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My 4 month old boat package has been back to my dealer since Sept getting a minor engine qerk handled and to try and get a trailer issue handled where my brakes drag and heat up. During this time it was neccessary for the dealer to put my boat in and out of the water for at least 10 different occasions. The ramp is about 5 miles (2 stop lights) away and each time the brakes would steam when they hit the water.
I have called the trailer rep no less than 15 times over the course of a 3 month period. I have spoken with the dealer no less than at least 30 times about it. I have called Tie Down at least 10 times about it. This does not include the NUMEROUS times (at least 30 times)the dealer has been in touch with both parties. I also know he is calling because the Road King and Tie Down people tell me the dealer is calling them
My dealer has told me he will no longer buy or use Road King trailers and has talked to "Larry" at the Florida plant and informed them of this. The dealer told me he would have no problem documenting for me that the issue exists and is a safety issue. My dealer is Coastal Marine Center in Ga and they have absolutely been great at trying to get the problem resolved.
I am now having to get an Attorney involved in this issue. The trailer has a 3 year "tip to tip" warranty and Tie Down has a year warranty. Both of these companies have no customer service and have made absurd statements to my dealer that I must have left the trailer sit at the boat ramp in saltwater (for days)while I went fishing for them to look so bad. Or they want to say it is negligence because I have not rinsed them off. I always wash them off with fresh water. The brakes look like crap because of all the excess heat they have been put under.
I have tried to get a part number of the actuator of the trailer, but they cannot find one at the dealership and I am in Florida. not close by.
I have been very nice and flexible with these people and have gotten no where. Again I will leave it up to my attorney now. I thought I would post an Update for THE HULL TRUTH. I will post an outcome..
The Cracker
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
Cracker,
You are getting screwed by someone but I don't know who. Why is your dealer talking to the Florida plant when your trailer was made here in Asheville? I called the local plant today and could have gotten anything I wanted from them. Of course, I did not let them know I was calling on your behalf but they did tell me they do use Titon actuators occasionally and if I provide them with the trailer serial # they will look it up for me. If you wish to PM me that info. I will do some investigative research for you.
You are wasting your time with a lawyer. You need to get your boat and then we can get some answers. I still say you have a drum actuator on a disc setup and your dealer is too stupid to know the difference. The dealer calls Tie-Down about a Titon actuator, well, that is going nowhere. They also call the Florida Road King plant about a trailer made in Asheville, and that is not getting to the root of the problem either.
If you want this problem resolved, unfortunately, you may have to cut your dealer out.
Cracker,
Sorry to hear about all the hassle!! Maybe its time to get a Loadmaster....Come on over to the dark side.....
Ps I had to say it!!! You know I am just kidding I hope it works out for you. Mark
My RK trailer has a Carlisle actuator. Although I have had the trailer worked on a few times, I can't say that I am dissatisfied with the product.
You would think they would stick with one vendor to eliminate problems like this.
My trailer is the RKAV26-28TRB with electric/hydraulic disc brakes (X6)
I dont know if I would be happy with a dealer that took my boat to the ramp and baked my rotors on each trip. Breaking down the metal and fatiguing it. Plus warping. They are shot now.
I wonder if when the first time you noticed the brake problem and then they got wet it didnt bake the salt into the steel.
Wont your dealer just purchase a couple of new axels and install them. Or he could at the least put your boat on a good trailer and stick that one in the back somewhere until the issue has been handled by HIM. He's the dealer so he should DEAL with it.
HH the reason the Florida plant was contacted is because they are closer to me and a Road King Trailer is a Road King no matter where it was built. I think the reason Road King will not respond to him is because they know he is leaving them and they already know that. The dealer has no spare trailers around his dealership, he is not a large dealer and in fairness to him it is not his fault. He did not assemble or make the product. If you have a problem with a Ford it aint the dealerships fault, they hand you a number to detroit.
Due to warranties...Tie Down is the resposible parties (I have already talked with attorney about how Road King assembles the product, said it doesn't matter).
Road King has said they only use drum actuators on very light load trailers and use them very very little so a mix up would be impossible.
As far as baking the brakes and damaging them. A Road King Rep looked at the brakes BEFORE the dealer took the boat anywhere and he stated the brakes were fine and that they are suppose to heat up. This is also why Tie Down will not respond to my problems because Road King's official word is that they are fine, per the Rep from Road King.
Mark,
If you reread my original post I said my prior trailer was a Loadmaster with Kodiaks and I had years of trouble free service.
While an attorney being involved is my last result I have made soo many phone calls to Road King, road King Rep, and Tie Down I am just pissed off now. I am a very patient man and have been very patient but this situation has been a joke how BOTH of these companies have handled it.
I would love to go get my boat but that does me no good as I haul it home and a wheel comes flying off the rig and kills somebody, now I am liable because I know I am pulling equipment that is not functioning properly and is in fact could be damaging itself. You dont think an attorney from either company could pass blame on to me...Yes they could, very easily..Hopefully this will get handled soon.
