Video Transcript for Kodiak Disc Brakes-KOD73FR Spec Review

Hi there, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna take a quick look at this Kodiak 13" Hub and Rotor Disc Brake Assembly Set. This is going to allow you to upgrade your trailer from drum brakes to disc brakes, so that you can take advantage of the superior performance that comes along with having disc brakes on your trailer. Or, if you already have disc brakes and you're just wanting to upgrade to a higher quality finish, these are gonna do a great job for you as well. Having the two brake assemblies is going to allow you to upgrade a single 7,000 pound capacity axle with a number 42 spindle. Our rotors are 13" in diameter and you can see, we've got the 5/8" diameter wheel bolts here and the 8 on 6-1/2" bolt pattern.

So these are gonna work for your wheels that are 16" and larger. Our hubs and rotors, as well as our calipers and our caliper mounting brackets, all have the Dacromet finish. So they are going to offer excellent rust and corrosion resistance with a 300 to 400 hour salt spray rating. So these are gonna work great for your boat trailers, or trailers that are used in coastal areas, or heavily treated roads, where you're gonna have a lot of contact with salt and corrosive materials like that. If you're looking at your good, better, best, kind of scenario, Dacromet is near the top in my mind.

The only thing better than Dacromet is stainless steel construction, and those can be kind of pricey so if you are looking for a nice, high-quality finish for your system, it's gonna hold up really well, last you a long time, this is gonna be a great way to go. Definitely higher than your E-coat, or definitely above your uncoated surfaces. These will hold up well to those more corrosive environments. So upgrading your trailer from drum brakes to disc brakes is going to give you several different benefits. It's definitely going to help to dramatically shorten your stopping distance.

You've got these ceramic brake pads here that are going to increase your stopping power. There's also a large 2-1/2" diameter stainless steel piston that provides fast, responsive braking. So it is gonna provide a smoother, more controlled braking experience for you than you're used to experiencing with your drum brakes. It's gonna help keep your trailer from pushing and pulling, so definitely a huge improvement in performance. And in addition to that, you're also going to have less maintenance with this style, so it's going to save you time and money over the long run.

Having that one-piece hub-and-rotor assembly is gonna reduce the chance of uneven rotor wear. And here on the side, we do have a vented design. That's gonna help dissipate your heat faster, to help prevent premature brake pad wear. Now, your brake pads will wear down over time so you will need to replace those eventually, but it's a pretty straightforward replacement, pretty straightforward process, and that's really the only component that's going to need to be replaced. You're not gonna have springs and all sorts of other components like your drum brakes. And these are a high-quality automotive grade construction, so it is gonna be very long-lasting for you. It's gonna be very minimal maintenance that you'll need to do. But the one caveat with disc brakes is that they do require a higher line pressure than your drum brakes. So you're gonna need to make sure that you've got a hydraulic brake actuator and brake lines that are rated for 1500 PSI and higher. And that's gonna be kind of rare for your trailers that are set up for drum brakes, so you're probably gonna have to switch all that out, so it might take a bit of doing to get this all set up for your disc brakes. If you don't already have those hydraulic brake actuators and brake lines, we do sell them separately here at etrailer.com. Obviously, it's not included in this kit. So this kit isn't gonna be everything that you need but it is going to include the two Dacromet-plated, cast iron hub-and-rotor assemblies with the eight pre-installed 5/8" diameter wheel bolts on each. You're also going to get 16 of these 5/8" zinc-plated steel lug nuts that will hold your wheel in place. You'll get the two Dacromet-plated cast iron calipers, as well as the two Dacromet-plated ductile iron caliper mounting brackets. As you can see, these have the five bolt brake flange configuration so they are gonna fit very easily onto your axles with those five bolts. And I do wanna point out that I've got this mounted on top just for display purposes, for balance, but when you go to install it, it's actually gonna be mounted on the side. And that side support design puts all the weight on the mounting bracket instead of on your bolts, so it's gonna help your bolts last longer. You are gonna get four of these stainless steel caliper mounting bolts. Your inner and outer races are pre-installed. You're also gonna get your inner and outer bearings that will fit inside there. Make sure that everything is rotating smoothly. This system is lubricated with oil so you're gonna get your two oil seals for the inside, your two oil caps for the outside. Those will screw in place. Make sure you're not gonna get dirt and debris and that sort of thing in there. And you're also going to get one eight ounce bottle of synthetic bearing oil to make sure that everything's moving smoothly, all your bearings are functioning properly and whatnot. So this kit, like I said, it's gonna be great as an upgrade for your drum brakes or if you've got disc brakes already and you're wanting that Dacromet finish, so that they're gonna be longer lasting for you, and these are gonna do a great job for you. And that completes our look for today. Again, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.