2005 Patriot Thunder Brakes

[Larry Fisk]

Hello my friends, our coach is in a shop getting new brakes and rotors installed. The problem is the shop can’t seem to figure what rotors or brake pads are on our Coach. They have tried measuring the width of the rotors to see if they can find one that matches the old ones. Surely there has to be information on the brake pads and rotors for a 2005 Beaver, Patriot Thunder somewhere? This trying to figure it out as you go seems odd. With the coach sitting on Jacks because the wheels, brakes and rotors are removed is very frustrating! We are full timers and have been in a hotel for a week while they are trying to get the correct parts. Just had to vent.

Larry Fisk

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

I think you've got an 'M' series chassis.If so, this should help.  https://beaveramb.org/forum/index.php/topic,9465.msg64773.html#msg64773
Steve

[Frank Bergamo]

Larry,

On the post above from Steve, read the reply from Mike Shumack. His coach was a 2005 Patriot Thunder, same as yours. Should be what you are looking for. Hope this helps.

[Larry Fisk]

Thank you for the help. The shop that’s replacing the brakes, Redlands Truck & RV, is convinced the rotors were machined by Monaco when the coach was built. So they are sending the new rotors they ordered to a machine shop to have machined to the thickness of the rotors they removed from the coach. My question is, won’t this compromise the new rotors? I will share with them the info you sent me. Thank you so much!

Larry

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Larry,
IMHO there is no way I'd let them do it. The proper rotors are available with some digging. Monaco used the M series chassis from 03-06 so the brake systems across those model years should be the same. Effectively the shop is going to charge you for new rotors plus the labor to effectively convert them to used rotors! Maybe I'm missing something, but the front rotors are Bendix 976030 per the pdf in the link I provided and they are available.
Steve

[Eric Maclean]

Larry
I agree with Steve rotors are manufactured and factory machined to spec and have a minimum spec to which they can be machined to topically there is less than 250 thousands of an inch from new to minimum thickness .
If the caliper and new pads won't fit over the new rotors you have either the wrong rotors , pads or the calipers have not been retracted properly.
Either way I would not recommend machining the new rotors to any great degree as the more material that is removed the less the rotor can control and dissipate heat.

Eric

[Larry Fisk]

Hello friends, just thought I would give you an update on the brake job. After visiting with Oregon Motorcoach Center and Mike at Beaver Coach Sales, a decision had to be made. Neither of those sources could tell me the correct rotor for our Thunder. Mike did say if he had the casting number he could look it up, but we could not locate a casting number on the old rotors. Mike at Redlands Truck and RV assured me they only needed to machine off 10 thousandth of an inch and the new rotors would be fine, so I told him to go for it. The brake job is now complete and I’m told the brakes are operating perfectly. We are currently in Alaska with our family for the holidays, so when we return we will pick up the Coach and hopefully find this to be true. Thanks again for your input. It was and is much appreciated.

Larry Fisk

[rkevincarson]

Larry, would like to hear your final results with the brake rotors…

[Larry Fisk]

We drove the Coach from Redlands to Fillmore, California. The brakes work great! It was a very expensive job, at 7,100 dollars. But I don’t see us ever needing new brakes again in our lifetime. I’m thankful it’s done.

Larry Fisk