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
If my trailer goes bad its going back to the dealer. If I by a bad piece of fruit its going back to publix. TV its going to Circuit City. My Jeep back to the dealer also. I guess you feel this guy has no responsibilty. But I can tell you he did what they are all doing trying not to have to pay for it. And by telling you he wasn't buying their trailers no more he satisfied you. Buck Passed...You do what you want. But he should help you get out of this.
Seems to me your stuck between here. THe best solution is to dock the boat and have someone, friend, trailer guru, break them down. DO you beleive the Road King rep that they were fine ? How could a REP ! look at them and tell they are good. How could he possibly do that. You cant look at them and tell if the metal is fatigued or warped.
Can you get away with disconnecting them and still making it around ?
Sorry to hear your troubles. My Roadking was 11 months old and I had a TieDown caliper hang, it torn up my rotor. My dealer called Roadking (FL) and I had a new assembly the next day, no questions asked. BTW this happened in Aug '06.
Heavyfishin as stated above, legally, there is nothing to hang my hat on. While if I ran the dealership I might be inclined to fix it, but (legally) he is not required to do so.....The dealer told me when all this first started that I was NOT the first to have issues and that Road King was not responsive to problems..
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
You are frustrated and I don't blame you but you have not provided information about the Titon Model 10 actuator on your trailer. What does the dealer say about that being a drum actuator? It takes 5 minutes to verify if it is a drum actuator. If you will send me your trailer serial #, I believe I could get more response from Road King than your dealer is getting. At this point, you do not know who is at fault. Certainly Tie-Down is not at fault. Maybe Road King is, if they installed the wrong actuator. Perhaps the dealer is at fault. They could have changed actuators. Pull out your paperwork, get the serial # and lets get this resolved. What have you to lose? Your dealer is getting nowhere.
Rip those Tie Downs off and make a paper weight out of them. They'll serve you much better in that capacity.
Then bite the bullet and install a set of Kodiaks. Will cost you much less than a lawyer and the doctor visits to control your blood pressure.
Yep, for the cost of an initial visit with a lawyer you could buy a set of Kodiaks, install them yourself in no time, and be up and running. Some battles are not worth fighting. Save your energy for bigger and better things, like fighting fish not companies and lawyers. If you are not handy doing this type of work, see if the dealer will install them for you at no cost if you provide them to him.
While my experience with Tiedown brakes has been OK, I just ordered a set of mid grade Kodiak disc brakes. Will report on my experience with them after they have been in use for a while.
My Tie Down brakes have been fine - no problems. Of course, I bought a complete kit with a matching Tie Down brand actuator.
The problem with the OP's brakes could be with the brakes themselves (Tie Down), the actuator (Titon), or the installation (Road King). I think it's unfair to lay the blame oin Tie Down untill the results are in. And as someone posted above, the dealer sold it, he should be responsible for making it whole. And if he is more than just a "street corner dealer", he should have replaced whatever was necessary himself, at his expense, and gone after the manufacturer for reimbursement. We're only talking a few hundred dollars here (retail) on a several thousand dollar purchase.
Cracker,
I may be getting a little help for you. I talked to the people at the factory here in the mountains. Your trailer was shipped to Coastal with a Titon model 10 DISC actuator. They have some paperwork from Coastal about a claim but would not discuss it until they do some research. I am kinda acting like a go between for a friend. They said they would call me back after researching. If they find out from Coastal that this has turned into a legal battle, they won't call me back.
If you hit a dead end after this, you may have to bite the bullet, replace the system with Kodiacs and deal with your dealer in small claims court. The dealer is the one responsible for correcting the problem and getting reimbursement from the responsible manufacturer.
The problem with the OP's brakes could be with the brakes themselves (Tie Down), the actuator (Titon), or the installation (Road King). I think it's unfair to lay the blame oin Tie Down untill the results are in.
Quote:
Cracker
Both of these companies have no customer service and have made absurd statements to my dealer that I must have left the trailer sit at the boat ramp in saltwater (for days)while I went fishing for them to look so bad. Or they want to say it is negligence because I have not rinsed them off. I always wash them off with fresh water. The brakes look like crap because of all the excess heat they have been put under.
All I need to hear right there. The actuator ain't got squat to do with it. Tie-Downs are notorious for corroding away in no time flat. Take all the different metals (aluminum, brass, stainless, bronze, etc) in their assemblies, toss in a little salt water and you've got yourself a battery. His rotors overheated cause his calipers froze up.
I'd take a set of plain old drums before I'd take another set of Tie Downs. They got my last dollar.
All I need to hear right there. The actuator ain't got squat to do with it.
It certainly does have "squat" to do with it if it's a drum actuator or for some other reason keeps continuous pressure on the calipers. It really does, trust me, I know.
Road King Trailer and Tie Down Brake UPDATE!! 
