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Old 08-28-2016, 01:28 PM   #21
Dave W
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Join Date: May 2015
Location: Near Saratoga Springs,
Posts: 1,131
Understand that this is an old thread, but ......

We are on another extended trip (6-8000 miles) and have decided that the brakes on our Montana HC 343RL are sadly deficient in terms of stopping power. Additionally the 5200 pound springs are just too soggy. What has been described in this and the attached link is what I feel ours needs as a minimum upgrade.

Probably the only question for the OP is why did you choose the Titan actuator instead of a Dexter or Hydrastar?
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Old 08-28-2016, 02:15 PM   #22
bdaniel
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Location: NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave W View Post
Understand that this is an old thread, but ......

We are on another extended trip (6-8000 miles) and have decided that the brakes on our Montana HC 343RL are sadly deficient in terms of stopping power. Additionally the 5200 pound springs are just too soggy. What has been described in this and the attached link is what I feel ours needs as a minimum upgrade.

Probably the only question for the OP is why did you choose the Titan actuator instead of a Dexter or Hydrastar?
Sorry, I don't remember now and I did not mention my reasoning in my blog. I did a lot of research and there was a reason I chose the Titan. I just don't remember.

In July we did about a 5000 mile trip from NC to NM, AZ, NV, UT and CO. I love my disc brakes. I simply forgot about them. They always worked. They were not different in the morning, or when they were hot or cold.

You have to find the right brake controller setting through trial and error. And there is a slight delay in activation because it take just a little time for the actuator to build up pressure.

But the solid braking feeling you get from the disc brakes feels so much better. And safer.

Bleed the lines at each brake after EACH of the first 2-3 trips.

If you have 5200 axles definitely look into upgrading your springs and the wet bolt kit. I also switched to 16 inch LT Michelin tires. I now have no worries about my suspension regardless of what speed I choose to travel.

We should not have to make these kinds of changes on an expensive RV but that is the state of the industry today.

Bobby
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:26 PM   #23
Dave W
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Location: Near Saratoga Springs,
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Originally Posted by bdaniel View Post
Sorry, I don't remember now and I did not mention my reasoning in my blog. I did a lot of research and there was a reason I chose the Titan. I just don't remember.

In July we did about a 5000 mile trip from NC to NM, AZ, NV, UT and CO. I love my disc brakes. I simply forgot about them. They always worked. They were not different in the morning, or when they were hot or cold.

You have to find the right brake controller setting through trial and error. And there is a slight delay in activation because it take just a little time for the actuator to build up pressure.

But the solid braking feeling you get from the disc brakes feels so much better. And safer.

Bleed the lines at each brake after EACH of the first 2-3 trips.

If you have 5200 axles definitely look into upgrading your springs and the wet bolt kit. I also switched to 16 inch LT Michelin tires. I now have no worries about my suspension regardless of what speed I choose to travel.

We should not have to make these kinds of changes on an expensive RV but that is the state of the industry today.

Bobby
Thanks.
I'll finish my research then make my best 'guess' for actuator. Making the switch on the brakes - even my wife noticed it took too far to stop with close encounters in Louisville then again in Kansas City. Oh and our trip started Tuesday just South of Plattsburgh,NY. We are currently sitting near Colorado Springs with a return to UT, NM, AZ then on to TX, LA, GA, SC etc, back to Upstate NY for the fall camping season.

As far as suspension, I added a 1" block for a bit of height, wet bolts and 9/16" U-bolts (properly torqued). Michelin or Bridgestone ribs weren't in my budget last spring so went with what I had on the now gone Titanium - General Grabber Low Rolling Resistance LTs, including the spare, which have been great to date.
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Old 08-29-2016, 02:19 AM   #24
rjsurfer
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The biggest plus for me going to disc brakes was the fact that I was always adjusting the controller during a trip. I had one setting for highway one for two lane roads and lastly a setting for stop and go traffic. If i didn't make these adjustments on the fly i was never happy with the braking performance. I don't just mean stopping distance I also mean the brake modulation, it was never linear, there was always some grabbing and jerkiness.

Even completely changing out the 4 brake assemblies (etrailer) made little difference.

Another reason for me for the swap was my truck didn't have the fancy tow haul feature and exhaust brakes aren't an option on my truck.

I haven't touched the brake controller once since setting it up initially.

Ron W.
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:56 AM   #25
Titan Guy
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Join Date: Oct 2014
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Delays can come from several areas. Assuming the wiring is correct and the system is bled properly.
1. I would always use steel brake line. Rubber line is adequate for hydraulic drum brakes on boat trailers because the drum brake actuators operate at 1,000 psi while disc brakes operate at 1,500+ psi. Rubber over time will have a tendency to expand.

2. We use response time to measure the time it takes the actuator to build pressure from 0 to 200 psi. This is typically where you feel braking. Because The Titan EHB has a 5 piston pump, generating 70+ Cu. in. Min. the Hydrastar and Dexter use a 3 piston pump generating 40-42 Cu. in. Min. The response time of the Titan is .3 sec. vs. the Hydrastar advertised response time of .8 sec and the Dexter slightly slower than that.

3. The fastest brake controller will always be an aftermarket electric/hydraulic compatible brake controller like the Prodigy P2 or P3. The reason is they are designed to do only one thing. Stop you.
Integrated controllers from each truck mfg. operate a little differently but most are using a variable ramp up voltage system where multiple inputs like, brake pedal, ABS and master cylinder sensors send a signal to a "Power Train Control Module" then PTCM tells the integrated controller when and how much voltage to send down the blue wire. This was designed specifically to allow smooth braking on trailers with electric brakes. The manufacturers accomplished this but at the expense of stopping distance.

A combination of these all have an effect on potential delays.
Out of some 150+ installations we have done, we have no responses above .8 sec. Anything above that needs to be resolved.
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Old 09-14-2016, 12:29 AM   #26
rjsurfer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjsurfer View Post
The biggest plus for me going to disc brakes was the fact that I was always adjusting the controller during a trip. I had one setting for highway one for two lane roads and lastly a setting for stop and go traffic. If i didn't make these adjustments on the fly i was never happy with the braking performance. I don't just mean stopping distance I also mean the brake modulation, it was never linear, there was always some grabbing and jerkiness.

Even completely changing out the 4 brake assemblies (etrailer) made little difference.

Another reason for me for the swap was my truck didn't have the fancy tow haul feature and exhaust brakes aren't an option on my truck.

I haven't touched the brake controller once since setting it up initially.

Ron W.
I haven't noticed any delay with my Titan pump, very pleased.

Ron W
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