Replacing brake shoes

[SCSG-G4]

Well, I know why the trailer I just bought had a tire/wheel that just wanted to stay locked up! Probably going to take more than a couple of shoes to fix this one.

 

[harleyhouse]

Is that the bearing race in the second picture?
How is the spindle?

 

[M35A2-AZ]

WOW, used all of those shoes up and more!!

 

[SCSG-G4]

Bearings, races and the shaft are all fine, but just about everything from the backing plate outward inside the brake area will have to be replaced. Never did find more than some small scraps of the springs. and only one of the four rods out of the brake cylinders. The tire lost what was left of it's tread in a few places, but at least it's home.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Well, the easiest way to fix it was to swap the whole axle. So I went over to Mike's house yesterday morning, and brought it back to the compound. We used the axle that came off the MKT I scrapped. It was actually pretty easy to do!

We put the four corner jacks down, as far as they would go. Then we took off the brake hose. While I was breaking the U bolts loose, Mike got the parking brake cables off. We put a floor jack under the middle of the axle. After the U-bolts were off, we just lowered the axle to the ground, worked perfect. Rolled it out, then swung the new axle in place, and reversed the procedure. We got started about 1400 and were on the way back to Mike's house by 1930.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Mike is supposed to add more pictures of what came out of the wheel when he took it apart. The backing plate was bent pretty bad on the old axle too.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Oh, and for some reason, the pictures are backwards, the first is the finished 'new' axle. Don't know why they did that...

 

[SCSG-G4]

Here are the pictures of what came out of that brake hub.

 

[EMD567]

And not a word about the expert that came by, and checked all the work, including the torque on the axle u bolts.

 

[RAYZER]

That got a little warm!!

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Yeah he left just before you got there John...

JK, John helped with a few tools, his calibrated torque arms "UHHHH that's tight enough" and of course helpful hints and critisism.

 

[Recovry4x4]

See what happens when you don't pack the brakes.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Those brakes had never been touched since the trailer was built, except to pull the parking brake cable out on that side. Only brake cylinder that had any fluid in it was the lower one on the other side. It's a real 'Aw Shucks' feeling when you crack, then completely unscrew the brake bleeder - and it's dry as a bone. Always carry a 7/16 box wrench!

 

[o1951]

Thanks for posting. I NEVER saw anything near that bad.