What type of rotors are you using? I've seen a lot of cheaper store brands like advance or auto zone that are warped right out of the box.

 

I had the same problem for years, until I learned that I was suppose to be lubricating the guide pins in the calipers. I had to replace one of the caliper brackets three years ago when a wheel hub assembly went out. The pins in the other bracket were so seized up that it took a while for me to break them loose. Now I lube them every oil change. And no more wrapped rotors and my truck stops like a dream.

 

look into adding an exhaust brake

warped rotors means your overheating the rotors

 

 

I am really bad on brakes, probably because I tailgate. Because of this I've tried pretty much everything. As mentioned above, the key is not overheating the rotors. On my 2004 I went with EBC slotted & dimpled rotors. That helped, they lasted longer but in the end still warped. On my '13 I went with Frozen Rotors cryoed rotors. They are also slotted. Slotted rotors help the hot gases escape. So far so good. Be careful with cross drilled rotors, I've seen cracks form between the holes. The other thing you want to be aware of is torquing your lug nuts. Improperly torqued lug nuts can also cause your rotors to warp. Another "trick" is to not sit there with your foot on the brake, try to stop a few feet before where you would normally stop. Then let your foot off the brake and roll forward a little, depending how long you sitting there repeat that a few times. Sitting in 1 spot keeps the hot pad in 1 spot on the rotors. Last thing that I do is to pump my brakes when stopping, this helps let the hot gases out, allows the pads and rotors cool a bit between "pumps"

 

I'm definitely not an expert on this, but I've have a few people tell me that rotors don't warp, what happens is that the pads deposit material onto the rotors unevenly, and that causes your issues. If that's the real cause, then the suggestion appears to be to make more care to "bed in" the pads and rotors when you replace them. A quick search of the words "brake bedding procedure" will get you more reading material than you could ever want on the subject.

Don't know what brand or style of rotors or pads would best reduce this phenomenon. Seems to me harder pads and vented rotors might do it, but I have no idea if that's actually any benefit.

 

warped rotors.....

overheating as already stated..

sticking calipers.... both outside slides.. and internal piston movement or the lack of piston returning to OFF location

also all the rubber brake hoses.. can form check ***** from crud and lack of fluid replacement every 2 years.. only fix for this all new rubber hoses...THEN a good flush/fill and bleed.
a 3,000 pound trailer is Nothing for a superduty.. even if trailer did not have brakes..
my opinion.

 

Are you measuring runout on the install? If you start with the rotor out of true you'll develop low spots on the rotor pretty quickly like you're describing. Mic the rotor next time you pull one, but instead of four locations like you would do to check minimum thickness, double it to eight and write down the variations.

Maximum runout for 05-07 SDs is 0.002 in (0.050 mm), your year should be similar. I'd bet you're seeing more like 0.03-0.04 at the speed you're burning through rotors. I don't normally say to cut the rotors, but instead of changing them next time get them cut at a shop that has a good on-vehicle lathe and see how much longer they last for. This will true them to your hub mounting face and be an attempt to isolate the problem to pad application.

 

This is my understanding as well. I think under normal operation, rotors stay under 200-250°F. Let's say a rotor gets up to 350°F under very hard sustained braking. Is that enough to warp a rotor? Doesn't seem like it but I don't know. I would put more money on brake pad residual caking up on the rotor.

 

I personally think the metal warping even under more extreme towing heat loads would be very unlikely. But that high heat would make the pad material easier to deposit onto the rotor.

 

I had problems with a '96 ranger warping the front rotors while it was still under the 3 year/36000 mile warranty. Dealer kept telling me I was riding/using hard/overheating the rotors which dang near drove me up a tree. As soon as the warranty was up, I investigated. One rear drum brake was doing nothing because the adjusting screw was stuck. The other drum was bathed in axle oil. (And yes, I did have the dealer check my rear brakes and they found nothing wrong). Anyway, after I fixed the rears, my problems with the fronts disappeared. Point is, if the fronts are warping, might want to check operation of the rears.

Also, every single brake pad I've changed in the past several years on every car and truck has been too tight to slide. When I install new pads, I grind the ends of the pads to make them just a little sloppy. I found this helps the rotors wear evenly. Before installing pads, I apply a thin layer of grease to prevent rust on the cast iron slide rails. As they rust, they swell which causes the pads to tighten and they no longer slide in/out easily.

Final thing to check is stuck calipers...even new or reman from Ford. Their pistons may be stuck and no good before they're even installed. I gave up on getting calipers from Ford for my Mustang (stuck piston, stripped bleeder, etc) and got a set from Napa.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^ What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Uneven deposit of pad material, or uneven wear due to low quality, crappy rotors.

 

if the truck sits, the rotors will rust everywhere except under the pads. it feels the same as warp when you drive and stop it. The brakes on our trucks are designed for towing, not running empty, so in daily driving, there isn't enough friction wear to blow through the rust and re dress the rotors.

 

I have cut a few thousand rotors... they can and do warp..

but rust is a big problem for a smooth braking action.

85 percent of rotor rust.. under a brake pad.. it does very little rust.. but will Stick to rotor.. and driving like this is bad on the rotors and pads..

I have received New rotors in the box.. warped... mostly house brand... technically not warped... cut out of round and / or True... " Run-out "