over 50,000 miles
 
stainless work hardens if you don't work the brakes to bad for the first few miles the rotors will get a hard surface and then not wear much after that I have them on my trailer and like them its the calipers that is a problem for me wish I had just bit the bullet and bought the stainless ones , mine keep freezing up even with a real good fresh water flush after each outing .
Richard
 
What's the difference in the calipers or brake pads? Stainless or regular calipers, the pads are the same. I guess I don't understand. the last post.
 
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