Disintegrated Brakes

[Lil Joe]

I have a 2023 Montana High Country 331RL with under 3,000 miles. My tires are Rainer 235/80 R16, G rated at 110 PSI. Last spring while returning to Niagara Falls from Florida we experienced a blow out on the left front tire, near Columbia SC. Had the spare put on and made it home. Prior to departing, the tires were all checked and up to pressure. I was not overloaded, no heavy braking, and I drive averaging 70 MPH. I have made a few local trips since then with a new tire installed. Prior to leaving this year for Florida I figured with the low mileage, all brakes etc should be good, but had a gut feeling to check the wheels, bearing and brakes. So I had a mechanic, that I know and trust, and works on trailers and trucks for the local power company, check the wheel assemblies. The wheel that resulted in the blowout had the brakes totally disintegrated and the drum was grooved. The next wheel behind had about 1/2 the brake lining missing and also a grooved drum. My mechanic did not even check the other two wheels and just asked me to go and get four new backing plates, brakes and drums. The other two wheels were checked and had well worn down brake pads. All new backing plates with brakes and drums were installed. With all the talk about China bomb tires, perhaps improperly adjusted, loose or improperly installed brakes could be a factor in overheating causing a blowout. Travelling at speed for a long distance, with rubbing parts, would cause the tires to overheat. Perhaps I am naive but I would not expect this type of issue with a brand new trailer. Lesson learned!
Also, how do others adjust for proper trailer brake settings using the tow vehicle brake controller?

 

[Daryles]

Our brake failure experience...

TPMS Saved us...

TPMS Saved us... I thought I had shared this here but I guess I overlooked it...7-6-21 Right rear trailer tire was 15⁰F warmer than all the others. Pulled into a rest stop and checked the tires. Looked good. Used a laser thermometer and checked the tires, hubs and brake drum. Tire was 120⁰F...

www.montanaowners.com

Etrailer has YouTube video on how to adjust the "self adjusting" brakes.

 

[RMcNeal]

We bought our rig new in October 2019. After reading a lot on the forum about members repacking bearings for the first time and finding them with no grease, and a few bearing failures, I decided to go ahead and pull the wheels and check before our first trip.
The right rear wheel brake magnet had detached and the wiring was broken and wrapped around the axle. I ended up getting reimbursed for the backing plate from Dexter, since the rig only had 10 miles on it from the dealer to my house.
As it turned out, there was plenty of grease in the bearings, but I cleaned them and repacked anyway.

 

[Mikendebbie]

I generally drive at 60 to 62 mph…never 70. When bad things happen, it gets worse with high speed. It’s just physics. The faster you go - the harder you hit potholes and bridge joints. Bearings and tires develop more heat. Your truck will be fine but the rattle-box rig of thin plywood and aluminum studs not so much. Chances are good that the 19 yr old welder in the Lippert factory was thinking about his date that night at 4:25 pm as he sort of welded your spring hangers to the frame. I think you are pushing everything to the limit at 70 mph +…slow down! I don’t trust anything on my rig and I don’t want to hasten its demise. Your rig is more like a high mileage YUGO and not like a low mileage LEXUS…treat it with care!

 

[Mikelff]

I drive 65-67 unless I need to pass at 70 mph max. That’s hurricane force winds on your rig. I had some idiot pass me once with a good size 5er doing about 80-85 mph. I watched him loose his A/C cover and some pieces of something else. Couldn’t tell what it was. That also had to be at or over his tire speed rating. I made sure to give him lots of space because I wanted plenty of braking room in case he totaled that rig. At 70 mpg, you are likely only 5 mpg away from your max tire speed rating, and banging the crap out of your rig. I would recommend 65 and stay alive.

 

[RMcNeal]

Totally agree! 65 is my max speed, even passing. There's no place I need to be that badly to go any faster. My truck is capable of pulling the rig at 100 mph. That's crazy. I'm more worried about stopping than going.

 

[twindman]

I think my duramax doesn't shift to overdirve until 67 mph, so if I want to be high I have to drive 67 (or turn of tow mode for a second (which then has a shift to high at something in the 50s). Also, on smaller rigs (I am borderline), I run Michelin tires which have 104 mph or something like that, but I hold it to 70 or under.

