Trailer Brakes Sticking on in Storage

[puffernutter]

I have a 3.5T, twin axle tilt bed Ifor Williams trailer. It gets some, but not a lot of use. Through the winter, if I don't tug it around the storage area at regular intervals, the brakes will lock on. This leads to a lot of violence with a lump hammer and choice Anglo Saxon phrases to get them all moving again.

Having read up on the brakes (I had a fair idea how overrun brakes and auto revers brakes worked) and thought about it a bit (painful I know) I wondered if anyone has any thoughts on my following hypothesis.

My storage spot is in a corner and I have to reverse the trailer in. When reversing the friction between the shoe surface and drum drags the brake backwards so that the overrun brakes wont come on.

No, when stabling the trailer, I reverse it in, stop, chock the wheels on the trailer then unhitch. I never leave it with the handbrake on.

Could this be the problem? The brake shoes are left in close proximity of the drum and when it gets wet, they either swell or rust, or both and have a great affinity for the drum, thus jamming the brakes on?

If I tug the trailer slightly forwards as the final action, will that bring the brake shoes forward and more clear of the drum? Will that reduce the risk of them sticking on.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

Peter

 

[roofman]

sounds like the shoes are dragging and are in contact with the drums full time..could or might just need adjusting off a tad to bring them off the drums

 

[dunk]

first thing peter if you have a grease nipple on the hitch where the rubber corragated boot is, grease this weekly, i had to park my car trailer the same as you and when i had reversed into spot i rolled forward a little so brakes came off, when going backwards brakes will come on as your pushing against the hitch, but if you reverse very very slowly at last part of parking they won`t come on fully, it works similar to when you brake going forward the hitch (trailer) pushes against the tow bar and applies the trailer brakes by compressing the coupling inside the rubber boot, but in going backwards the towing vehicle pushes against the coupling, i also drop the A section onto a sleeper if leaving for a fair time so weight is not on jockey wheel if the trailer is loaded, if you can choke the wheels and site is level leave the brake off

 

[colnerov]

Hi, auto reverse brakes work by the action of the wheel turning in the 'wrong' direction moving the sliding shoe and temporarily backing off the adjustment and releasing the brakes. The brakes sticking on is caused usually by warm brakes in a damp atmosphere and the resulting condensation rusting them together. It is common with parking on wet grass or ground and damp concrete. Try parking it up without applying the handbrake, loosely chocking it and giving the trailer a rock backwards and forwards every few days to stop the rust getting a real hold.

Colin

 

[puffernutter]

I thought it might be that. It's stored outside on hardstanding (ish) compacted hardcore. The trouble is it's 3 miles away from home and getting across there is the pain!

Plus even rocking that trailer takes some effort!

Cheers

Peter

 

[colnerov]

Hi, slightly easier is to move the hitch from side to side this gives you more leverage, this moves each side backwards and forwards.

Colin

 

[anto44]

I've seen this before. Remove the drums and clean and copper grease them. they get dirty and stiff so they don't back off fully they just stop applying pressure to the drum but stay in very close contact to the drum so they can still stick to it

 

[bricol]

I've had similar problems on a Brian James trailer with sticking brakes. Turns out it was the brake cables semi-seized and weren't allowing the brakes to come off. New set of cables and it's been fine for a couple of years.

I did some searching around after closely examining the text on the original cables, and for the price of one cable from the trailer manufactuere, I got all three I needed for less from one of the trailer specialist I fond online (I forget which one). Even better, despite the company being down south, their sales manager person lived all of a few hundred yards from me and delivered them ;-)

Bri

 

[puffernutter]

UPDATE! The trailer has been in for a service today and its all becoming clear! It is being serviced by a mobile caravan mechanic who does my caravan and always does a super job, so I have no reason to doubt anything he says.

The brakes are sticking because they are wound up as far as they can. It looks like they were wound up tight as there was little movement in the overrun head. That overrun head is now fully seized! The cables (all 4) also need renewing.

So, there is the option to try and un-seize it. The brute force method (14lb sledge) has failed. It has now been suggested that backing the trailer up to a tree (with a mattress between it and the trunk) and using a heavy tow vehicle (e.g. tractor) backing up may free it off. Any thoughts?

A new overrun head is £280 plus VAT from the Ifor Williams dealer of around £230 delivered from eBay.

Is it worth the risk of un-seizing and possible damage to the trailer (and then it will still be rusty in there and my just do it again!) or bite the bullet for a new overrun head?

Cheers

Peter

 

[harryb94]

UPDATE! The trailer has been in for a service today and its all becoming clear! It is being serviced by a mobile caravan mechanic who does my caravan and always does a super job, so I have no reason to doubt anything he says.

The brakes are sticking because they are wound up as far as they can. It looks like they were wound up tight as there was little movement in the overrun head. That overrun head is now fully seized! The cables (all 4) also need renewing.

So, there is the option to try and un-seize it. The brute force method (14lb sledge) has failed. It has now been suggested that backing the trailer up to a tree (with a mattress between it and the trunk) and using a heavy tow vehicle (e.g. tractor) backing up may free it off. Any thoughts?

A new overrun head is £280 plus VAT from the Ifor Williams dealer of around £230 delivered from eBay.

Is it worth the risk of un-seizing and possible damage to the trailer (and then it will still be rusty in there and my just do it again!) or bite the bullet for a new overrun head?

Cheers

Peter

I don't know much about trailers to be honest but is there no way to take it apart? Or what about penetrating oil to un seize it?

 

[awemawson]

Peter, knowing that you tow heavy (Disco etc) vehicles on that trailer, I'd not want to be risking having a faulty over run brake system. If the hitch is fubar change it. You need over run brakes in an emergency.

(I sold a Fordson Power Major tractor to a fellow last year, and the chap who collected it for him has an Ifor Williams to put it on. All well strapped down. I got a phone call 20 mins after he left - had to brake hard to avoid car turning right - his over run brake failed and the Tractor / Trailer combination pushed him into the vehicle in front, and sheered off his towing bracket pushing the trailer A frame under the vehicle - could I pick him up )

When I had my tilt bed Ifor Williams serviced a couple of years back, the dealer changed all the cables and brake shoes, but my o/r head was ok

 

[puffernutter]

New coupling head and brake cables ordered.

You know it makes sense......(just hurts financially!)

Cheers

Peter