ACME Tow Dolly - Check pad wear often!

[jarrington]

Hi folks-

I'm new here, joined because it looks like this is the main source of info on the Acme EZE-tow dolly. I just had to drop a chunk of change on new rotors, hubs, etc. from Acme because the brake pads wore so unevenly. I always just glanced at the outside pad (the easiest one to see) and since it always looked fine I didn't much worry about it.

Well, a couple of months ago I used the dolly to haul a new toy from the port of Houston back to Denver...


By the time I got back there was a horrible grinding noise any time the surge brakes were engaged. The pads were obviously gone.

But take a look at the way the pads wore:


And yes, it was exactly the same on both sides:


Which brings me to the other part of my rant. My EZE-Tow is a 2011 model, and there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to get the lower caliper bolt off.

Acme admitted they get the axles in as a complete unit, and when they welded on the pan they didn't bother to engineer in any way to remove the lower bolt. I ended up having to drill a 1/2" hole on either side so I could fish a long 3/8" extension through to get to the lower bolt.

Supposedly they fixed this on the newer models. But I'm still gobsmacked that they would ship a product for so long with no easy way to perform the most basic maintenance task, replacing brake pads.

OK, rant over. Lessons learned:
- Check pad wear on outside and inside of caliper
- Replace pads if there's any question at all
- Bring a drill and a sharp 1/2" cobalt bit if you have an older dolly like mine.

Hopefully this helps someone.

[Scarab0088]

And thanks for the tip...never looked for issues with full disassembly.
I wonder when Acme corrected the disassembly blockage(?).

The symptom - single worn pad - means the caliper was not traveling on the mount. This can cause premature wear. Equal/opposite premature wear sounds like a rust issue on the caliper movement
Did you check for free caliper movement and or damage on the mounts upon reassembly?

Acme told me the pads were sourced from a Korean auto maker (like Kia). Mind sharing where the replacement pads were sourced?

We have over 10,000 miles on our second hand EZE-Tow...still running strong

Thanks again

[jarrington]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

And thanks for the tip...never looked for issues with full disassembly.
I wonder when Acme corrected the disassembly blockage(?).

The symptom - single worn pad - means the caliper was not traveling on the mount. This can cause premature wear. Equal/opposite premature wear sounds like a rust issue on the caliper movement
Did you check for free caliper movement and or damage on the mounts upon reassembly?

Acme told me the pads were sourced from a Korean auto maker (like Kia). Mind sharing where the replacement pads were sourced?

We have over 10,000 miles on our second hand EZE-Tow...still running strong

Thanks again

I'm still waiting on parts from Acme, hope to get it put back together on Thursday. I'm definitely going to make sure the caliper is moving freely.

Replacement pads are 1997-2000 Kia Sephia. Acme recommends using organic (non-metallic) only.

What really bugged me most was the lack of thought put into servicing. Before I drilled the access hole the only tool I could get on that lower bolt was a box end wrench, which I could barely turn. I fought it for probably 20 minutes before grabbing my drill and going medieval on the thing. I guess it's nice that they recognized and fixed the problem but it didn't help owners of early models.

The other shocker is that the replacement rotors only come in a kit with bearings and hubs, etc. at $189 before shipping!

So don't ruin them like I did.