Trailer Brakes Locked Up

A

AJC

Member
Towed my V20 home from her winter storage spot Monday night and noticed a small amount of smoke coming out between the wheel and the frame of the trailer. I greased the hubs up before I drove it home. It was the front axle of my dual axle trailer. When I pulled over to check it, the hub was hot and it smelled like something was burning. I tried backing up to release the brake but I am still hearing a grinding noise coming from the wheel. I imagine it must of seized up while in storage over the winter. Is there a way to unlock this brake? It is a 97 Venture dual axle trailer for a 21' boat. The brakes are not electric. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
have u tried to loosen the brakes? Then take a hammer and beat the drum in different locations. I have never had one not come off this way. Sometimes it takes a while but it will come off. I just changed mine this winter, it's easier to buy the thing as a package and bolt thet new one on the trailer with the 4 bolts. You can save about $15.00 each wheel if you buy the parts seperate but it's a whole lot more work.
 
Give this a try...

big-hammer.jpg
 
macojoe said:
unless you are towing with a Yugo, tear them out and use nothing!! You can thank me letter!
Click to expand...

After many years and many $$$ I'm about to agree w/MJ on this...instead of spending money on trailer brakes, I just put a new set of rotors and pads on my truck...cross-drilled AND slotted on all four wheels...now for the trailer, I'll jack it up, remove the calipers and run it w/out brakes...gonna see how that works for a while...:party:
 
i just ripped the old drum brakes off my trailer 2 weeks ago. and installed this set of brakes..http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=6522&categoryID=155..

took a couple of hours to install and work perfect. have dunked them in the saltwater 2 times thus far and rinsed after when i got back home...and no rust yet...i know they have not been exposed to the salt that much yet but i'm very happy with the kit, price and the stopping power of them. hope this helps
 
Pulling the brakes off this weekend. I came to the same conclusion. It is not worth putting money into brakes for the trailer.
 
My back wheel locked up on my mine so I drug it till came free. I don't think my breaks work anymore. Just towed it 2 plus hours without smoke so all is good. This winter I will remove what is left in there.
 
I may go back to trailer brakes later on, but for now, upgraded (cross-drilled and slotted) rotors on the truck and braking a little earlier are workin' great...there's NO QUESTION that with brakes, it'll slow/stop faster than w/out, so just gotta be more alert to conditions out front...see Oconee Deputy in Off Topic for more on that :deer:
 
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