Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

I've got a triaxle manning trailer with drum brakes. After goinng down a 2 mile steep hill, someone said I was blowing smoke out of one of the wheels. After inspection, everything looks good, however I have a lot of grease splattered throughout the drum brake assembly. My other wheels are the same way. Is this normal for drum brakes? Last two trailers were disc brakes, which I miss!!!!


Is this grease just from over greasing the bearing fitting? Seals shot? The inner seals on the bearings look just fine, smooth all the way around...

Any thoughts???

Thanks!!!!

Re: Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

Check your brakes first - surge brakes or electic over hyd - brakes may be out of adjustment and only one drum was stopping the rig - thus creating a lot of heat, this will thin the grease and causing it to leak by the seal - Jack it up apply the brakes and try to spin the wheel -

Type of grease is important - water resisntance is a must or the grease will loose viscosity and leak past any seal -

Re: Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

Surge brakes. Jacked it up and it spins freely with no sound at all as to rubbing. I usually adjust them until I here the first sound of rubbing and leave them there. I only use marine grease.

When they told me of the smoke, I immediatley checked the temp of the wheel hubs and they all were pretty warm, but not hot, so all seemed to be normal. I'm thinking that after dragging brakes on that long hill the grease splatter got hot and caused the smoke.

Got it all back together and will monitor it on tomorrows tow.

Re: Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

You need to check them with a load - compress the brakes then try to spin the wheels - Brake cyls could be stuck or brakes need to be bleed - you may still only have one wheel doing most of the work - I just spent $ 1,000 replacing all my stuff -

Re: Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

Mine never got that hot, but i was over greasing (squirt or 2after every 2-3 dunks) and ended up blowing the seals out the back and had the brake assembly soaked in grease. The brakes didn't work so well. :D

Once the brake assebly get's that greased up, I can't see it working well, at least the shoes will probably be glazed bad. I bought the whole backing plate wiht brake assemby for about $40 each. Shoes only were about $30 so it's a no brainer.

I no longer grease like that, and might hit it with one or 2 shots a couple times season, but I monitor hub temp all the itme. On road trips I check every stop!

Next change will be dumping the drums for disc on mine!!!

Re: Drum brakes - Grease all over????
 

Sounds like you'll be repacking them if nothing else.