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Wouldn't it have been far far better to save up a little more and replace the shoe brakes with disc brakes.
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Hi Tom,
You inspired me to write about CAN bus LEDs. But you only wasted $20 :-)
Of course this is all a learning experience for me. Like you, I bought an insurance salvage TM as our first RV, at a price that would make me feel OK if I trashed it, and expected to make a lot of mods.
I think you're right about disc brakes. Magnetic trailer brakes are a Rube Goldberg set-up that might someday work well enough if I adjust them more.
But that disk brake conversion is really pricey! You didn't just spend $600 for the brake conversion, you replaced the axle with 7000 lbs Timbren axle-less suspension, spending at least $800. That rubber axle might indeed be insufficient to handle really good brakes. And of course you had to replace the hubs too.
So, we're talking about a $1500 conversion when we add in all of the little pieces, aren't we?
Now, besides brakes that actually work, you got the ability to take off the wheel and inspect everything, while I can't do that without replacing a seal and re-greasing afterward.
I got the Norcold, which isn't balky like the Dometic, doesn't use gas, and I don't have to worry about leveling any longer and I can keep it going on my solar panels (you'll get to read about my 5-panel system in a couple months). I'd suggest that as your next mod.
At this point, I would look for disk brakes if I ever bought a new trailer.
Thanks
Bruce