Brakes - Self Adjusting vs Manual et al

[MikeT]

I was just doing some maintenance on my 2015 21 RBS, checking the bearings, brakes etc.  This project made an assumption (and we all know "assume" means) that I was going to inspect, repack the bearings and confirm that the brakes were in good condition.  As part of my prep for our upcoming trek to the Arctic Ocean I purchased a left and right brake kit along with a spare inner/outer bearing and replacement seals should something go wrong along the way.

For the most part the brakes and bearings were in good shape but the magnets 2 out of 4, so far, showed signs of irregular wear and have scored the drum to the point where I thought I could just get the drums turned and then install new backing plates that come with brakes, magnets all ready to pop in place.  After a few calls it seems not many people even turn the brakes and fewer still who will turn the surface where the magnets make contact so it looks like new drums may be in order. (I guess I really do need to get my mind out of the 70's where we fixed everything from scratch!).

I went to a local axle shop (Dexter recommended) and purchased the above noted parts but they are not Dexter and appear to be from a secondary market.  I am looking into the pricing of Dexter parts now but I suspect they will be quite expensive.
Is the secondary market ok for these parts or should I be sticking with Dexter brand?  Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

Merlin, I noticed from an old post that you may have replaced your manual adjustable brakes with self adjusting ones.  Is that true and is there anything I need to be aware of if I go this route?  I really do hate (and put off) adjusting them.

Cheers

Mike

[DavidM]

My 16TBS brakes were fine when I had it. But I did replace the brakes on a boat trailer where the effects of salt water submersion did them in after maybe ten years. These were hydraulic surge brakes but the use of non OEM parts is the real lesson here.

I bought axle hub, bearings, brake drum, and cylinder all in a kit from etrailer. Can't remember exactly what I spent, less than $100 per wheel I am sure. They were identical to the original parts and were self adjusting. I removed the old and that is a story in itself due to the very badly corroded bolts. But once I got the old off, the new ones fit just fine. I adjusted the brakes with the star wheel until they were barely dragging and I expect that the self adjusting feature will keep it that way as it wears.

All worked very well with the non OEM etrailer parts.

David

[MikeT]

Thanks for the quick reply David. So, just to clarify, you are okay with non-OEM parts in certain cases?  I guess the QC processes have improved over the years for some products (like brake and wheel components) that the outsourcing of these products is acceptable.  One brake repair shop and a mechanic I know said they regularly use brake components manufactured in China because they have developed good QC/QA practices but avoid newer startups like those in Malaysia and Indonesia as their QC/QA is just not there yet.  For the brake shops, I guess $ are the bottom line.  I was quite surprised that the cost of the "plug and play" approach to wheel and brake components was so much cheaper than replacing just the broken part.

Mike 

[DavidM]

All I can say is that I have some faith in etrailer selling quality brake assemblies and for me, this one time, it worked out well.

The Chinese have come a long way. I remember 50 years ago thinking that Japanese cars were junk. And they mostly were. Today they make some of the most reliable vehicles on the market. And then came Taiwan and S Korea.

10-20 years ago, the Chinese were where the Japanese were 50 years ago. Any Chinese part not supervised by an American company was likely crap. I remember looking at hardware store plumbing fittings with the threads way off of centerline. Today they are much better. But I still am careful. Renogy as one example is a Chinese supplier of RV and boat DC systems that makes good stuff, maybe not as good as Victron, but quite acceptable.

I think one of the bigger problems Chinese suppliers face is communications. I recently gave up trying to decipher the Chinglesh instructions of how to wire a very low cost battery monitor and just winged it. It worked fine. But forget about any customer support 

David

[Merlin]

I did a complete brake replacement (all 4) when I had leaking grease seals on one side that messed everything up. I bought the complete, ready to bolt on, kits from etrailer and it's worked perfectly. Easy install too. I went with self-adjusting. If you have specific brake questions, etrailer has good techs who can advise you by phone. Edit: they sell the Dexter brand.

[Pinstriper]

From professional experience with offshore manufacturing....

The Chinese will make anything you want, at whatever quality level you want. They will happily make crap, and happily make world class.

They will also happily charge you for world class and deliver crap if you let them. You MUST have an active presence in country and be conspicuously watching and holding them accountable to the specification. Do that, and you get exactly what you paid for. Don't, and all bets are off.

Taiwan is a bit more....scrupulous would be the word. They have a bit more of what in the US used to be called pride of workmanship.

[DavidM]

 ++++++++

David