Hard to stop air brakes 2000 DSDP 3859

[TJ]

Please get your coach brakes checked now, wsmcycle. Something is definitely not right and you are endangering yourself...and others...by continuing to drive the coach in that condition.

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by twinboat

When you watched the actuators ( brake chamber rods ) move, did you notice how far the rod moved out ?

It should NOT move more then 2 inches, under full brake pedal application. That is with the parking brake off.

If they move more then that, they need to be serviced. Automatic adjusters should never need adjustment.

Your rear shoes will wear faster, they are under the heavy part of the RV and doing more of the stopping.

If the original owner has been babying the brakes, you may need to do some hard stops to burnish the shoes.

Get it up to 50 MPH on an open road and do 3 or 4 hard stops. That may help.

I talked.to the original.owner this past Friday. He said he is 92 and still driving his new motor home that he traded the Dutch Star for. He said he wishes that he kept the Dutch Star.
Now to my point I want to make, at 92 the original owner may have babied this coach. The condition of the coach certainly would confirm great care. He was 78 when he bought the coach, so probably didn't "Cowboy" the coach.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Oldboots1950

I talked.to the original.owner this past Friday. He said he is 92 and still driving his new motor home that he traded the Dutch Star for. He said he wishes that he kept the Dutch Star.
Now to my point I want to make, at 92 the original owner may have babied this coach. The condition of the coach certainly would confirm great care. He was 78 when he bought the coach, so probably didn't "Cowboy" the coach.

A couple hundred bucks, pull the drums off and you know for certain.

No disrespect to all of us Internet Experts but the ONLY way you will know for sure is a physical inspection with the drums off.

If spending a couple hundred to check your brakes bothers you, you have the wrong machine. Trust me, there will be issues that will test your wallet a lot more than this one. Don't be shy.

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim

Please get your coach brakes checked now, wsmcycle. Something is definitely not right and you are endangering yourself...and others...by continuing to drive the coach in that condition.

If you are addressing Oldboots, I am not endangering anyone including myself. My coach is in my yard being gone over with a fine tooth comb to put it into top shape before we venture out. Hence me reaching out to the originl onwer and other helpful members on this site to dertime the problem and solutions.
I do thank you for your concerns.

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by dennis45

A couple hundred bucks, pull the drums off and you know for certain.

No disrespect to all of us Internet Experts but the ONLY way you will know for sure is a physical inspection with the drums off.

If spending a couple hundred to check your brakes bothers you, you have the wrong machine. Trust me, there will be issues that will test your wallet a lot more than this one. Don't be shy.

It's not the money, it's the direction. Its knowing where to take or not take it. The dealer we bought it from does not do chassis work and suggested a Petro Truck stop.
We own 5 boats around the country and have learn the hard way just because a guy works for a marins does not make him a mechanic. I had a marina install 4 engines in the portside only to have them.blow up. They walked away.and I had to pull the engine myself. As soon as I pulled it I knew what the problem was as I had watched the mechanic put the wires on, time it and start it. When I pulled the engine I didcovered the front of the engine mounted to the transmission. He set the engine up with cylinder 8 as being #1. A pure disaster x4.
I just recently had my engine and outdrive pulled from our 26' Sea Ray that we keep here at Table Rock for some maintenance. I get it back and it wouldn't start. I pulled the boat out and went ti remove the plug inly to discover they had not installed the continuity grounds. It cost me another $2500.00 to get corrected.
So I am trying to educate myself to the problems and solutions before going to a shop and let a mechanic try to figure it out.
By the way I tiok my boat to one of the supposedly best facilities on.Lake of the Ozarks thinking I was safe. Not so!

[BillJinOR]

A commercial truck service would be the place cat or Cummins would be a name brand type but there are many independent shops. Just like the boat you are correct it’s all about finding the correct one. I’ve had highly recommend shops mess up. Good news is for a commercial truck shop this should be easy work .. if they will work on motorhomes I’d call around your area and get a reel for how the conversation goes

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by BillJinOR

A commercial truck service would be the place cat or Cummins would be a name brand type but there are many independent shops. Just like the boat you are correct it’s all about finding the correct one. I’ve had highly recommend shops mess up. Good news is for a commercial truck shop this should be easy work .. if they will work on motorhomes I’d call around your area and get a reel for how the conversation goes