 

[jsb5717]

I might suggest that if brakes are wearing prematurely that it shouldn't have anything to do with speed. Brakes wear because they are activated and rubbing on the hub. They shouldn't be in pressurized contact with the hub at any speed until the brake pedal is pressed.

There are good reasons to maintain a moderate speed while driving, but excessive brake wear isn't one of them. There has to be something else going on in proper adjustment or improper signal from the controller.

Heat can be a contributing factor. A TPMS, as stated, is a wise investment to keep an eye on it. On one occasion our TPMS kept reporting increased heat. Turns out that the hub nuts on our rig were just a little too tight which increased the heat on the bearings. I reset them all and that problem was solved.

 

[mlh]

It seems like everybody has a magic speed they think nobody should exceed. For me it’s the speed limit plus a few MPH.
Lynwood

 

[ChuckS]

Back to the original post - the brakes being shot was most likely caused due to no maintenance since 2023.. Service manual says every 12 moths or 12K miles.... I yank my hubs off every year prior to first trip out.. last year we only put 700 miles on the fifth wheel..

The hubs will still come off in early May prior to our first trip out.. Cost me $12 for four inner bearing seals... Takes maybe two hours to clean, inspect, lube all four ...

On my 13 season with over 55K miles on the original Dexter brakes, bearings, etc...

Towing speed is 62 mph... My LBZ gets its best mileage at that speed ( 13.5 mog )... My RV and truck tires are happier at the slower speed, I get to look a bit more while driving and my wallet has a smile on its face..

Might take me 30 more minutes added to destination arrival time but we have never blown a tire, never had a bearing failure or brake failure....

 

[jpwhite]

As to the brakes and bearings, yes, check them often.

I had a brake disintegrate my first year of ownership on my 2019 3120. A passing motorist flagged us and said one of my wheels was on fire. I pulled off, and the right rear tire was smoking. I emptied the fire extinguisher on it. We pulled off the highway into a lot. When I removed the tire, the entire brake assembly fell out onto the ground.

Wow, welcome to the world of "modern" RV's!! With the brake gone, the wheel rolled fine, we put it back together and made it the last 50 miles to home.

Keystone replaced backing plates and brakes on both sides of that (rear) axle under warrantee
.
About 6 months later, I am leaving one Florida campground to head to another, and I hear the loud screeching noise as I turn a corner to exit the park. I pull into the first parking lot, removed the right front tire and find that brake has disintegrated. Not nearly as completely as before, as we caught it early. I removed what was left of the brake assembly and traveled the 75 miles with only rear brakes working on the trailer. No longer under warrantee, I ordered the Lippert China made replacement from Amazon for less than half the cost of the OEM backing plate and brake assembly and put it on at the campground.

The following year, I take the 5th Wheel to a nearby General RV to have them clean and lube the bearings. While doing the intake inspection, they find that the front brakes are not working (I had verified they were when I last worked on them in Florida). Upon further inspection, the front left brake was shot. They are supposed to be replaced as a pair, so two new backing plates and Never Adjust brakes are installed at my expense. Good news is they worked in the end.

I have the SAILUN S637 - ST235 / 80 R16 tires that I fill to 110 psi when cold. They run about 120 to 125 psi when warmed up. I use the TST TPMS since the first wheel "flambe" incident. Underway, the temp runs about 10 degrees above outdoor temperature on the shade side, and about 15 degrees on the sunny side or the trailer.

As for speed, I usually set the cruise on my Duramax equipped Silverado 3500 at 67 - 68 mph on good smooth roads (like not those in Michigan). I stay in the right lane and anyone wanting to get there a few minutes sooner can easily pass, and I usually do not have to pass others myself.

 

[Lil Joe]

Thanks for the comments. This wasn't about speed, but about improperly adjusted hubs or brakes from the factory. Although the trailer is a 2023 it was bought new in 2024. Other than the miles put on by having it delivered to the dealer from Indiana, we only drove to Florida once, and had the issue returing. You would think that with only 2400 miles, and minimal brake usage, all would be good. But not so. I am warning and educating others to check the brakes and hubs prior to taking delivery. Don't assume that the hubs and brakes were properly adjusted at the point of manufacturing, prior to leaving the assembly plant.

 

[foldbak]

My 2022 had one brake failure where the shoe bonding failed around 2000 miles. I put almost 15000 miles on my Rainers running 110 psi and 62 to 70 mph. When I changed them to sailun's they were wearing great.

