Kodiak Disc Brakes - 13" Hub/Rotor - 8 on 6-1/2 - Raw/E-Coat - 7,000 lbs - E-Z Lube

Video Transcript for Review of Kodiak Trailer Brakes - Raw/E-Coat 13" Hub/Rotor Disc Brakes - KOD96FR

Hi there, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna take a quick look at this Kodiak 13-inch hub and rotor disc brake assembly set. This is going to allow you to upgrade your trailer's brakes 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. Having the two brake assemblies here is going to allow you to upgrade a single 7,000 pound capacity axle with the number 42 spindles. Our rotors are 13 inches in diameter and you can see we have eight of these 1/2-inch diameter wheel bolts in the 8 on 6 1/2 inch bolt pattern. So these are going to work with your wheels that are 16 inches and larger.

We do have an e-coat finish on our calipers here that's gonna help resist rust and corrosion with a 250- to 350-hour salt spray rating that's gonna provide adequate rust protection for your camper, car hauler, or utility trailer. Our hub and rotor are unfinished, so you're not gonna get that same sort of protection there, so definitely not gonna want to use these in a very salty environment. So if you've got a boat trailer that you're wanting to upgrade to disc brakes, I would recommend going more with a Dacromet finish or a stainless steel construction that's gonna hold up better in really salty environments. So if you're gonna be in salt water, or if you're gonna be on really salty roads, heavily treated roads, that sort of thing, I'd go with more of those other constructions that hold up better in those environments. But if your trailer isn't gonna be around a whole lot of salt, not gonna worry too much about the corrosive effect, these are gonna do a good job for you.

Upgrading your trailer from drum brakes to disc brakes is going to give you much better performance. You're gonna notice a dramatic difference in the stopping distance. These are gonna provide a much shorter stopping distance for you. They've got these ceramic brake pads that help to increase your stopping power and there is a large 2 1/2-inch diameter stainless steel piston that provides fast responsive braking. So you are gonna notice it's gonna be much smoother and more controlled when you're braking, it's gonna help keep your trailer from pushing and pulling like you're used to with your drum brakes.

And in addition to better performance, these are also going to require less maintenance, so it's gonna help save you time and money over the long run. Having that one-piece hub and rotor assembly does reduce the chance of uneven rotor wear. And we have a vented design here on the side, so that's gonna help dissipate heat faster to prevent premature brake pad wear. Now your brake pads will wear down over time, so you will have to replace those eventually, but that's a pretty straightforward process and that's really the only component that you're gonna need to replace any time in the near future. You're not gonna have a bunch of springs and other small components that could fail and need to be replaced.

And these are a nice high-quality automotive grade construction, so they are gonna be very long lasting and again, save you that time and money on maintenance. Now the one caveat with disc brakes is that they do require a higher line pressure than your drum brakes. So you need to make sure that you have a hydraulic brake actuator and brake lines that are rated for 1500 psi or higher and that's gonna be kind of rare for your trailers that are set up for drum brakes, so you are probably gonna need to install those, switch that out, so there might be a bit of a project. Those components, the brake actuator and brake lines, are sold separately here at etrailer.com. So if you do need them, we have them available for you, but they're not included in this kit. So this kit isn't gonna give you everything that you need, but it is going to give you the two cast-iron hub and rotor assemblies with the eight pre-installed 1/2-inch diameter wheel bolts on each. You're also going to get 16 of these 1/2-inch zinc-plated steel lug nuts to hold your wheel in place. You'll get the two e-coated cast iron calipers to make sure everything is stopping properly. On the back side here you can see we've got the e-coated ductile iron caliper mounting brackets. These do have the five bolt brake flange configuration, so it is gonna be very simple to get mounted onto your axle that's got the five bolts there. Now I do wanna point out I've got this mounted on top just for display purposes for balance and that sort of thing, but when you go to install it, you're actually gonna be installing it on the side and that side support design puts all the weight on the mounting bracket instead of on the bolts. So it's gonna help your bolts last longer. You are gonna get four of these stainless steel caliper mounting bolts with this. You also have your inner and outer races that are pre-installed inside here, you'll get your inner and outer bearings that will fit inside there, make sure everything's rotating on your axle spindles the way it should. This kit is lubricated with grease, so you are gonna get your two grease seals for the inside and then your two E-Z-Lube grease caps for the outside. And these are E-Z-Lube caps. They've got that rubber plug in there that you can pop out and so that you can more easily access your E-Z-Lube spindle, pump some grease in there, keep everything well lubricated and then pop that cap back on instead of having to take the whole cap off, you can just use that rubber cap there. So much easier to keep everything well lubricated. So like I said, this kit is definitely not for your boat trailers that are gonna be in and out of water or trailers that are gonna be on really salty roads. Not having any sort of finish on your hub and rotor is going to make those sort of environments ones that you're gonna wanna stay away from. But if you are wanting to upgrade your trailer from drum brakes to disc brakes, or if you're just needing to replace your disc brakes, this is gonna be a great set for those trailers that aren't gonna be in those super corrosive environments. So that completes our look for today. Again, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.