I already took it to one truck shop and was told my brakes were good to go. They had one motor home in the shop and one sitting outside. So I thought they were comfortable working on MHs. That's how I found out the percentages of brakes remaining. The white flag for.me was a vehicle with 104k miles and mo wear on the front. This promped the call to the original owner who said he never put new brakes on the coach.
We owned a fleet of semi trucks at one time and had the opportunity to move a few around the lot a few times and they would throw you through the windshield.
This being our first "land yacht" I didn't know if the braking system was softer than a truck, which I was not comfortable with.
The original owner gave me the name of the truck shop that did ALL of his service work (which he was religious about doing). This concerns me because he took this vehicle to them at least once a year and they didn't have concerns the brakes show no wear.
This brings me back to finding a competent truck shop. I feel I need to know what needs fixed and what it is going to take to fix it before I take it somehere for repairs.

One more thing on the 26' boat. The repair shop sold me a new battery. When it wouldn't start I took it to Battery Outfitters to learn I had a used battery that was too small to start the engine. I question if that was incompetence or just plain theft / fraud.
The search goes on for the unicorn.

[engine103]

Barring any mechanical that could cause brake issues, when I first started driving my 2000 Monaco DP I thought the brakes required an excessive amount of pressure to make smooth stops. Now this may sound too simple but by moving my seat 2/3 inches forward completely changed everything. In my daily driver, I like to have the seat almost all the way back (6'3") and this works great but not in the MH. Jim E. OKC

[GraciesDaddy]

Originally Posted by Oldboots1950

Now would be the time to do it before my wife gets it loaded with missle hazards.

Yeah, OldBoots... Best to make sure that magnetic knife holder is firmly attached to the wall before hitting the road!!

::snarkymode OFF::

[HavingABlast]

Originally Posted by engine103

Barring any mechanical that could cause brake issues, when I first started driving my 2000 Monaco DP I thought the brakes required an excessive amount of pressure to make smooth stops. Now this may sound too simple but by moving my seat 2/3 inches forward completely changed everything. In my daily driver, I like to have the seat almost all the way back (6'3") and this works great but not in the MH. Jim E. OKC

X2! That was my low tech solution as well.

[Mark D]

Originally Posted by CountryB

My first/best guess is that the linings are glazed (they were over heated) by previous owner.

We traded a 2005 Fleetwood in last month. We had glazed brakes and had the breaks done before the trade in. We had to drive from CT to Dallas for the trade in. That was the same issue we have before the brakes were done. It was gradual.

In our case I think the brakes were too big for the coach. When I would use them I had to be gentle so I think that added to the glaze.

If we ever had to get on the brakes that thing would slow as good as an average pick up truck...

I would think an occasion spirited stop may keep the glaze away.

On the side of a slack adjuster if it's allowed to drag some that could cause an issue....

[TJ]

Originally Posted by Oldboots1950

If you are addressing Oldboots, I am not endangering anyone including myself. My coach is in my yard being gone over with a fine tooth comb to put it into top shape before we venture out. Hence me reaching out to the originl onwer and other helpful members on this site to dertime the problem and solutions.
I do thank you for your concerns.

I thought I was pretty clear that I was addressing the OP (wsmcycle). Even put his name in the text. I was not addressing anyone else.

TJ

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by twinboat

When you watched the actuators ( brake chamber rods ) move, did you notice how far the rod moved out ?

It should NOT move more then 2 inches, under full brake pedal application. That is with the parking brake off.

If they move more then that, they need to be serviced. Automatic adjusters should never need adjustment.

Your rear shoes will wear faster, they are under the heavy part of the RV and doing more of the stopping.

If the original owner has been babying the brakes, you may need to do some hard stops to burnish the shoes.

Get it up to 50 MPH on an open road and do 3 or 4 hard stops. That may help.

I checked the travel and it is only 3/4" and slack adjuster is 90° to the actuators which my former truck parts supplier said to be properly adjusted. I did test drive it on our paved driveway and with repeated quick stops it improved my stopping distance.

[Oldboots1950]

Originally Posted by engine103

Barring any mechanical that could cause brake issues, when I first started driving my 2000 Monaco DP I thought the brakes required an excessive amount of pressure to make smooth stops. Now this may sound too simple but by moving my seat 2/3 inches forward completely changed everything. In my daily driver, I like to have the seat almost all the way back (6'3") and this works great but not in the MH. Jim E. OKC

I will test that theory next week. My pedals adjust in and out so will move them too.and see if it makes any difference.