nybirdman
Super Member
One change I noticed on my 2014 Silverado compared to my previous 2013 is that GM went back to rear disc brakes.I don't due a much heavy hauling myself but do like the disc in the rear.
Half Ton Trucks & Brakes
- Thread starter Haoleguy
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About 6 yrs ago I rented a large wood chipper that did not have trailer brakes. I didn't have far to go but at times that 5800 lbs chipper was pushing me. Won't make that mistake again. Our state has the 3K weight cutoff before brakes are required but only after a certain date of manufacture for trailer in question. There are many old chippers around that are over the weight and date requirement.
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- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
We have the same thing regarding date of manufacture...
My single axle car trailer has a Date of Manufacture of 1960 and has a 4,000 axle.
They were very popular with SCCA racers at the time.
No brakes and to add them would require major mods as it has a drop axle with no springs... axle is gusset welded to the frame rails...
It tows like a dream, easy to move around and the 10 ply made in USA Springfield tube tires have been flawless
nc redneck
Platinum Member
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All the new 1/2 tons have great brakes no need for more or good trailer brakes, until some jerk cuts you off , runs you off the road , or you hit a 12% grade several miles long. At that point a 2500 or 3500 looks like a cheap investment with the best trailer brakes you can afford. A exhaust brake was mandatory for me after first trip down Black Mountain. After passing several tractor trailers pulled over with smoking brakes and some guy pulling tractor on 1/2 ton with trailer tires on fire I bought one. Dont need it 90 % of the time BUT.
It will happen if you tow a lot.
It will happen if you tow a lot.
NWOH_Grizz
Silver Member
Recently changed the front rotors and pads on my 2011 F150 EcoBoost at 48K miles. They had been pulsating badly for a while, thought I had a warped rotor. Pulled the RF off first, discovered the inside brake pad was broken, and the rotor was made of such poor quality metal that it had pieces of metal flaking off. The rotor on the left side was the same, metal coming off the rotor surface, but at least no broken pads. On my 2005 F250 diesel, I didn't have to change pads until around 65K miles, and the rotors still looked good. I changed them too, since I was in there and I get Motorcraft parts at a big discount. Ford may be making them larger, but in my experience they aren't made of a better quality material. They sure stop the truck in a hurry though, even when pulling a loaded 25' trailer.
The worse part of that quick brake change? Getting the tires and wheels off the hub. If you take the wheels off for any reason, put some Never-Seize or similar product where the aluminum wheels contact the steel hubs.
The worse part of that quick brake change? Getting the tires and wheels off the hub. If you take the wheels off for any reason, put some Never-Seize or similar product where the aluminum wheels contact the steel hubs.
brain55
Veteran Member
In my opinion they certainly had plenty of room for improvement. We bought a brake lathe at the landscape contractor I worked for, because of the brakes on Ford 1/2 ton trucks. On our early 90's Ford trucks we were doing the front brakes every other oil change, so 3 times a year. We changed the oil every other month or about 7000 miles. Brakes every 14-15k miles is silly, of course we were using them like 3/4 ton trucks, but still. The 2001 F250's were slightly better. GM had always had the best brakes, we rarely did them before 80,000 miles. Dodge was barely better than Ford in my opinion. My 2008 F450 has the best brakes of any Ford I've ever been around. My 2001 GMC 1-ton was as good or better though.
Brian
Brian
Here are the brake rotor diameters for 2014 trucks
F-150- 13.78''
Ram 1500- 13.23''
Chevy 1500- 12.99''
Tundra- 13.93''
2013 Titan- 13.77''
F-250-13.66''
Chevy 2500- 13.98"
Ram 2500- 14.18''
There is more to stopping a vehicle than just having large rotors but it is interesting to see how big the rotors are on these trucks.
F-150- 13.78''
Ram 1500- 13.23''
Chevy 1500- 12.99''
Tundra- 13.93''
2013 Titan- 13.77''
F-250-13.66''
Chevy 2500- 13.98"
Ram 2500- 14.18''
There is more to stopping a vehicle than just having large rotors but it is interesting to see how big the rotors are on these trucks.
It sounds like to me your brakes were overheated badly for the metal to be flaking.
jejeosborne
Veteran Member
Yes there is more than outer diameter. The rotor on the F150 weighs 29.5 lbs while the rotor on the F250 weighs 53.2 lbs. Thicker rotors with larger venting area is also important.
I agree the new 1/2 ton trucks are probably better tow vehicles than 3/4 ton vehicles from yesteryear but not when comparing to current models.