 

[Mike_Garcia]

I have a 2023 Montana High Country 331RL with under 3,000 miles. My tires are Rainer 235/80 R16, G rated at 110 PSI. Last spring while returning to Niagara Falls from Florida we experienced a blow out on the left front tire, near Columbia SC. Had the spare put on and made it home. Prior to departing, the tires were all checked and up to pressure. I was not overloaded, no heavy braking, and I drive averaging 70 MPH. I have made a few local trips since then with a new tire installed. Prior to leaving this year for Florida I figured with the low mileage, all brakes etc should be good, but had a gut feeling to check the wheels, bearing and brakes. So I had a mechanic, that I know and trust, and works on trailers and trucks for the local power company, check the wheel assemblies. The wheel that resulted in the blowout had the brakes totally disintegrated and the drum was grooved. The next wheel behind had about 1/2 the brake lining missing and also a grooved drum. My mechanic did not even check the other two wheels and just asked me to go and get four new backing plates, brakes and drums. The other two wheels were checked and had well worn down brake pads. All new backing plates with brakes and drums were installed. With all the talk about China bomb tires, perhaps improperly adjusted, loose or improperly installed brakes could be a factor in overheating causing a blowout. Travelling at speed for a long distance, with rubbing parts, would cause the tires to overheat. Perhaps I am naive but I would not expect this type of issue with a brand new trailer. Lesson learned!
Also, how do others adjust for proper trailer brake settings using the tow vehicle brake controller?

You probably should have replaced with disc brakes instead of wasting all that money on more junk. Same thing happened to me when I had a few trips under my belt with a brand new 2013. This was about 5 years in when I reinspected the brakes and there wasn't much left. About $1000.00 for like replacement brakes and about $2000.00 for disc brake conversion. I had just been to a west coast rally and went to the forum on the advantages of disc over conventional factory brakes. Best thing I ever invested in!!! Sooo much better braking! Very smooth, not all jerkey like with old brakes. Also found the bronze bushings worn out and one of my wet bolts was cracked right through the grease hole, the shackles were loose and not even close to factory torque settings per Dexters specs. Needless to say, I replaced and realigned and re-torqued everything. Now I go down the road knowing everything is in proper order. All said and done, about $2350.00. All new wet bolts, bronze bushings, disc brakes. Totally worth it. My neighbor and I did the whole thing in about 4 working days, so no labor charges.

 

[jpwhite]

Lil Joe.

Totally agree, the issue you faced is poor components, assembly, workmanship from the factory.

The whole tire pressure, speed discussion is related and valuable as generally related to maintain control and safely tow these large rigs. Many blowouts are caused by speed and tire pressure. Your issue was the brake hanging up causing heat. Similar to the issue I had with my 3120. Luckily, I got flagged over with a smoking wheel before the tire went. Like I said, I use and watch the TST TPMS for pressure and temp. It has saved me grief on at least occasions since.

To answer your question on the brake controller setting, I keep my max level to 6 on my truck. Years ago, the dealer told to start out at max (10) and reduce it after the brakes are "broken in" (you mean fall apart! ha ha). I came to that setting by letting the truck and trailer roll forward, then using the trailer brakes to bring it to a "gentle" stop and hold it at idle.

I would like to know what other folks set their controller at. Is there a good process to follow?

 

[jpwhite]

Also, a little update on my brake saga. I am now on my second replacement set of backing plates and hubs on the rear axle. Also ended up replacing the suspension.

I brought my 2019 3120 into a local RV shop to have them perform a bearing lube service. Part of that service is to check the brakes. Turns out the seal had leaked on the left rear brake. The pads were ruined, and magnet shot. Nearly another $1k to replace the rear pair of hubs and backing plates. That is the second replacement set on that rear axle. I am still on my first replacement on front, which checked good. This was an unplanned expense. I might have gone disk conversion had I planned this out. Oh well. I need it done soon, and it is way to crappy outside to attempt in the storage yard myself.

I also had the suspension springs and components replaced. I asked them to check that out as well as the rig had a noticeable lean to the left (Drivers / off door side). I had come to think that was normal, because of weight distribution, or something. So, I hadn't planned for that expense.

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first but decided to go ahead. I am really glad I did. When I put the trailer back in the storage lot, the rig sat level in the spot for the first time in as long as I can remember. Duh! Should have done that years ago.