What to do with hubs, drums, and brakes after conversion????

[Porkchunker]

My conversion from drum to disk is complete and all is working well.

Now what do I do with the 6-lug hub/drums and the brake assembly plates that remain. They are not in that bad of shape, and could be put back into service by someone else who is looking to fix their current drum brakes, but not convert to disk.

BTW, those disks work so well, I need a back-up solenoid. My diesel truck grunts and groans like she is in a tractor pull contest when backing the boat and trailer.

 

[TomS]

As you have seen, mine were so bad that I tossed them.

FWIW, I purchased a manual back-up solenoid for simplicity and to eliminate a potential point of failure down the road.

Its a simple valve that screws into the back of the master cylinder on the actuator - simply turn the valve off and the hydraulic brakes are disabled, forward and reverse. I purchased it from Eastern Marine when I ordered the rest of my parts.

I only trailer a couple of times a season, so I'm hoping this simple approach works out.

-- Tom

 

[Porkchunker]

Looks simple, and inexpensive enough.

Since I keep the boat on a lot at the marina, I could close it and leave it closed until the next time I trailer it back to the house, which---like you---is only a couple of times a year. I have a full 7-pin RV style plug on the back of my truck which has a line for back-up lights. I could also tie into that line and install an electrical solenoid. For the few times I leave the marina each year, I believe the manual valve is probably the way to go.

WRT the hubs/drums and brake plates, in the end, I'll probably remove the bearings (keeping them for spares) and toss the rest.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[gw204]

That's the exact same valve I bought. It will get installed later this week with the new master cylinder.